I wanted to make a beautiful dessert for my guy for Valentine’s Day. Blood oranges seemed like the perfect seasonal ingredient.
I’d also been itching to try my hand at making goat’s milk ricotta.
The result was a lovely, light Italian-style ricotta cake, seasoned with fragrant toasted nutmeg, resting on a gingersnap crust, and crowned with gorgeous candied blood orange slices and blood-orange glaze.
My guy loved it. He makes me really ridiculously happy.
Goat’s Milk Ricotta Cake with Toasted Nutmeg and Blood Oranges
1 pint goat’s milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups gingersnap cookies
1/3 c. coconut oil, melted
2 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4 c. agave syrup
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1 blood orange, sliced in razor-thin slices
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. raw sugar
juice of 2 blood oranges
2 oz. orange liquor
Ricotta
One pint of milk produced about 1 3/4 c. ricotta.
In a perfectly clean pot, bring milk and salt to 160 degrees F, stirring frequently. Add lemon juice, stir, and let sit for 15 minutes. Whey should begin to separate– there should be a clear liquid sitting on top. If whey does not separate, add more lemon juice in very, very small amounts and let sit 15 minutes more. Don’t worry if large curdles haven’t developed, as long as the whey is separated. Pour liquid into a colander lined with two layers of cheese cloth and allow to sit until only solids remain– about an hour.
Gingersnap Crust
Pulse gingersnap cookies in a food processor. I used an all-natural, gluten-free version. Combine crumbs with melted coconut oil, and gently pat into a pie pan.
Ricotta Cake
Toast nutmeg in a pan over medium high heat until fragrant. Combine nutmeg, agave syrup, ricotta, orange zest, and egg yolks. Fold in egg whites. Pour mixture into crust and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until cake is full set. Chill for 2 hours.
Candied Oranges and Glaze
Combine 1 1/2 distilled water and 1/2 c. raw sugar in saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add orange slices. Cook until liquid has been reduced to a syrup. Remove oranges.
Add juice and liquor. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
To Assemble: Arrange orange slices artistically and drizzle syrup over top of cake. Serve.
Guess what my guy got me for Valentine’s Day?
He really gets me.
