Baked Ricotta

During our last cheesemaking course, I made the usual batch of fresh ricotta.

I have this very special and somewhat secret recipe (who am I kidding?), that makes simply the creamiest and smoothest whole milk ricotta on the planet. Honestly. Ask anyone who has attended my class!

If you are intrigued, then you can find the recipe here.

Anyway, what is one to do with 500 grams (1 lbs) of fresh ricotta. We had already made a Chocolate Ricotta Tart previously, so Kim wanted to try something savory.

Enter the Baked Ricotta. One of the students in the class was raving about this dish, so we decided to have a go at making it.

This is one of the most amazing cheese dishes I have ever tasted. We had a little on a cheese platter with crackers the day Kim baked it. The flavour was sensational!

I have also been taking a quarter of one every couple of days to work for lunch. I was the envy of the entire lunch room.

So for those who desperately need it, here is the recipe that Kim devised. I have indicated the ingredients that we grew or made ourselves;

Baked Ricotta

Ingredients

• Olive oil, to grease
• 500g fresh ricotta (home-made)
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked (home laid)
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh garlic chives (home-grown)
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (home-grown)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F).
2. Brush two 250ml (1 cup) capacity ramekins with oil to lightly grease.
3. Combine ricotta, egg, chives and chili in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon ricotta mixture among ramekins and smooth the surface.
5. Place on a baking tray. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden and set. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
6. Turn onto a cheese board. Serve with toast or fresh french stick slices.

I cannot get over how simple this was to make. The chili adds a lovely bite to the dish, and once you start it is very hard to stop eating this treat.

I certainly know what we’re going to be making after my next cheese making class.  Baked Ricotta!

Has anyone else made a variation on this dish? What did it taste like? Did you make your own ricotta?