This pudding, which is for all intents and purposes a cheesecake, for me tastes just like nostalgia. I can’t put my finger on why exactly this is, but that classic Italian combo of cheese, orange and cinnamon that you find in things like cannoli filling and ricotta tarts just makes me feel like a kid again.
I ended up making this dessert after a botched attempt at making little Lebanese pancakes with ricotta filling. Things went so horribly awry that I threw the entire mess in the garbage before I even got to the filling stage. Left with an enormous tub of ricotta in the fridge and an unsatisfied sweet tooth, I cracked open my recipe log and looked for something that would remedy both of these situations.
This recipe was just the thing – like a super simple cheesecake without the crust. Ricotta is whipped with candied orange, cinnamon and vanilla and baked in a medium-sized soufflé dish. Once inverted, it’s golden on the top and sides and can be eaten in slices or scoops, with a fork or with a spoon. Or with your face!
If candied orange peel is not your thing you can also use citron – whatever you decide, I’d recommend keeping the bits very small (I could have chopped mine better and wished I had fewer mouthfuls of orange).
If you’re serving a hearty Italian meal and looking for a great, easy dessert, or if you just want to pretend you’re an Italian nonna for an evening, this is the dish to beat.
Ingredients
- Fine, dry bread crumbs, for coating the mold
- 1 lb. (about 2 cups) ricotta cheese
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons candied orange rind and/or citron, cut into short, thin slivers
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the center. Butter a charlotte mold or 1-quart soufflé dish. Dust the mold with a fine coating of bread crumbs, shaking out the excess. Set aside.
- Pulse the ricotta and egg yolks in a food processor just until smooth, no longer. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Sift the flour over the mixture; add the sugar, zests, candied orange rind or citron, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix gently until incorporated.
- Beat the egg whites with the salt to nearly stiff peaks. Fold a little of the whites into the ricotta, then fold in the remainder. Transfer the mixture to the prepared mold.
- Bake until the pudding is set when you shake the pan gently, usually 45 to 50 minutes (the timing can vary based on the size and depth of the baking dish; do not overbake).
- Cool the pudding on a wire rack until lukewarm. Unmold onto a platter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve. According to Italian tradition, this is "best not hot, not cold."
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/10/29/italian-ricotta-pudding-budino-di-ricotta/
