Fruit Platter With Whipped Ricotta Food

FRUIT PLATTER WITH WHIPPED RICOTTA

Steps:

• Poached Peaches: Combine peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until fruit is just tender, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on ripeness. Transfer peaches to a heatproof container with a slotted spoon; strain syrup over top. Let cool completely. Peaches in syrup can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 week. (Makes about 2 cups.)
• Whipped Ricotta: Puree ricotta, vanilla, and maple syrup in a food processor or blender until creamy. Mixture can be refrigerated, covered, up to 5 days. (Makes 2 cups.)
• Fruit Platter: Arrange all fresh fruits on a platter. Serve with poached peaches, whipped ricotta, and digestive biscuits.

FRESH BERRIES & SWEET RICOTTA

Steps:

• Place the Homemade Ricotta in a medium bowl and stir in the sugar, honey, and vanilla. Set aside at room temperature for up to 2 hours. In another bowl, combine the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
• When ready to serve, divide the berries among 6 bowls. With an ice cream scoop, place a large dollop of the ricotta in each bowl and drizzle with lots of the Fresh Raspberry Sauce. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and serve.
• Set a fine-mesh sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 pieces of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with a double layer of the cheesecloth.
• Pour the milk and cream into a medium stainless-steel or enameled pot, such as Le Creuset, and stir in the salt. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for one minute, until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
• Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 minutes (for soft ricotta) to 25 minutes (for firmer ricotta), occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining liquid. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• The ricotta will keep, refrigerated, for 4 to 5 days.
• Place the raspberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and the framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Pour into a container and chill. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to one week.

CROSTATA WITH LEMON CUSTARD AND WHIPPED RICOTTA CREAM

Steps:

• Combine flour, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, sugar, egg, baking powder, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Blend ingredients until dough starts sticking together and forms one piece.
• Wrap crostata dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll out dough using a lightly floured rolling pin on a work surface, or flatten it directly onto a baking sheet using your fingers, to form crostata shell. Pierce shell with a fork to prevent air bubbles during baking.
• Bake in the preheated oven until sides are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove crostata from the oven and set aside to cool.
• While crostata cools, pour lemon juice into a heavy saucepan through a sieve and stir in 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Heat mixture over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Beat remaining sugar, eggs, and flour together in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer or a whisk until white and airy in texture.
• Pour warm lemon juice mixture into egg mixture slowly, whisking constantly. Pour custard mixture back into the saucepan.
• Heat custard mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to mix until the uneven texture becomes smooth, about 1 minute. Add butter gradually to custard 1 piece at a time, stirring constantly, until smooth. Let custard cool to room temperature.
• While custard cools, combine ricotta cheese, whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest in a food processor. Blend until mixture is uniform and smooth in texture, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer ricotta cream to a bowl.
• Place lemon custard and ricotta cream in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Remove custard and cream from the refrigerator. Spread lemon custard evenly on cooled crostata crust. Spread ricotta cream on top of lemon custard. Decorate with raspberries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

WHIPPED RICOTTA DESSERT

Steps:

• Combine drained ricotta, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and honey in a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients until creamy using the lowest speed of a stand mixer or hand mixer, about 1 minute. Whip on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in lemon zest. Transfer mixture to a piping bag and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the serving glasses.
• Put amaretti cookies into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and crush cookies into crumbs that are chunky and not too fine. Set aside 1 tablespoon of crumbs. Divide remaining crumbs evenly between five 6-ounce glasses.
• Pipe ricotta cream into each glass. Top with a sprinkle of the reserved cookie crumbs. Garnish each glass with 4 blackberries, 1 raspberry, 1 mint leaf, and a pinch of nutmeg. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

SWEET RICOTTA TOPPING

Steps:

• PLACE ricotta, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in food processor container; cover. Process until smooth. Spoon into medium bowl.
• ADD whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Cover.
• REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour before serving.