Ricotta millet pudding with warm raspberry compote
Instructions:
- MILLET:
- 1 cup water;
- ½ cup millet;
- ⅔ cup whole milk or lowfat milk;
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract;
- Pinch of fine sea salt.
- PUDDING:
- 1½ cups part-skim ricotta cheese;
- ¼ cup honey;
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest;
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled;
- ¼ cup sugar.
- RASPBERRY COMPOTE, AND TO FINISH:
- 2½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries (do not thaw if using frozen);
- ¼ cup honey.
- To prepare the millet, bring the water and the millet to a boil in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a small bowl and stir into the millet. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and allow to cool to room temperature, about 60 minutes (if in a hurry, spread the millet on a baking sheet).
- Once the millet has cooled, make the pudding. Place the ricotta, honey, lemon zest, and juice in a large bowl and beat vigorously using a wooden spoon until the ingredients are incorporated. Loosen the millet with a fork, and then stir it into the ricotta mixture, breaking up any lumps.
- In a large deep bowl, whip the cream with a handheld mixer, first on medium then on high speed, gradually adding the sugar until medium-firm peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the ricotta-millet mixture in 3 additions. Divide the pudding among serving bowls. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, make the raspberry compote. Place the raspberries and the honey in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low to medium heat, gently stirring once in a while so as not to crush the berries, until the compote is hot and the berries are just warmed through, 5 to 8 minutes.
- To finish, spoon a bit of the raspberry compote over the chilled ricotta pudding and serve at once.
- TO GET A HEAD START: Make the millet, as in step 1, ahead as per the instructions.