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. :)