It has been years since the incident, but it’s been burned in my memory, and to be perfectly honest, it still haunts me. I invited a couple from the Midwest to dinner, and watched as they sat there at the dinner table, not quite knowing what to do with the food I had prepared. They just looked at the platter with a blank stare. I had prepared a beautiful medley of grilled veggies, charred French bread slices and a big scoop of ricotta in the center. I had drizzled a lovely balsamic reduction over the entire array of vegetables and topped it with ribbons of fresh basil. Sound familiar? Who knew this type of dish would be a huge food trend years later? When I asked the couple if they would like something else, their reply was simply, “Um, we’ve never eaten like this. We usually have meat and potatoes for a meal.” But they eventually warmed up to the idea (the wine helped) and devoured the entire platter! Today, I still make the same dish with red peppers, zucchini and vegetables in season. But now, I love making the grilled medley with homemade ricotta and homemade balsamic reduction. For the reduction, I add two tablespoons of Port. If you have it on hand, it adds a wonderful complex flavor to the balsamic vinegar. For the homemade ricotta, if you can find raw milk, you’ll get a much better yield. (Sprouts is your best bet) It’s quite a bit pricier than the whole milk but well worth the money for the amount of ricotta it makes. Make these two recipes and you’ll be upping the ante on Antipasto!
| Servings |
- 1 gallon whole milk (raw or pasteurized, not ultra pasteurized)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Port (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Port optional
Ingredients For the Homemade Ricotta:
For the Balsamic Reduction:
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- In a liquid measuring cup, combine the 1/3 cup lemon juice with ¼ cup distilled white vinegar. Stir and set aside. Next, add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 gallon of whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream to a Dutch oven. Heat the milk to exactly 185 degrees on a candy thermometer, stirring often. Take pot off the heat and stir in lemon juice mixture. Let sit undisturbed for 15 minutes for curds and whey to separate. With a slotted spoon or spider, pour into a colander lined with two layers of cheesecloth over a bowl. Let sit undisturbed for 8 minutes. When Ricotta starts separating from the edges and the edges are dry but the center is moist, place in a bowl, and gently stirs to break up the curds. Chill for 1 hour or more before serving.
- In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, brown sugar and Port to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from heat to cool.
