Ground Cherries Recipe with Ricotta
One of the beauties of this Ground Cherries Recipe lies in the exciting contrast between hot, juicy ground cherries and fridge-cold ricotta, so make sure the cherries are straight out of the oven and the ricotta is straight out of the fridge. The heat of the cherries will make the cold ricotta melt, invitingly, so plenty of crusty sour dough orfocaccia to mop it all up is a must alongside.
Servings: 2 hearty servings
Ingredients
- 1 - ¾ cup ground cherries husked and rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon good olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Flaked salt and black pepper
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- Balsamic vinegar good quality
- Crusty sourdough or focaccia for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the ground cherries in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, sugar, almond extract, and cinnamon. Sprinkle about ½ teaspoon of salt and a grind or two of fresh pepper. Mix to combine, then transfer to a quarter baking sheet– push them all the ingredients together into the center to fit snuggly next to each other. Place the sheet in the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes, until the cherries are beginning to blister, and the liquid is bubbling. Remove from oven and set aside.
- While the cherries are roasting, combine the ricotta, lemon juice and grated zest. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
- Once the cherries are ready, spread the chilled ricotta on a plater (with a lip) or in a wide, shallow bowl, creating a dip in it with the back of a spoon. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic over the ricotta. Now, spoon the hot cherries on top along with their juices and finish with a pinch of flaked salt and another drizzle of balsamic vinegar.