By David Tanis
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- 4(176)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Ricotta cream — sweetened fresh ricotta, lightly whipped — is used in Sicily to fill cannoli or frost traditional cakes. Here, it’s combined with whipped cream and strawberries for a layered “parfait” and a very simple but impressive dessert.
Featured in: A ‘Steak’ Dinner With Vegetarians in Mind
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1pint strawberries, trimmed and sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1lemon, zested, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½cup whipping cream
- 1cup fresh ricotta
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
241 calories; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 80 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Put strawberries in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Toss with 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and set aside.
Step
2
Make the ricotta cream: In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream with a whisk until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, then fold in ricotta and lemon zest.
Step
3
Spoon the strawberries into 4 dessert glasses. Top with ricotta cream and smooth to cover. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours, but serve at cool room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
176
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Stella Luna
Ricotta cream! Not too sweet, elegantly simple. I might try halving the sugar and adding almond extract or a liquor. Imagine it over fresh peaches.
Luisa
Wouldn't you just double the ingredients? Anyway, I hope so as I'm going to be doing just that tomorrow night.Don't see any reason why you couldn't serve out of one big bowl. It just wouldn't be as elegant as individual servings.
stephanie
if you want a single vessel, a baking dish would probably be best so you have equal distribution of ricotta and berries for each person. or layer it in a trifle dish. basically anything that doesn't taper too much toward the bottom.
Nicole
Very disappointed! Ricotta did not work well. Grainy and bland. Maybe try with mascarpone?
CT MOM
Made last night. Used raspberries because that’s what I had. Super easy and delicious. Why am I just finding out I should add fresh ricotta to whipping cream? There’s no going back now! Lemon zest was great touch.
Stef
This is really delicious. The flavor of the zest on the topping, and the lemon juuce with strawberries is very light and fresh. The texture of the ricotta with the whipped cream makes this interesting, too. Such a simple and tasty dessert!
Mary F
Grated additional lemon zest on top of cream. Topped with a hulled, fan sliced berry and a tiny mint leaf. Next time will sprinkle some freeze dried strawberry powder on top.
Leeee
Fantastic. The lemon zest wakes it all up, and the small amount of cream in ratio to the ricotta keeps it from being grossly mouth coating. Don't skip the step of the little bit of sugar with lemon juice to the lemons: huzzah!
PV
I had no idea where to buy fresh ricotta, so I made my own with a half gallon of whole milk, lemon juice, and a little salt. Wow. So smooth. I'll never buy ricotta again. Fresh ricotta in this dessert gives the whipped cream the body and oomph it lacks. It offers the lightness ice cream lacks. Simple. Elegant. Delicious.
Valerie
Loved this. For two, made half the topping on a full pint of strawberries :) I think either you like ricotta or not -- it is what it is!
Kristine
I loved this. Because I couldn’t get fresh ricotta, I used Trader Joe’s whole milk ricotta, which I blitzed in a food processor with about 1 tb. whipping cream to smooth out. I used Meyer lemon juice and zest. I spooned the wonderful creamy sauce over blackberries and strawberries! I’ll be making this again and again.
Linda
I like to beat the ricotta so it’s smoother.
Irina
Love it, so fresh so simple. You need good fresh ricotta
Roslyn MacGuire
Did not care for this recipe at all! Too bland
Mary
I loved this. Very simple to make but very satisfying and many variations possible.
Claudia
It would have enjoyed a simple ice cream topping better! Ricotta flavir not to my taste or my guests.
Lele Paulson
I made this yesterday for lunch with my sister. We agreed the ricotta/lemon zest combination doesn't work; it made the topping quite grainy. The addition of the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice to the strawberries was great, however. Accordingly, I'm going to stick to plain whipped cream for the topping in the future.
SullyCyn
I made this recipe last week, and found it rather boring. The ricotta did not seem to add much flavor; some of the comments about "graininess" are helpful, so maybe I will try a different brand. I think that adding kirsch and/or almond extract might help, but I am still not convinced that the ricotta was a worthwhile ingredient to include; I feel like macerated berries with a bit of liquor and cream would have been just fine, perhaps with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
dimmerswitch
For cooks who found the ricotta texture grainy or 'wrong', it may be because of the brand of ricotta used. For this kind of dish it needs to be whole milk ricotta, not part skim / reduced fat. And I wouldn't choose a brand like Polly-O here either. No knock on the brand but it is grainier. Look for Bellwether brand basket ricotta or Belgioioso brand Ricotta con Latte or even Galbani. This is a lovely, simple and luxurious dessert; or breakfast - who would judge?
Megan
I really think marscapone is the better choice here. I made this recipe and the texture was just not right.
JM
Too bland for my taste. Rather than ricotta, I might try mascarpone or creme fraiche. Would improve the texture and add a little tang.
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