Baked Ricotta with honey, rosemary & pomegranate
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Kelly
Recipe type: Appetizer
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 15 oz/425 grams (about 2 cups) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest, or to taste
- 2 tsp fine ground fresh rosemary (I use a small processor) + more for garnish
- ½ tsp salt + optional pepper to taste
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ¼ cup or so pomegranate seeds (arils)
- drizzle of honey for topping
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 F
- Combine ricotta, lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary and salt together in a bowl.
- Taste the ricotta mixture and make any seasoning adjustments desired - rosemary, lemon juice/zest, salt & pepper - before transferring the mixture into an oven proof dish (ideally ½ - 1 quart size).
- Drizzle olive oil over the ricotta mixture and place it in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until it has heated through and begins to bubble around the edges.
- Carefully remove the dish from the oven and drizzle with a light touch of honey and a sprinkling of sea salt.
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds (pressing them gently into the mixture) and rosemary sprigs as desired.
- Enjoy straight away with cut up fruit, vegetables and/or sliced bread/crackers.
Notes
1) Ricotta is a rich source of vegetarian protein. A quarter cup of ricotta packs 7 grams of protein (more than an egg!). This two cup appetizer has approximately 56 grams of protein.
2) It's hard to beat the full fruit of the pomegranate for quality seeds - when you cut into the fruit you will find the arials at their freshest, most succulent and richly pigmented. Having said that, you can save time and mess by purchasing the seeds on their own, so the choice (as always) is yours.
3) There are many different ways to present the pom seed topping on this dip. In the featured recipe, I decorated half the ricotta with a generous amount of seeds and created a dividing line with a chunky piece of rosemary. Another attractive way is to sprinkle the seeds all over the surface (they will appear like polka dots) and toss individual rosemary sprigs here and there between the seeds - they will look a bit like pine needles. Really pretty!
4) I did try baking the pomegranate seeds in one version but I don't recommend it. It will dehydrate the seeds and leave them rather lackluster which you definitely don't want. On the other hand, you can tuck some additional seeds into the ricotta mixture (as opposed to leaving them on the surface) for more texture if you wish - this method seems more resilient to baking.
2) It's hard to beat the full fruit of the pomegranate for quality seeds - when you cut into the fruit you will find the arials at their freshest, most succulent and richly pigmented. Having said that, you can save time and mess by purchasing the seeds on their own, so the choice (as always) is yours.
3) There are many different ways to present the pom seed topping on this dip. In the featured recipe, I decorated half the ricotta with a generous amount of seeds and created a dividing line with a chunky piece of rosemary. Another attractive way is to sprinkle the seeds all over the surface (they will appear like polka dots) and toss individual rosemary sprigs here and there between the seeds - they will look a bit like pine needles. Really pretty!
4) I did try baking the pomegranate seeds in one version but I don't recommend it. It will dehydrate the seeds and leave them rather lackluster which you definitely don't want. On the other hand, you can tuck some additional seeds into the ricotta mixture (as opposed to leaving them on the surface) for more texture if you wish - this method seems more resilient to baking.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2014/11/baked-ricotta-with-honey-rosemary-pomegranate.html