baked ricotta + poached pears

I didn’t really plan to make this dessert. It mostly happened due to laziness. I was half thinking of making a ricotta crostata for dessert last Sunday. And even though I can make a crostata basically in my sleep, I had completely forgotten to buy butter. And did not feel like driving into town to get some.

So this happened.

I basically made the filling that I usually use for a ricotta crostata, and baked it in small ramekins. Instead of sugar, I used honey, because we had some very good local honey from one of our neighbors.  I usually never attempt anything this fancy when it comes to desserts. Not only have I never used these ramekins in the 20 years since I bought them, but I even had to look up how to spell ramekin.

So please forgive the less than professional look of the finished desserts. I’m sure I used the wrong type of dish to bake them in, because they kind of fell apart when I turned them upside down. But they did taste delicious, especially topped with the pears we put up two years ago.

Plus? The less-than-perfect look is completely compensated for by the adorably perfect but unplanned pear design of the plate. Right?

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baked ricotta + poached pears

Prep 10 mins

Cook 25 mins

Total 35 mins

Author Elizabeth

Yield 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• pinch salt
• Poached fruit*
• 4 half cup sized ramekins
• oil for coating the ramekins

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F
2. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat to break up. Add the ricotta , honey, and salt and beat with a fork until smooth.
3. Divide the ricotta mixture into the oil coated ramekins. Place on tray and bake until set, about 25 minutes.
4. Take out of oven and let cool off. Using a knife, loosen the sides of the ramekins and invert them onto a plate. This proved tricky for me, so they didn’t really look that perfect. Alternatively you can keep them in the ramekins and top with fruit.
5. *Any poached fruit will do. I think quince would be delicious. I used this recipe