Re-imagining Ricotta – Part Two

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Hello fellow traveler! 

In the post that I created for September 2nd,I shared the story of how I ‘discovered’ enjoying Ricotta for breakfast, but I also knew that there was another side of the story that I wanted to share….Dessert! Now, I know that most of you are thinking that I am going to talk about enjoying a Cannoli at this point, but you would be wrong. Have you ever enjoyed Ricotta Popsicles?

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Don’t feel bad fellow traveler if you haven’t! My cousin Danielle and her husband who served in the U.S. Military were assigned to a base in Sicily. They shared many photos of their travels through Europe, but one of my favorite photos they shared was one of them making Ricotta Popsicles with their daughter, Campbell.

I loved the photo, as it reminded me of the days in my kitchen with my daughter.

Intrigued by the thought of making these during these hot days of summer, I asked my cousin to send me the recipe…and now I want to share it with you!

Ricotta Popsicles

·      1 cup Ricotta (for extra creaminess, I used *Galbani Whole Milk Double Creme Ricotta)

·      ½ cup Lemon Juice (I squeezed fresh Meyer Lemons due to their sweetness)

·      Lemon Zest (about ½ of one of these Meyer Lemons)

·      ¼ cup simple syrup

Blend in the blender for 2 minutes, then pour into Popsicle Molds. Freeze for several hours. Makes 6 – 3 oz. Popsicles

Now I am sure you want to know…How healthy are they? Well, if I were to look at every other Ice Cream recipe that I found online, they all used Heavy Whipping cream as the base and a lot of sugar! 

Let’s look at the nutritionals:

Heavy Whipping Cream: 6 grams Protein (1 cup); 80 grams Fat (1 cup)

Ricotta: 20 to 28 grams *Protein (1 cup); 4 to 44 grams *Fat (1 cup)

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*Note: Ricotta can be made from skim milk, to whole milk, even double crème, so the Proteins and Fats can range greatly.

How did they taste?...Both Campbell and I agree that these are a winner!

Ricotta – Who knew!...Now my healthy desserts will never be the same!

*I want to thank my friends at Galbani for sending me samples of this new Double Crème Ricotta! This item was just recently launched for them…Looking forward to seeing it in my local retailers!

Buon Appetito!

Note: In case you missed my blog of September 2nd, here is the back story on Ricotta: Traditionally, Ricotta is made from the byproduct of making Mozzarella.  Once the cheese curd is firm enough, the curd mass is cut to release all of the excess moisture (whey) and drained off. To make Ricotta, the Whey is heated and milk or cream is added until it reduces down….Hence, the name….Ricotta simply means “Re-Cooked”.