I have been wanting to share this recipe with you for almost two years. On my birthday two summers ago my friends took me to an Italian brunch and I had a version of this made with sheep’s milk ricotta. It got stuck in my head and I never made it, but this weekend is my husband’s birthday and I finally was able to get a reservation at this same place and wanted to give him a preview of what is to come.
Everything about this recipe is a luxury. Citrus in winter. Fresh rosemary. Bee’s honey on the lips. Olive oil. Fresh made cheese, still warm. Butter and its close cousin, salt. These are the only ingredients here, true gifts from nature and they come together, if you’re really putting in the extra care, over this over this bread. The most amazing part about this is that it’s quick, but the intense and zesty flavor combinations are enough to invoke the slow life and Mediterranean breezes I so long for this time of year.
In the darker months it’s always a bit of a struggle to keep energy and spirits up. Everything seems like more of a push. If I can’t get away, I try to counter the struggle with a gym routine, and little gifts of motivation like citrus and coffee. Oddly, making this ricotta, the easiest of homemade cheeses, brought me some serious joy. Once you make it at home, you may never buy it again. You really shouldn’t. This is what I love so much about this space. I’m inspired by good food, fresh recipes and the community of people who also love it. Passions can fall by the wayside so quickly if you don’t work at them. Holding yourself accountable to the things you know have brought you fulfillment in the past helps you grow and develop and move forward. Simple foods like this, combined together have added to my idea of what’s amazingly possible to create in short amounts of time, given life’s small luxuries. And trust me, this is worth making.
I hope you’re all having a good week. Work is busy, both regular and pro bono. I’m planning some birthday celebration-type stuff for my husband this weekend and when I can I’m trying to find a new good book to read. Any suggestions? Also, I made Molly’s tahini chocolate chip cookies last week and they were SO GOOD that I’m making them again.
Last week I started watching some old episodes of Louis CK because they’re short and I can fit them in and I was really moved by his New Year’s episode. For Christmas, he bought his youngest daughter a book, The Story of Ping, which is about a duck that lives a happy life along the Yangtze River in China. When Louis is reluctantly in the airport for New Years waiting to fly to Mexico with his sister to visit their family, on a whim he decides to take a trip to Beijing instead and find the river. It’s both an act of hope and desperation. The part of the river he finds ends up being just a small rivulet in the middle of a field, but he seems to find a piece of himself among others whose problems are different from his own and in a place that has nothing to do with him. I think this is the restorative value of perspective, travel and having dreams, even if the actual dream turns out to be a rivulet. The longing itself can take you where you need to be. That message will always speak to me. And with that, I leave you with an awesome recipe. Be well.
HOMEMADE RICOTTA W/ OLIVE OIL HONEY & BURNT CLEMENTINE TOAST
INGREDIENTS:
For The Ricotta:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the Honey & Burnt Clementine Toast:
- One loaf of good, crusty bread – sliced
- 1/4 c butter, melted
- 1-2 clementines
- 1/4 honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt
- cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
For The Ricotta:
Bring milk, cream, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice; stir gently until mixture starts to curdle. Let stand 5 minutes.
Pour mixture into a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth set over a medium bowl. Chill until cheese is spreadable, at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours (the longer it strains, the thicker it will be). Cover and chill cheese up to 3 days.
For the Honey & Burnt Clementine Toast:
Preheat oven to 425F. Melt the butter in the microwave until melted – about 45 seconds. Add the juice and zest of the clementines and a pinch of salt to the melted butter.
Place the slices of bread onto a pan. Brush the clementine butter onto each slice of bread and toast in the oven (or a large toaster) until golden brown (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the honey and oil.
Assemble:
Spoon the fresh ricotta into a bowl for serving. Drizzle the olive oil honey mix over the ricotta and top with a crack or two of fresh black pepper and chopped rosemary. Serve alongside the toast and enjoy.
My goodness, YUM. I shall be making this, and then I shall treat myself by drizzling white truffle oil.
Thanks, David. The original had it with truffle oil and sheep’s milk and was such a luxury. I thought of you as I made this actually, since you taught me how to make paneer and I haven’t made any “queso fresco” since that initial attempt. I hope you’re well!
yes to homemade ricotta, i adore it because i can use lactose free milk.
and really, anything on toast is my favorite.
happy birthday to your husband, what a great way to celebrate!
Thanks, Lan! I hadn’t even thought of the lactose free option, but yes! And I agree with you about toast. It really does make everything just a little bit better. Looking forward to some more bday fun.
This all sounds so delicious! I have never made ricotta, but you make it sound inspirational and easy! I especially love your photos of the ricotta in the cheesecloth. I also enjoyed your saying that the longing itself can take you where you need to be. Very true. We don’t always know where the longing will lead us, but it is good to listen to it, and to even allow ourselves to dream. A good reminder for a new year.
Thank you, Jenny. I always love your thoughtful comments. I hadn’t made ricotta until yesterday and it’s almost foolproof. I want to try it now using different kinds of milks. You will feel so good about it when you actually give it a shot. As for our own desires, they’ll always inform us of something even if the longing itself isn’t what it is that we need. Be well! xo
Oh wow, Amanda, this is so simple and yet so elegant and sophisticated at the same time. I love the flavors of butter and citrus on a simple toast, and the sound of the olive oil and honey on top of the creamy ricotta. I think it is a great thing that blogging can open new horizons, in this case making your own cheese. I’ve taught myself so much thanks to other blogs, and blogging has certainly made me more daring in the kitchen. I have yet to make my own ricotta, especially when you make it sound so simple! Today I ate at my yoga teacher’s; he served his home-made paneer in a spicy vegetable sauce, it was amazing! Such a great texture. And he claims it is super easy to make too! I’ve still got so much to learn, and there are so many inspiring people out there (on the Web or just around the corner).
