Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Pineapple Ricotta Custard

Hello, everybody!!

                                        You know I love anything in a ramekin.
 
 It just makes everything so much more elegant. Or maybe it's because they match, and I usually don't have enough matching bowls. And there's portion control, too, so I could make a point for it being HEALTHIER. :)
I've made chicken pot pies.
Spinach lasagne.
Blueberry pie.
 Lemon souffle.
And I wanted to make a dessert, but keep the portions small so I went looking... OH MY!
 
 Mini pineapple upside down cake!! But I think these would defeat the purpose of having something small. They look really, really yummy and really, really fattening.
So, I thought about what would have a good protein boost, use natural sugars, and no flour.
 
(At least Matt Groenig,the creater of the Simpsons, understands me. Did you know his dad was named Homer? And was raised in a Mennonite, Plautdietsch-speaking family? Yup. You'll never look at Homer Simpson the same way again.)

Anyway,  I had some ricotta left over and I remembered eating a wonderful ricotta dessert when I lived in France. It had pineapple and cinnamon and was soooo creamy and delicious.

I had those things. Ta-DAH! Magic pantry! And magic fridge. Don't keep ricotta in the pantry. That would be gross.
I found this recipe online but it had heavy cream. Something I didn't have... and didn't really want.

2 pounds ricotta cheese (drained)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs
 
So, this is what I did.
Preheat oven to 450F (what's that sign for degree????? Well, now that I've wasted five minutes, you can just draw it on the screen with a Sharpie. :)

I mixed 1 lb ricotta, 3/4 cup sugar, 4 eggs, 3 tsp vanilla, 1 cup whole milk together until creamy. Then I reserved 6 whole rings of pineapple from the can, chopping the rest and adding it to the custard mix.
It looked a little soupy and I was wondering if I'd just ruined a whole pound of ricotta and some delicious pinapple. Fill each ramekin about half full.
Top with a pineapple.
Add more of the custard to completely cover the pineapple and then add a SPRINKLE of cinnamon. Yes, that's not quite the way it should be. Anyway. You get the idea.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450, then lower it 350F for another 15.  Here's one that's finally cooled enough we can eat it.
They did take a long time to cool off.

Here my 7 year old stakes his claim on the pineapple ricotta custard cup of his choice. I don't think anyone will jump that Fisher Price fence and dare Mr. Transformer to a Lego Ninjago firestick duel.

But I could be wrong.


So, until next time, keep experimenting with new things... Right until March rolls around and Speedbo begins because then we'll be doing the super simple, crazy easy dishes so we can WRITE LIKE THE WIND!
I thought I was starting a historical romance (to follow All The Blue of Heaven) and then jump directly into the sequel to Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits...
 

But I've changed direction! I'll leave you wondering until next Wednesday, when we're officially started on Speedbo. :)





23 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It really was! When I make lasagne, I always end up with leftover ricotta so this was a perfect dessert.

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    2. And this is something I think I can eat. Well, when I add sugars back in, if I do.

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  2. Did you like it? Was it creamy enough? Did your mouth say Ahhhh?????????


    I need to know these things. And I'm praying for our Kavalicious and her job.... and wondering if you should have put the cheese in a food processor or blender to make it non-grainy like cannoli filling. And wondering if the ninja transormer dude has a brother? He's that cute.

    I am wondering a great deal today, it seems! :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, definitely. And then add the pineapple. I've made it again sicne then and adjusted the recipe to include the blender. I'm all about 'mouth feel', which is a phrase I truly detest, but is annoyingly accurate.

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  3. Yum. And I can actually make this one by substituting tapioca starch for the corn.

    And I have legos! No one will get my ramekin of goodness either.

    Peace, Julie

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  4. Julie, I love adding tapioca to things. It makes me happy.

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    Replies
    1. I just love tapioca.... It makes me smile.

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    2. My grandpa (a WWII vet who was a veterinarian, a tall old guy who used few words, but managed to make everyone feel cherished) made tapioca all the time. My sister and I can't see tapioca without thinking of him and smiling.

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  5. looks great must try this one as I love pineapple upsidedown cake. I have made them in cupcake tins as well

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    Replies
    1. I was thinking about the cupcake tins! I wonder how that would affect the cooking time vs ramekins...

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  6. OMGosh!!! I'm so loving your son's marking of his dessert that I can hardly enjoy the recipe. THAT'S THE CUTEST THING EVER!!! Oh, man. I miss my kids being little. Waaah. My middle child (a son) was my big Lego kid. And he's a senior in high school this year!! No more precious marking of territory like that. Virginia, I'm so glad you snapped a photo. Before you know it, he'll be going off to college.

    Of course, then you'll have another 14 kids after him...

    :)

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    Replies
    1. haha! Missy, I'm 38. Unless I'm planning on having all 14 together at once time... *passes out*

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  7. First of all, there's no way I'm drawing a degree sign on my computer screen with a sharpie.

    Hunh uh. Ain't gonna.

    But I will try this fabulous dessert!

    Have you tried it with any other fruits? Oooh, would mandarin oranges be good in it? Or cherries?

    I'm buying ricotta cheese this weekend....

    And those Fisher Price fences? They keep anything out - or in - as long as you don't try to stand them up on carpeting. Sigh. I've spent hours trying to keep those things upright on carpet.

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    Replies
    1. Yup, those are the old Fisher Price farm fences from 1968! I have all the old toys from when I was a kid. They went from my sister's child to mine, so they've been used by 11 kids so far. :) And still standing.

      I think this could be used with whatever fruit you wanted, but you may have to adjust the sugar.

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  8. I love this. Not just the recipe, but the ramekin idea. Why have I not thought of that? Don't answer that.

    This sounds so yummy. I mean, who wouldn't want to stake their claim. Your little guy's got the right idea.

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    Replies
    1. I love ramekins and I'm tempted to buy all the cute little sets I see... but then they would eb everywhere and not useful. So, I'll stick to my white ones from Shopko and my Fireking teacups I found for FREE. :D

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  9. Mindy with a wedding and showers approaching, doing individual tortes, cakes, puddings, custards is a huge fun thing.

    Let your imagination run wild!

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    Replies
    1. You should Google ramekins and see all the really funs tyles. They also have semi-disposable versions that are for non-oven dishes. I really think the small portion are so much prettier than a huge dish and having to ladle things. Takes more time, but maybe saves time in the end.

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    2. Excellent advice, ladies. I mean, we can only eat so much cake. Right?

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  10. I love those mini pineapple upside down cakes. That is BRILLIANT! Love that one in the coffee cup too. Your recipe sounds delicious.
    You do know I'm DIETING right? So this is cruel, Virginia!!!

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  11. Mary, just make sure the coffee cup is one of the old Fireking ceramics. They were oven safe so you could make all sorts of different recipes in them.

    I'm pretty sure standard china and modern coffee cups aren't oven safe so watch out!

    An I'm always dieting. Or thinking of dieting. Or planning on dieting in the near future. Such is the life of a perpetually chubby woman.

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