MKR recipe episode 13: Ricotta Fritters with Blackberry Sauce, Chocolate and Parmesan

3 weeks ago 4

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Serves six.

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Ingredients

100g caster sugar

2 tsp ground star anise

Pinch ground cinnamon

100g finely grated parmesan

Fresh berries, to decorate

Whipped cream, to serve

Sifted icing sugar, to dust

Chocolate soil

50g plain flour

2 tbs caster sugar

1 ½ tbs cocoa powder

½ tsp cornflour

40g butter, melted

Ricotta fritters

2 eggs, plus 1 extra egg yolk

2 tbs icing sugar

100g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

500g firm ricotta

Finely grated zest of 1 large orange

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Blackberry sauce

500g fresh or frozen blackberries

50g caster sugar

Method

1. Combine the caster sugar, star anise and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 140C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

3. To make chocolate soil, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder and cornflour in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Stir in butter until mixture resembles wet sand. Spread onto prepared tray in a thin layer.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until dry and crisp, stirring halfway through. Cool on tray.

5. To make fritters, sift the icing sugar, flour and baking powder into a large bowl stir in the ricotta, orange zest and vanilla.

6. Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and yolks in a large bowl until pale, creamy and trebled in volume. Fold into the ricotta mixture in 3 batches. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.

7. To make sauce, stir blackberries and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat until sugar has dissolved and blackberries have broken down. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve and discard seeds. Cool completely.

8. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

9. Increase oven to 180C.

10. To make parmesan crisps, sprinkle tablespoons of parmesan onto a baking paper-lined baking tray into 6cm rounds. Bake for about 5 minutes or until golden. Cool on tray.

11. Deep fry tablespoons of the fritter batter in small batches until golden, crisp and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper. Roll in star anise sugar.

12. Serve fritters and blackberry sauce with chocolate soil, parmesan crisps and whipped cream. Decorate with berries. Dust with sifted icing sugar.