May 13, 2008

MORE FOOD FOR SUMMER...


Really easy to make and great for sunny days

If you are on Flickr and one of my contacts, then you might have guessed that I am truly addicted and terribly in-love with cannoli! I really think it’s something about the ricotta and the candied fruits together devoured in a crunchy shell. Ever since I ate my very first cannoli I have been hooked on the heavenly creaminess of ricotta, which explains why I’ve started using it in many of my desserts. So until the day I visit Sicily -where I will very certainly live off cannoli (and gelato)- I’ll continue using ricotta to satisfy my sweet tooth in simple or sophisticated ways. Here I’ve come up with a super easy to make dessert (I’m blaming my recent cooking-laziness syndrome on the sunny weather!) full of candied oranges, almonds, orange syrup (with notes of orange blossom water) and of course, the royal ricotta!


Creamy heavenly ricotta with candied oranges and almonds


Adding orange blossom water to this recipe will make a difference- trust me!


Recipe for my Ricotta Leaning Tower of Pisa

(was the first name that came to my mind, it’s a bit silly I know! :-) )

Ingredients:

  • Candied oranges (diced)
  • Almonds (chopped)
  • Ricotta
  • Oranges (juice of freshly squeezed)
  • Sugar
  • Orange blossom water (not mandatory, but would be a real plus!)
  • Toast

Making it:
In a small pot, heat the orange juice & sugar until boil. Lower heat, and then increase heat again for a second boil. Remove from heat, let cool and at the very end only, add the orange blossom water. In a large and deep dish, soak your toasts in the orange syrup for a good 5 mins. In the meantime, in a bowl smoothen the ricotta and add the diced candied oranges and chopped almonds. Mix well and set aside in the fridge. Slice some peaches and caramelize them in a pan with the orange syrup (you can also add some extra sugar here if you want to thicken the syrup and make it more sticky). On your serving plate, place one orange syrup soaked toast, then a layer of the ricotta mix, continue like this until you have 3 layers of toast and 3 of ricotta. Top off with warm peaches and drizzle with the remaining syrup in the pan. Enjoy!

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16 comments:

Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul said...

Orange blossom water is so fragrant and delicious! I also like rosewater too! This is very easy Mariana and the ingredients are very complimentary. I especially like the candied oranges.

Peter M said...

Marianna, there's good stuff happenin' on your blog!

I wish you showed us a pick after you stabbed into this towering dessert.

RecipeGirl said...

What a pretty dish! I'm addicted to cannoli too... big time.

Georgina Ingham | CulinaryTravels said...

What a gorgeous dessert :)

Anonymous said...

hey this is a great photo! love the colours. and it's all stacked up like a tower of the yummy! :) x

mimi said...

i absolutely love cannoli. these towers look great!

Proud Italian Cook said...

I have a love affair with cannoli's myself, infact I'll take ricotta sweet or savory anytime! Love it, and love your dessert.

Anonymous said...

i love food in tower form. and if it were up to me, i would smear fresh ricotta on almost everything i eat.

My Sweet & Saucy said...

That is simply amazing looking! Almost too beautiful to destroy, but I guess I could force myself too!

LianneK said...

i love how to stack it all up, and name it leaning tower of pisa! any inspiration for eiffel tower? lol

Anonymous said...

Wow that looks so good. I just discovered your blog from a comment you left on another blog. Beautiful photos!

test it comm said...

That looks so fun. Great presentation! I like the orange, almond and ricotta combo. I am really going to have to look for some of these flavoured waters to try.

Nina Timm said...

I am embarrassed to say that I have never made cannoli's before, but this is all going to change after seeing this recipe. It looks absolutely stunning and I can only imagine that the taste must have been sublime.

Antonio Tahhan said...

Ma'zahar is amazing!!
Thanks for visiting my site! Are you Middle Eastern? You seem to know a lot about Middle Eastern foods : )

Marianna said...

Thank you all very much for your comments!!

Antonio- Im a mix of Egyptian/Greek with some Syrian in there too but currently living in France. So Middle Eastern cuisine is something I pretty much grew up with :-)

Marianna said...

Thank you all very much for your comments!!

Antonio- Im a mix of Egyptian/Greek with some Syrian in there too but currently living in France. So Middle Eastern cuisine is something I pretty much grew up with :-)