Roasted Fruit and Homemade Ricotta

Recipe by: Makers of LACTAID® brand products

Setting out an assortment of options for dessert, like homemade ricotta, fresh fruit, roast fruit, toasted hazlenuts, and honey for drizzling, is visually appealing and allows guests to pick and choose how much (or little) dessert they want. This recipe, made using LACTAID®, is adapted from Melissa’s new book SUPERMARKET HEALTHY.

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Roasted fruit and homemade lactose free ricotta

FOR THE RICOTTA

2 cups LACTAID® Reduced Fat 2% Milk

1 cup LACTAID® Whole Milk

1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out with the tip of a paring knife (reserve the bean for another use or discard)

FOR THE FRUIT

2 peaches, halved, pitted, and quartered

2 pears, seeded and quartered lengthwise

2 plums, pitted and quartered

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margerine, melted

1 tablespoon lightly packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup hazelnuts

Honey of choice

Preparation

To make the ricotta: Set a large fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl. Line the sieve with a dampened piece of cheesecloth. Pour both of the LACTAID® Milks into a medium stainless steel or enameled pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Let the mixture set for 5 minutes (it will separate into curds and whey).
Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and drain until the ricotta is nice and thick, 20 to 25 minutes. Pour off and discard the water in the bowl occasionally (for thicker ricotta, drain longer).
Turn the ricotta out into a bowl and stir in the vanilla seeds. Use immediately or transfer the ricotta to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To roast the fruit: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add the peaches, pears, and plums to a large bowl and toss with the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Place the fruit on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until slightly soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Roast the hazelnuts on a second rimmed baking sheet until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to cool, then roughly chop.
Serve the ricotta alongside the roasted fruit, chopped hazelnuts, and honey for drizzling.

Notes

Reprinted from Supermarket Healthy: Recipes and Know-How for Eating Well Without Spending a Lot. Copyright © 2014 by Melissa d’Arabian. Photographs © 2014 by Tina Rupp. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House LLC.