I hear you, Darya. I completely agree with your sentiments. How funny that you just had the same recipe. I’ve watched some of your journey through lacto-fermentation and it’s inspired me too. It really is an empowering thing to learn how things are made and what creative combinations can be formed. You should definitely give this a shot. It’s right up your ally. Thanks as always for stopping by. xo
Gosh, that’s very much like mel i mató, though the Catalans eat the cheese with honey as a pudding. I’ve also have similar in Greece, though I don;t know what they call it. How fantastic making your own ricotta – I need to screw some hooks into the kitchen ceiling 😉
http://www.todocabra.com/receta-miel-y-mato-mel-i-mato.html
Oh that does look similar and so so good. Great link. What a wonderful region where something like this is ubiquitous and classic. You don’t necessarily need to hang the cheese. You can just let it drain over a big bowl. The hanging here was purely for photo purposes : ) If you can’t go to the Mediterranean you have to make it come to you.
Yes and it’s the most wonderful simple pudding! I need those hooks for other things too, but I do like the idea of hanging cheese. You definitely do need to make the Med come to you, when it’s so far away, especially when so many Americans can trace their families back to it 🙂
Classic Italian – ricotta and honey. You went a step beyond and made your own ricotta. Fantastic.Lovely combination with the fruit.
If you haven’t read “The Girl on the Train”, I would recommend it,
http://smile.amazon.com/Girl-Train-Paula-Hawkins/dp/1594633665/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1452806809&sr=1-1
Thank you, Jovina. The homemade ricotta is what took this to the next step. My mom recommended that book too! Thanks. Now I’ll have to read it! I have a feeling I’ll get sucked right in.
beautiful beautiful – a delight for all the senses!
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!
Ahhhhhh the picture of the ricotta in the cheese cloth are giving me so much LIFE right now I can’t even stand it!!!
Curious what you end up planning for the hubby – is it a surprise sort of thing?
Aw, thanks Dana! Good stuff. I’m thinking dinz and a bar crawl. No surprises, just good food, drink and company. 🙂 thanks for asking. Xoxo
You echo your sentiments from across the globe. It’s reassuring to make connections with like minded people. I so enjoyed your most recent post. Stay warm and stay spirited…..❣
Thank you, Katherine. I really appreciate your comments too 🙂
Amanda,
This is epic stuff. A friend of mine made his own recently. It was pretty good indeed. However, it lacked some of the density you have achieved. What advice can I give him? I love your flavour combinations. Very impressive.
Thanks, Conor. It was so easy. I’m wondering if your friend didn’t use a high enough fat content. This is a whole milk cream combo. Also you need to let it sit before straining. That’s it. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Always wanted to make my own ricotta Amanda…now I will x
You will love it. So easy and so good.
I love how we take inspiration from others. The way you described this simple dish has certainly inspired me to recreate your tasty meal. I hope your husband enjoys his birthday celebrations.
Nice. We used to make cheese often when we had a friend who would gift us raw milk. We need to try that again. I love the idea of clementine butter.
Oh that most have been so good! I can only imagine. Adding citrus to the butter was brilliant with this. Thanks, Michelle.
This sounds like a poetic brunch; what a wonderful way to enjoy a special morning.
Thanks so much, Stacey! It really is a treat. Very well said. I hope you’re having a lovely weekend.
I’ve not bought ricotta since I made my first batch some 6 years ago. There really is no comparison between homemade and store bought. Have you made mascarpone yet? It’s another great one to make at home and not much different from making ricotta.
Cheesy recipes aside, your toast sounds like a delicious way to serve the creamy ricotta. A wonderful combination, to be sure, Amanda.
As always, your photos are stunning.
I totally agree about homemade. No I’ve never made mascarpone! Is it really easy too?!! I’m doing it tomorrow! Thanks for the tip off! This is a great recipe. You’d love it. Thanks for the lovely comment.
Quite the treat, weekend breakfast in bed I think. Just mailed it to my husband, hope he gets the hint…
Thank you, Nicole. I hope you do get your leisurely breakfast. Such a treat. I hope you’re doing well. Xo
Doing fine, just a little pause to charge the batteries. How are you doing, loved the story about your grandmother, so sweet. Happy New Year. N x
Doing fine too. I hear you. It’s that time of year to take a little time to pause. Thanks so much for all your support here. Im always happy to hear from you. Happy New year to you!
What a lovely post!!! And gorgeous photos! Home-made ricotta really is amazing – I’ve only made it once so you’ve reminded me to make it again!
Thank you, Mimi! It really is so simple and worth the trouble.
Amanda, what a wonderful pre-birthday meal! You seriously put a shame on me now with your homemade ricotta which must be to die for – just had a slice of ricotta tart for breakfast, made with a store bought one and disappointingly not as delicious as expected…Love the idea of the birthday brunch, I bet your husband did, too! He´s a lucky guy to have you!
Thanks so much, Sabine. A ricotta tart sounds good right now too. The brunch was so good. Lots of homemade breads and sauces. Good stuff. Be well. Always great to hear from you.
You too, Amanda, you too!
Nothing beats homemade. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Amanda. I will try it next time I make Baked Ziti. 🙂
Thank you, Anna! I do think you’ll love it and it tastes so good fresh. I can only imagine how great your baked ziti would be with this. Thank you always for your kind comments.