Ricotta Cake with Strawberries

Ricotta Cake with Strawberries 🍰🍓 Ricotta Cake with Strawberries 🍓🍰

Ricotta cake has its roots in Italian cuisine, particularly in the southern regions of Italy. It is traditionally made during special occasions and holidays but is enjoyed year-round for its delicious flavor and moist creamy texture.

Ricotta Cake with Strawberries

Relatively easy to prepare, the ingredients are straightforward and commonly found in most kitchens. It’s also versatile. You can add your favorite flavors such as lemon zest, chocolate chips, candied fruit, liqueur, or berries without altering the basic recipe significantly. This flexibility makes it fun to customize and experiment with different variations.

There are no special techniques involved to make this dense yet simultaneously fluffy cake. It’s as simple as mixing the ingredients in the right order and baking. As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Ricotta Cake Recipe

Continue reading “Ricotta Cake with Strawberries”

Peach, Quinoa, and Almond Milk Ricotta Salad

Peach, Quinoa, and Almond Milk Ricotta Salad/Grain Bowl

Peach, Quinoa, and Almond Milk Ricotta Salad/Grain Bowl
with
Toasted Almonds, Red Oak Lettuce, Mint, Basil
Olive Oil, Balsamic Syrup, Edible Flowers
Lemon Verbena Iced Tea

Hey! How’s your summer going? Hot enough for ya? Try this Peach, Quinoa, and Almond Milk Ricotta Salad/Grain Bowl  – it’s a bright, light, and simply delicious summertime meal. Perfect for these sweltering days…there is no recipe per se, just a combination of healthful ingredients that have a particular affinity for each other, all arranged in a bowl. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan too.

Enjoy the salad/grain bowl al fresco along with refreshing Lemon Verbena Iced Tea – the high levels of essential oil contribute to a delightful citrusy aroma and lovely lemony flavor.

Peach, Quinoa, and Almond Milk Ricotta Salad/Grain Bowl

Continue reading “Peach, Quinoa, and Almond Milk Ricotta Salad”

Move Over Avocado Toast!

Fresh Pea and Ricotta Toasts

English Pea and Ricotta Toasts
Lodge Bread German Style Rye

Sometimes we want a different kind of toast for breakfast, especially when there are fabulous hand-shelled, sweet and tender, English peas available. So, no disrespect, but move over avocado, and make room for Fresh Pea and Ricotta Toasts.

Fresh sweet peas and crunchy pea shoots, fresh basil and mint, and lemony ricotta top an extraordinary German style rye by Lodge Bread.  This heavenly bread is bold and sturdy – made of 100% whole grain dark rye, buttermilk, local beer, sprouted rye berries, and filled with seeds – sesame, nigella, sunflower, pumpkin, and poppy.

Serve this breakfast with tea. English peas, and tea. Of course it’s lovely.

German Style Rye Bread

English Pea and Ricotta Toasts Recipe

Continue reading “Move Over Avocado Toast!”

Lemon Ricotta Pasta Salad with Figs and Mint

Lemon Ricotta Pasta Salad with Figs and Mint
Lemon Ricotta Pasta Salad
with
Figs, Mint, Macadamia Nuts

Light, lemony, and refreshing. Perfect for a picnic side dish or a lunch on the veranda served with a chilled glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Nuts and fruit, lemon and mint – pair with crema di ricotta to make a pasta salad just meant to be enjoyed on a warm day in brilliant sunshine.

Fresh figs have two seasons in California – the first two weeks in June, then the second season runs August through October. If fresh figs are available, by all means try them in this salad – but if not, dried figs work just as well.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta Salad Recipe

Continue reading “Lemon Ricotta Pasta Salad with Figs and Mint”

Mini Fruit Tacos Showcase Fresh Berries

Fruit Tacos ~ Ricotta, Berries, Sopapilla Taco Shells

Mini Fruit Tacos

Sopapilla Taco Shells
Lemon-Orange Ricotta, Orange Marmalade
Fresh Berries, Pistachio, Vanilla Yogurt, Mint

Perhaps we are spoiled here in Southern California, with a bounty of fresh fruit all year around, but savvy cooks don’t simply create dishes with fresh ingredients, the key is serving those fresh ingredients at their peak.

Summer is the peak season for raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. To delight your family, serve these seasonal gems in a mini taco shell!

This taco shell is inspired by sopapillas, a dessert popular in the Southwestern US and in Latino culturesThe crispy fried pillows of dough are originally thought to have originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico over a couple centuries ago. Sometimes served as a savory dish with meat, cheese and chiles – it is most often served as a sweet treat, simply adorned with honey or cinnamon sugar.

These fruit tacos are filled with lemon-orange ricotta cheese, orange marmalade, fresh berries, and garnished with pistachio nuts, vanilla yogurt and mint. And while they make a charming summer dessert – the citrusy cheese filling and orange marmalade make them quite suitable for breakfast on a brilliant July morning as well.

Nature’s beautiful colors and the petite presentation are positively enchanting. The textures range from crispy to creamy – with nutty and fruity flavors, made even brighter by the use of citrus and salt. Something magical happens when a conventionally savory taco is turned into something little and sweet.

 Mini Fruit Tacos Recipe

Continue reading “Mini Fruit Tacos Showcase Fresh Berries”