Begin your feast in Rivendell with a spread of Elven food featuring luscious, whipped ricotta topped with salty, toasted walnuts, and a rosemary infused honey!
Our Elven feast begins with a luscious, whipped fresh cheese topped with toasted nuts, and a rosemary infused honey. The Elvish pantry is no doubt filled with various herbal and floral concoctions. Rosemary infused honey would certainly delight any Wood Elf and is an ideal ingredient for any Lord of the Rings recipe. Pull up a seat at Elrond’s Table and begin your feast with this whipped ricotta with walnuts and rosemary honey.
Ingredient Notes
Homemade ricotta cheese: Begin your Elvish feast by making fresh ricotta cheese. To be clear, making ricotta from milk is not technically accurate. True Italian ricotta is made with the whey leftover from the mozzarella making process. However, it is quite unlikely that the average home cook will have access to that sort of whey. We must make do with what we have, much like the Elves of Middle Earth. To save time, use purchased ricotta cheese if desired.
Whole milk: If you are planning to make your own ricotta cheese, start with whole, or homoginzed, milk. Do not use an ultra-pasteurised milk; it will not work properly.
Lemon juice: The acid from lemon juice will curdle the milk and separate the fresh cheese from the whey.
Walnuts: Toasted walnuts tossed in butter and kosher salt adds a contrasting texture and balances the sweetness of the honey.
Fresh rosemary: A few sprigs of fresh rosemary is all you will need to infuse the honey with its herbaceous flavour.
How to Make Whipped Ricotta with Walnuts and Rosemary Honey
Prepare the rosemary honey
To prepare the rosemary-infused honey, wash and dry 2-3 rosemary sprigs. Place the rosemary in a small jar. Pour the honey over the rosemary, pushing the herb down so that it is fully submerged. Cover and let sit for several hours or up to overnight.
Due to the strong flavour of fresh rosemary, it won’t be necessary to steep it longer than overnight. If left too long, the rosemary flavour could become overpowering. After steeping, remove the rosemary and discard. Cover and label the honey. It should last in a cool dark place for a couple of months.
Make the homemade ricotta cheese
The ricotta cheese can be made a day ahead if desired or used right away. Add the whole milk to a large pot. Place the pot over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir the milk as it heats up to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pot. Do not leave milk unattended on the stove as it can burn on the pan or boil over.
Heat the milk slowly until it reaches 194°F while stirring regularly. This will take between 10 to 15 minutes. When the milk reaches 194°F, turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and kosher salt. The milk should begin to curdle immediately. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. After the curds have sat for 15 minutes, begin to spoon the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Allow the whey to drain off the curds.
There will be a lot of whey. You can choose to save the whey or discard it. After all the curds have been poured into the strainer, allow them to drain until fairly dry, about 1 hour.
After draining for an hour, transfer the fresh ricotta to a container and chill. It is now ready to be used. This recipe will yield 2 cups of ricotta cheese.
Make the salted rosemary walnuts
Roughly chop the walnuts. Finely chop the fresh rosemary and set aside. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Add the walnuts to the skillet. Stir the walnuts over medium high heat until they begin to brown and are lightly toasted.
When the walnuts are toasted, remove from the heat. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper. Add the chopped fresh rosemary and stir to combine. Transfer the walnuts to a plate and allow to cool. After the walnuts have cooled, store in a sealed container until ready to use. The walnuts can be made the day before.
Toast the baguette
Turn the broiler on high. Slice the baguette into 1-inch slices. Place on a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place under the broiler until golden brown. Flip the slices. Drizzle the other sides lightly with olive oil and broil until golden brown. Allow the baguette slices to cool. These can be made a few hours early.
Whip the ricotta cheese
Transfer the ricotta cheese to a food processor. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend the ricotta until creamy and smooth, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste the whipped ricotta and adjust the salt if needed.
Serve the Whipped Ricotta with Walnuts and Rosemary Honey
To serve, spoon the whipped ricotta cheese onto a plate or bowl. Sprinkle with the salted rosemary walnuts and fresh chopped rosemary. Drizzle generously with the rosemary-infused honey. Serve the baguette slices on the side. Alternatively, spoon the whipped ricotta onto baguette slices and top with the walnuts and rosemary honey to make individual crostini. Enjoy!
Spread the Enchantment
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