Do you always serve a particular recipe on the same plate with the same garnish? Wander outside Same Old City and rethink the way you plate your favorites. I have no doubt you can come up with new and stunning presentations. See how I served up Ricotta Nirvana three radically different ways. There’s nothing boring at my house!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese
- 2/3 cup Splenda (or sugar)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. almond extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Turning on the oven is always the first thing I do if I’m gong to be baking. That way, it can be doing its thing quietly in the background while I do my magic with the ingredients. If you wait until you’re ready to put something into the oven for you to start the preheating, you’re going to be at a 20 minute disadvantage. Spray a round cake pan with Pam or something similar.
Beat the eggs. Add them a little at a time to the ricotta cheese. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients and continue to stir until well-mixed. Pour the mixture into the pan you previously sprayed.
Bake low and slow — 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees. Serve well-chilled with fresh berries and whipped cream.
Serving Suggestions:
Special celebration? Make a layered dessert. You’re using the same three ingredients — Ricotta Nirvana, berries, whipped cream, but you’re doing it in a much more eye-catching and impressive way with very little extra work. Literally just do layers of the three ingredients. I used champagne glasses for the occasion.
Big crowd? If you have a big trifle dish and want to make this for a larger group, double the recipe and then make layers in the trifle dish. I used champagne glasses in the picture on the left because there were just four of us, I didn’t know until the last minute that it was a special occasion, and (don’t tell anyone!) the Nirvana I was using was leftover! I didn’t have enough to do four good-sized slices, but breaking it into pieces and creating layers allowed me to stretch what I had and make it spectacular. Especially with the lit candle on top!
Slice and serve! Cut a neat slice and serve it on a plate with sliced strawberries and whipped cream on top. Because the Nirvana is so sweet, I don’t sweeten the berries unless they come from a very unsweet batch. I just slice them, pile them on, add the whipped cream, and garnish with an additional strawberry. Looking at the picture at the top of the page, you’re probably thinking the same thing I am. “Where is my sprig of mint?”
Go informal with a bowl. Using roly-poly blueberries? You’d better corral them in a bowl. They’re easier to conquer that way. Serving it in a bowl makes it seem more home-y, for some reason. Try it with raspberries, or blackberries, or MIXED berries!
Leave a Reply