I didn’t really plan to make this dessert. It mostly happened due to laziness. I was half thinking of making a ricotta crostata for dessert last Sunday. And even though I can make a crostata basically in my sleep, I had completely forgotten to buy butter. And did not feel like driving into town to get some.
So this happened.
I basically made the filling that I usually use for a ricotta crostata, and baked it in small ramekins. Instead of sugar, I used honey, because we had some very good local honey from one of our neighbors. Â I usually never attempt anything this fancy when it comes to desserts. Not only have I never used these ramekins in the 20 years since I bought them, but I even had to look up how to spell ramekin.
So please forgive the less than professional look of the finished desserts. I’m sure I used the wrong type of dish to bake them in, because they kind of fell apart when I turned them upside down. But they did taste delicious, especially topped with the pears we put up two years ago.
Plus? The less-than-perfect look is completely compensated for by the adorably perfect but unplanned pear design of the plate. Right?
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baked ricotta + poached pears
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup honey
- pinch salt
- Poached fruit*
- 4 half cup sized ramekins
- oil for coating the ramekins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F
- Break the eggs into a bowl and beat to break up. Add the ricotta , honey, and salt and beat with a fork until smooth.
- Divide the ricotta mixture into the oil coated ramekins. Place on tray and bake until set, about 25 minutes.
- Take out of oven and let cool off. Using a knife, loosen the sides of the ramekins and invert them onto a plate. This proved tricky for me, so they didn’t really look that perfect. Alternatively you can keep them in the ramekins and top with fruit.
- *Any poached fruit will do. I think quince would be delicious. I used this recipe
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Mary Caldwell
Hello Elizabeth,
Just bought your book and can’t wait to start planning my trip to Rome! I have sent you an email enquiring about apartment rental and am just checking to make sure you got it.
As far as making the above I just chuckled when I read that you feel like you can make a crostata in your sleep and I don’t even know what that is!!! I will soon though.
thanks Mary
Jack Reisbeck
Looks incredible Elizabeth! Can’t wait to make it…..
Jeanne
What a perfect desert for fall…thanks Elizabeth!