Espresso & Ricotta Cream with Cocoa
The coffee-and-cream half of a tiramisù, beaten out of a tub of ricotta, with no eggs and no mascarpone.
Why it works
Ricotta leaves the tub grainy, but two or three minutes of hard beating breaks the curds down and it turns to something close to whipped cream, without a drop of double cream. The coffee has to be cold and must go in a spoonful at a time: warm or rushed, it thins the ricotta past the point of return, and no amount of beating brings the body back.
Method
- Make the coffee first and pour it into a wide cup so it cools fast. A thin layer is cold in five minutes; a full cup is not.
- Tip the ricotta into a bowl with the honey, vanilla, orange zest and salt and beat hard with a balloon whisk for 2-3 minutes. It goes from crumbly, to loose, to thick and smooth. Stop when it holds a soft ridge.
- Add the cold coffee a tablespoon at a time, whisking between each. Stop when it is the colour of milky tea and still slumps slowly rather than pours.
- Crush the hazelnuts under the flat of a knife and grate the chocolate coarsely.
- Spoon the cream into four glasses in two layers, with chocolate and hazelnuts between and on top. Dust with cocoa through a small sieve at the table, so it stays matt.
For the toddler
Coffee is not for toddlers, so set a spoonful of plain ricotta aside before you start step 2 and beat it smooth on its own. Leave the honey out of theirs too — honey is not for a baby under one year old — and stir in a little mashed ripe banana or grated pear instead. Keep the cocoa, the grated chocolate and the crushed hazelnuts off, as chopped nuts are a choking risk under five.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Well-drained cottage cheese, beaten the same way, is sharper and higher in protein. Decaf works; so does instant at double strength.
Brew the coffee before you sit down to the main course and it is cold when you want it.
A small glass of cold milk, or ripe pears cut into wedges.
Keeps 2 days chilled and firms as it sits. Dust the cocoa fresh each time; it goes patchy overnight.