June 16, 2008

recipe to try: ricotta cakes with berry sauce

I picked up a copy of Complete Vegetarian by Nicola Graimes a few weeks ago from the Barnes & Noble bargain section. A real tome with over 300 vegetarian recipes, it's now full of dog-ears, but until last night not a single one was tested {or tasted!}. I'm happy to say that I'm now one for one with this super easy, super tasty dessert.

Juicy, sweet berries and creamy ricotta make this a light, delectable dessert that's just perfect for summer.

For the cakes:
1 generous cup Ricotta cheese
2 egg whites, beaten
4 T honey
1 t vanilla
Dash of cinnamon (optional)

For the fruit sauce:
1 cup each fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries*
1-2 T sugar
1-2 T water
*Can substitute frozen berries. Omit water if using.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 4 ramekins and set aside.

In a large bowl break up Ricotta cheese with a wooden spoon. Add beaten egg whites, honey, vanilla and cinnamon and mix well with an electric mixer, about 2 minutes.

Divide mixture among 4 ramekins and bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown. (If tops don’t brown after 20 minutes, turn on the broiler for 3-5 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool.

In the meantime, bring berries, sugar and water in a sauce pan to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and gently mash berries with a wooden spoon. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

To serve, turn out ricotta cakes onto plates and top with berry sauce. Enjoy!

I wish I remembered to take a photo because they are as pretty as they are tasty. You'll just have to make them and find out for yourself!

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