This is the dish that will convince you that ricotta was meant to be used in desserts.
Ricotta & Balsamic Strawberry Parfait
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced strawberries
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons chopped salted pistachios
Instructions
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Combine strawberries, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl; stir well.
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Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, stirring once or twice. (Refrigerating for up to a day is encouraged.)
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When it is time to assemble, place ricotta in a medium-sized bowl.
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Add powdered sugar and almond extract, and either whisk or stir vigorously.
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Place one-fourth of ricotta mixture in the bottom of a lowball glass or individual parfait dish.
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Top with 2 heaping tablespoons of strawberry mixture with a little bit of the liquid.
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Repeat with another fourth of the ricotta, followed by 2 tablespoons of strawberries and liquid.
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Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon pistachios.
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Make second serving of parfait following the same steps.
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Can be refrigerated for an hour or two or served immediately.
I always enjoy reading old blog posts as I edit. It is fun to see where we were or what we were doing at that time. In the last three years, we have lived in a number of places. This post is the Venn Diagram of one of those moves- packed in Hot Springs, moving to Pensacola, with an extended stay in Jackson. Even with all that going on, there still was food to create!
To learn more about this recipe, created in September 2020, keep reading.
As I wrote last Wednesday’s article I mentioned that I should be in Pensacola when it published. While I was typing that, the plan was to leave Hot Springs on Tuesday the 15th. Well, currently it’s Wednesday the 16th, and I am typing in Hot Springs. However, tomorrow morning we head out. We still are focused on Pensacola, although we delayed our travel by two days due to the arrival of Hurricane Sally.
What I don’t know as I type is the state of things there. The hurricane is slowly leaving, but while it was there, much of the city was flooded. So, whether we can access our storage or condo there is yet to be seen. I’ll post an update once I know more.
The funny thing about adding two more days onto our stay here is the impact it has had. We had eaten almost all of the food in our refrigerator and pantry so we would have less to transport. Although my husband is all for “eat out every night” I still like making most of my food. Thus, I found a way to make a few meals with a little shopping and creative use of ingredients on hand.
Besides food, it’s this weird in-between of when to pack. I had about 50 percent done before Sunday’s change in plans. Sunday was supposed to be finish packing today, but that got moved to Wednesday. So, for the past week or so, it’s been a mix of items in dressers, items in suitcases, and items in boxes. None of this is painful or a hardship; it’s simply a matter of remembering what stuff is where.
So, enough about relocation plans and the weather’s effect on them. Let’s talk about dessert! At first sight, the use of both ricotta and vinegar in a dessert may have you wondering. However, I promise you that once you take a bite, you will be totally sold. Between the contrasting textures and abundance of flavor, it’s bound to be a dessert that you can’t resist.
This is the sort of dessert you’ll want to serve (A) on a hot summer day, as there’s no stove or oven required and (B) when you want to impress someone. Although it’s simple to make, it looks and tastes truly elegant.
Add ricotta and balsamic vinegar to your dessert making repertoire. You’ll be glad that you did.
UPDATE: Sally wreaked havoc on Pensacola. So, we stayed in Jackson, Mississippi, for a few nights, delaying our drive to Pensacola until Sunday the 20th. A bonus to this delay was that we got to enjoy a number of awesome meals from restaurants in the Fondren district of Jackson.
