I'm going to fill you all in on a secret. Put down that chip, turn off your oven, close your wallet and save yourself an hour because the greatest appetizer only takes 3 ingredients and 5 minutes.
Creamy. Whipped. Ricotta.
If you haven't whipped your ricotta cheese before, you are missing out on one the greatest kept secrets my kitchen has ever held. With a few minutes and your electric mixer your kitchen will transform into the fine dining establishment of your dreams.
My favorite part is the drizzle of good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. The #brainsandbalance secret here is to create a groove throughout the surface for the delicious toppings to get caught and pool into. This ensures they stay a top the creamy cloud of ricotta cheese and each scoop is filled with every delicious ingredient.
Have you ever seen a more perfect scoop? Between those beautiful grill marks and velvety ricotta, I'm ready to grab this slice right off the page. I always get my fresh San Franciscan sourdough loaves from the local amish farmer's market or from #WholeFoods.
Good quality bread is key but if you would prefer a low carb alternative, try quartering some veggies into logs and serving in place of bread.
Raw or roasted: zucchini, carrots, broccoli or even squash would be perfect for dipping. Trust me your guests won't believe how easy this is to make but then again, no one said you had to tell them. I did say this was a secret, remember?
For this recipe I used #Galbani Double Cream Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, because double is always better, right? Of course the classic whole milk ricotta will whip perfectly as well.
Other than the creamy ricotta cheese, there's only 2 additional ingredients involved in this creamy cloud of perfection: fresh lemon juice and flaky sea salt.
It's that easy. So grab your electric mixer because in 5 minutes your plate could look like this.
Whipped Ricotta with Grilled Sour Dough Bread
4 servings | 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 15oz container whole milk ricotta (I used #Galbani double cream whole milk ricotta for an extra punch of creaminess)
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, plus more for topping
2 tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 a big lemon), divided
1/2 tsp lemon zest, plus more for topping
1 tsp good quality olive oil, for topping
1 tsp good quality balsamic vinegar, for topping (a fig balsamic would be delicious on this)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Directions:
Scoop the container of ricotta cheese into a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to whip the ricotta for 1-2 minutes until is starts to get airy.
Add in the salt, lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice to the ricotta. Whip the ricotta and lemon for another 1-2 minutes or until it's nice and creamy (Note: remaining tablespoon lemon juice made be added at any point but depending on the batch of ricotta I recommend adding a tablespoon at a time and evaluating consistency after the first tablespoon is added. You may find you don't need the second tablespoon).
Use a spatula to scrape the contents of the bowl onto a plate.
Use a butter knife to swirl a 1/2" deep track into the surface of the ricotta for the toppings to pool into.
Drizzle the top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Finish it off with a sprinkling of the extra lemon zest, flaky sea salt and dried oregano.
Serve with fresh slices of grilled sourdough or country bread. Just spray the bread with olive oil spray and grill/toast them however you prefer!
For this I used a grill lined cast iron skillet until they got nice char marks but a few minutes under the broiler, in a pan or even in the toaster will do the trick.
Then I sprinkle a little extra flaky sea salt on the bread for good measure.
Nutrition facts are provided for 1/4 ricotta cheese mixture. Nutrition facts do not include sour dough bread. I recommend 1 large slice of sour dough, sliced in half, per person.
