Sweetened ricotta with figs and amaretti – Puglian ‘Eton mess’

WELCOME to the fifth and final recipe, created for you as part of the new TTI recipe series It’s a four-course dinner which feeds four people for ONLY £20.

The idea behind this series is to inspire others to host and cook for friends regularly if you don’t already, or to do it more often. What’s so fantastic about these recipes are that they are EASY, QUICK and SIMPLE, allowing you to host and spend more time with your friends rather than getting cooped up in the kitchen. And, of course, embraces the Mediterranean flavours of southern Italy that I love.

The final dish on the menu is the dolce – dessert course. Sweetened ricotta with figs and amaretti crumb.  The inspiration behind this dish was based on the British classic – Eton mess. However, as you know, I like to add my own Italian twist on things and decided to put an Italian Pugliese spin on it. Amaretti biscuits and almonds are very popular in southern Italy and are commonly found in many desserts. Also, fruit is usually eaten at the end of a meal too. Italians are great at eating seasonally. In the video, I have used the summer peach, while in the recipe below, I’ve used winter figs instead. However, I think any soft fruit would work perfectly with this. Bananas, strawberries, berries. You name it.

As in theme with the menu, all ingredients are inspired by the Mediterranean, bringing gorgeous Italian sunny flavours to your dinner party. And with this dessert, you can be assured that your dinner party finishes with a bang.

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Sweetened ricotta with figs and amaretti (6 servings)

• 500g ricotta
• 24 amaretti biscuits, 
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 6 figs, sliced in to 8 slices (or any seasonal fruit
• Fresh mint leaves.

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SWEETENED RICOTTA WITH FIGS AND AMARETTI (6 SERVINGS)

• Put the ricotta into a bowl and whip it with a fork until you have a creamy consistency.
• Next, add the honey and vanilla essence and mix well into the ricotta.
• Smash the amaretti biscuits into a rough crumb. In a glass tumbler or small bowl, add 1-2 tbsp of amaretti crumb.
• Layer on top with the whipped ricotta.
• Place 4 fig slices on top and another tbsp of amaretti crumb
• Another layer of ricotta and top add the remaining fig slices.
• Top with a sprinkle of amaretti. Serve with a little mint leaf.