Cow’s Milk Ricotta, Maple Roasted Pears, is a simple dessert that I enjoy throughout the fall.
Ricotta usually plays a supporting role in cooking, however, in this ricotta maple roasted pear recipe, the ricotta is taking center stage. There is nothing trendy about ricotta. A simple cheese, made from cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo milk that is low in sodium and high in calcium and protein. I use ricotta in everyday cooking when making lasagna, manicotti, pizza toppings, cheesecakes, dips, fillings, etc.
Trendy Food:
Trendy food is something that is very American. For some reason in this country, people look at food as a trend, certain food is around for some time and then it disappears. Days and weeks go by and everybody is talking about trends like Whoopi pies, kale, chocolate-covered bacon, etc. what a hot trend it is and suddenly like a tornado that passed through town, it’s quiet.
For me, it’s the strangest thing and someone needs to wonder how certain foods can have such a short lifespan. I agree that trends can drive innovation with one particular food group, however, a trend for me is a food style choice. Whereas, lifestyles are something very different. Nouvelle cuisine was not a trend, wellness-driven food is not a trend and neither is mindful eating. All are lifestyles that will continue to evolve. You may argue that Nouvelle cuisine has been abandoned over time. I would argue that Nouvelle cuisine was the start of the mindful eating movement. A modern style of cooking that avoided rich, heavy foods and emphasized the freshness of the ingredients. Nouvelle cuisine was and is a timely evolution of food, still going strong after almost 50 years, again something totally different than a trend.
Cow’s Milk Ricotta :
If you want to make your own ricotta, you can use my ricotta recipe, or you can purchase good quality ricotta.
The hardest thing when making homemade ricotta is having the patients to let the cheese drain. In other words, decreasing the water content and concentrating on the flavor and richness. Making your homemade whipped ricotta is really easy and actually takes very little time.
When combined and whipped with a little cream cheese, ricotta becomes creamy and fluffy and can be the base for amazing sweet or savory dishes. Take the time, make your own homemade ricotta and enjoy the experience of making your own simple cheese.
Throughout the fall, I enjoy cow’s milk ricotta with pears roasted with brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. A wonderful dessert that is so easy to make. I used Bosc pears, however, any type of pear will do the job. You want to serve the roasted pears slightly warm with the chilled whipped ricotta to fully enjoy the roasted pear, buttery maple syrup flavor. Talking about maple syrup, my recommendation is to use a high-quality grade A maple syrup. Please do not use fake stuff. The butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup will create a wonderful sauce that elevates the dish to another level and makes it so tasty.
Whipped Cow's Milk Ricotta, Maple Roasted Pears
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 2 cups fresh ricotta or store purchased
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sugar granulated
- 2 pear ripe
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup grade A
- 3 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract pure
Instructions
Whip the ricotta
- Whip ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, heavy cream, and honey, and whip in a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the ricotta mixture is set.1/4 cup cream cheese, 2 cups fresh ricotta, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sugar
Wash and cut pears
- Preheat the oven to 375. Wash the pears and cut them half lengthwise. Using a melon baller, remove the cores.2 pear
Bake pears
- Melt the butter in an ovenproof skillet. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pears cut side down in a single layer and bake for about 30 minutes. During the baking, baste them occasionally with pan juices and bake until just softened and golden.1 tbsp butter, unsalted, 3 tbsp light brown sugar, 3 tbsp maple syrup
- Remove the pears and keep warm. Add a little water to the skillet to thin the syrup, and reduce to a sauce-like consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.3 tbsp water, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Plate and serve
- Arrange chilled whipped ricotta on a plate, and garnish with roasted pears and seasonal fruit of your liking. Drizzle with the wonderful buttery maple brown sugar sauce and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate