Ricotta casserole is an unusually delicate dessert with subtle citrus notes. It can be varied with additional ingredients - berries or coconut. For baking, not only ricotta (a popular Italian cheese) is used. Often complement it with ordinary cow curd.
In the article, we consider recipes for ricotta casseroles with a step-by-step description of the preparation. We will also tell you how to cook this tender cheese yourself at home. This is completely uncomplicated, the cooking process resembles an analogue of cottage cheese, but there are a couple of secrets that will give special taste notes to real Italian cheese.
Cooking Homemade Cheese
The main ingredient for ricotta casseroles is Italian cheese. It is not always present in stores, but it is easy to make at home. To do this, prepare the following products:
- 2.25 liters of homemade milk.
- 80 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can add any other acid, for example, wine vinegar in the same amount, or replace it with half a teaspoon of citric acid.
- 1 tsp salt.
Milk is poured into a container and put on fire. As soon as air bubbles begin to collect on the surface of the pan, the fire is turned off, without boiling. Pour salt, add the selected acid and mix with a spoon.
The mixture should stand for 10 minutes for an oxidation reaction to occur. When flakes of sour milk appear, they are removed and laid out in cheesecloth, folded in several layers. Then they act in the same way as in the production of cottage cheese. Gauze is hung on a hook over a bowl so that excess liquid drains into it.
The cheese is left in limbo for the whole night, and in the morning you can make ricotta casserole for breakfast. Let's figure out how to bake it properly.
Banana and Turmeric Recipe
To prepare a gentle dessert, you will need to cook the following products:
- Italian cheese - 250 grams;
- 2 eggs;
- as many bananas or 1 large;
- spices for half a teaspoon of turmeric and vanilla;
- raisins or any dried berries, for example, blueberries or cranberries - 2 tables. spoons.
Making ricotta casserole is much faster using a food processor. Bananas are peeled and cut into pieces. Then all the ingredients are sent to the mixer, except for dried fruits. After mixing, add raisins and dried berries. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees in advance.
The mass obtained after beating is poured into a non-stick coating baking dish and baked for 45 minutes. So that after cooling, the cottage cheese casserole with ricotta does not crack, it is left in the oven until it cools completely. Only then it is taken out and cut into portioned pieces.
Casserole with lemon
For baking a delicious dessert you will need the following ingredients:
- ricotta cheese - 250 grams;
- white flour of the highest grade - 170 grams;
- 3 eggs;
- 1 lemon
- 100 grams of brown sugar;
- 90 grams of butter;
- a pinch of salt.
First, take care of the eggs. The yolks are separated from the proteins. The latter is sprinkled with salt and whipped with a whisk or blender into a strong foam. Butter must be removed from the refrigerator in advance to make it room temperature. When softened, it is mixed with brown sugar. Add yolks and cheese while continuing to whisk the mixture with a whisk.
Peel the zest from one lemon and squeeze the juice, add the first and second to cheese and other products. At the end, add flour and, finally, whipped proteins, gently combine everything and put it in a baking dish. The form is placed in a preheated oven and baked until golden brown. Serve the casserole with berries, honey or jam.
Casserole with ricotta and cottage cheese
Baking can be made from two main components - Italian cheese and the usual cottage cheese. According to the recipe for the casserole, prepare the following products:
- a pound of cottage cheese;
- 250 grams of Italian ricotta;
- 4 chicken eggs;
- sugar to taste;
- 1 tbsp. l starch or wheat flour;
- 1 lemon
- dried fruits or fresh berries (optional).
For such a casserole, it is also necessary to separate the yolks from the proteins and beat the latter until a strong foam is obtained. Peel the lemon off the lemon. In a container, mix both cheeses with yolks, starch, sugar and lemon. At the very end, add whipped to the peaks proteins. Parchment is laid out on the bottom of the mold and generously greased with butter. Then dried fruit or fresh berries are poured with a thin layer and poured with a curd mixture. Put the mold in a preheated oven and bake on low heat for about an hour.
As you can see, making a casserole is quite simple. Try making desserts according to our recipes. Good luck and bon appetit!