We’re having a pesto marathon at my house. Tonight…and tomorrow night..and the next night. The garden basil is out of control and it’s now or never for the year’s sweetest pesto. I had made pesto for decades before discovering what a spoonful of ricotta does for it. So creamy! Fred Plotkin, the author of the bible on Ligurian cooking (Recipes from Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera), assures me that ricotta is a legitimate addition, although he would probably say I use too much. (I live on Planet Cheese, after all.) Try my way and let me know what you think.
Read moreNot Quite Cannoli
I’ve always loved cannoli filling but the fried outside? Not so much. Bakeries refrigerate this perishable pastry, and the crunchy shell loses all its appeal. So I just make the inside—basically, a whipped ricotta mousse with chopped bittersweet chocolate, toasted pistachios and almonds, and candied orange peel. Lately, I’ve used Seville orange marmalade to sweeten the mousse and eliminated the candied peel. So easy. If you’re treating Mom to a homemade meal on Mother’s Day, here’s her dessert. Or her breakfast in bed. What a luscious way to start the day.
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