Chocolate Ricotta Recipes

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE AND RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
• Whisk ricotta cheese and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs one at a time until well combined.
• Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl; sift into ricotta mixture. Mix until batter is well combined and no dry spots remain. Add chopped chocolate, melted butter, and vanilla extract; stir until batter is smooth. Spoon batter into prepared cake pan (batter will be very thick).
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before serving.

CHOCOLATE RICOTTA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, heat semisweet chocolate chips in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.
• In a food processor, process 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese until smooth. Add chocolate; process until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
• Divide among four dishes. (Can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day; serve at room temperature.)

CHOCOLATE-RICOTTA PIE

Steps:

• Blend the flour, cornmeal, 3/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse, just until the dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of an 11-inch-diameter tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the tart dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake the shell until golden, about 10 minutes longer. Cool completely.
• Combine the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool the sugar syrup slightly.
• In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over very softly simmering water.
• Pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until combined. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.
• Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 30 minutes or until the custard has set. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts on top of the filling. Let the tart cool completely before serving.
• The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

CHOCOLATE RICOTTA MOUSSE

Steps:

• Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
• Combine melted chocolate, ricotta cheese, honey, and vanilla extract in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour into dessert cups or glasses and let chill completely.

CHOCOLATE RICOTTA PUDDING

Steps:

• This is a serious childhood throwback for me. I have a memory of my mother taking this out of the oven and I could smell the chocolate and the almonds more than anything else. So delicious.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Use the butter to thoroughly grease the bottom and sides of a 1 quart loaf pan.
• Add the 2 whole eggs to a small pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a gentle boil over medium heat. When the water boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot and run them under cold water to stop them from overcooking.
• In a medium bowl add the ricotta and whisk until free of lumps. Add the sugar, rum, chocolate and almonds and stir to blend. Set aside.
• Peel the hard-boiled eggs and put the yolks through a small strainer to break them into small bits. Add the egg yolks to the ricotta mixture.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the 2 egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture with a rubber spatula, retaining as much fluffiness as possible. Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan. Put the pan into a shallow water bath and bake, undisturbed, for 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and the water bath. Allow to cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with a touch of lemon zest and some chocolate over each individual portion.

WHIPPED CHOCOLATE RICOTTA

Steps:

• Combine the ricotta cheese, cocoa powder, and sweetner (to taste) in a bowl. Beat or stir together for about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips or other add-ins. Eat!

ORANGE CHOCOLATE RICOTTA PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, chocolate chips, sugar, orange zest and, if desired, orange liqueur., On a floured surface, roll out half the dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate; transfer to pie plate. Fill with ricotta mixture., Roll out remaining dough into an 11-in. circle; cut into 1-in.-wide strips. Lay half of the strips across the pie, about 1 in. apart. Fold back every other strip halfway. Lay another strip across center of pie at a right angle. Unfold strips over center strip. Fold back the alternate strips; place a second strip across the pie. Continue to add strips until pie is covered with lattice. Trim, seal and flute edges., Bake at 425° until crust is golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

CHERRIES WITH CHOCOLATE IN RICOTTA

Steps:

• Whip ricotta with kirsch and powdered sugar to lighten. Fold in chocolate and cherries. Add more kirsch and sugar if needed. (If time allows, chill at least 15 minutes.) Divide among 4 shallow serving bowls. Dust lightly with cocoa, and garnish with almonds.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE RICOTTA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the first 7 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until combined, about 1 minute. Add cream and cooled melted chocolate; cover and process until slightly thickened, 30 seconds., Fill cylinder of ice cream maker no more than two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's directions, adding dark chocolate during the last 5 minutes of processing in proportion to the amount of the mixture in the cylinder. Refrigerate any remaining mixture until ready to freeze., Transfer ice cream to freezer containers, allowing headspace for expansion. Freeze until firm, 2-4 hours.

SWEET RICOTTA WITH CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Put ricotta in a large fine sieve set over a large bowl; let drain 20 minutes. Discard liquid. Transfer ricotta to a serving bowl. Stir in sugar until smooth. Fold in chocolate. Ricotta mixture can be refrigerated, covered, up to 8 hours. Stir in nuts or raisins, if desired, before serving. Serve with biscotti and fruit.