Herbed Ricotta Cheese with Ponzu Pickled Tomatoes
Updated Sep 24, 2020, Published Mar 15, 2020
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I absolutely love to make homemade ricotta cheese. First of all, it tastes like a thousand times better than store bought. And seriously, how cool does it make you sound when you casually drop that fact that you made homemade cheese?
This herbed ricotta along with the ponzu pickled tomatoes is one of my favorite entertaining appetizers. I serve it with toasted slices of gluten-free baguettes, and everyone just dives in!
If you are in the need for plain ricotta, make it up to the point of adding the scallions and herbs. It will last 4-5 days covered in the fridge. I love it spread on bread with a drizzle of honey.
These ponzu pickled tomatoes are tangy, sweet, citrusy, with a little bite from the garlic and red pepper flakes. It makes the perfect topper for the creamy ricotta. The Yuzu Ponzu dressing from Marukan adds just the perfect amount of acid, citrus notes, and saltiness.
You can use these recipes to make ricotta stuffed chicken breasts topped with the pickled tomatoes – absolutely divine!
Herbed Ricotta Cheese with Ponzu Pickled Tomatoes
Ingredients
Quick Pickled Tomatoes
- 1 cup Marukan organic rice vinegar
- 1 cup Marukan Yuzu Ponzu dressing
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup sugar or erythritol
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pints heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 2 large shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup chopped fresh dill
- Toasted gluten free baguette slices
Herbed Ricotta Cheese
- Cheesecloth
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons Marukan organic rice vinegar
- ½ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
- 3 scallions, , white and light green parts, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced chives
Instructions
Quick Pickled Tomatoes
- Combine the vinegar, Ponzu dressing, water, sugar, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and put in a large mixing bowl. Thinly slice the shallots and garlic and add to the tomatoes. Add the dill. Pour the cooled ponzu mixture over the tomatoes and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks – put in covered jars or containers making sure the liquid completely covers the vegetables.
- To serve, drain the vegetables over a strainer for a few minutes, place in a serving bowl and serve with the herbed ricotta and toasted baguette slices.
Herbed Ricotta Cheese
- Wet two layers of cheesecloth and place in a strainer over a deep bowl.
- Combine the milk, cream, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and add the vinegar. Let sit for a minute or two or until it starts to look curdled. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined strainer and let sit at room temperature for at 20-30 minutes pouring off the liquid that collects in the bowl occasionally. Scrap the cheese into a mixing bowl, stir in the herbs and scallions. Place in a serving bowl and serve with the tomatoes and baguette slices.
- Can be made 2-3 days in advance, store covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
this may sound like a dumb question, but, I have to be dairy free, could I use coconut cream and almond milk?
Not a dumb question at all! Replace the whole milk with almond milk and replace the heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk. I’d also suggest adding a touch of nutritional yeast for this dairy-free version.