Baked Ricotta with Toasted Almonds

NZ Woman's Weekly 22/7/2007

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Ricotta is a soft curd cheese with a crumbly texture and a delicate, creamy taste and makes a perfect alternative dessert.

Ingredients

500 g	Ricotta cheese
2	Eggs
2 tbsp	Sugar
1 tsp	Vanilla essence/extract
½ cup	Apple syrup
⅓ cup	Slivered almonds

Directions

Place ricotta in a sieve for 30 minutes to drain off excess liquid. Heat oven to 180 degC. Grease four small ramekins with butter.
In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla, then whisk for 2 minutes until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is glossy.
Add drained ricotta and stir to combine. Spoon mixture into ramekins and bake for 25 minutes until set.
Turn out and serve drizzled with apple syrup and sprinkled with almonds.

Tip: Apple syrup is a delicious, thick syrup made from reduced pure apple juice. Use apple syrup as a sweet sauce over puddings (it's great over pancakes too), or in baking and puddings in place of maple syrup or golden syrup. Apple syrup can also be used in savoury recipes, such as ham glaze or with roast pork and apples. Look for apple syrup in super-markets and specialty food stores.

Tip: Ricotta is a soft curd cheese with a crumbly texture and a delicate, creamy taste. It is readily available in supermarkets.

Tip: To toast almonds, spread them on a baking tray and place in an oven heated to 180°C for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice during toasting until golden brown.