Crescents Of Melon On Fresh Ricotta Recipes

Steps:

• Place the melon, lime juice, jalapenos, yogurt, 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper in a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the almonds in a bowl and toss with the water and then with the remaining salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• Divide the soup among 4 bowls. Top with the almonds and mint and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Arrange pancetta in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. (Alternatively, place pancetta on folded layers of paper towels on a microwave-proof plate and microwave on high until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.) Let pancetta stand until cool enough to handle, then break into bite-size pieces.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a medium pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta; run under cold water to cool. Drain and set aside.
• Whisk oil and vinegar in a large bowl. Add half of pancetta, cooked pasta, melon, half of mint, scallion, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle remaining pancetta and mint over. Garnish with shaved ricotta salata.

Steps:

• Line a colander with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl.
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Bring to a simmer and heat until the mixture just begins to curdle. Pour mixture into colander. (For a drier ricotta with bigger curds, continue to simmer 1 to 2 minutes longer until mixture completely separates.)
• Stop draining when mixture begins to look like ricotta, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how dry you like it. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks.

Steps:

• To make the syrups, puree the blueberries in a food processor or blender and put them in a small pot. Add half the sugar and cup water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. Let cool before running the syrup through a fine- mesh strainer. Discard the solids. Then repeat the same process with the raspberries.
• To make the ricotta, line a mesh sieve with a double-layered square of cheesecloth, with plenty to overlap the sieve. Meanwhile, combine the milk, cream and yogurt in a pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture begins to curdle, about 2 minutes.
• When the milk is curdled, pour it into the cheesecloth and allow it to drain about 5 minutes. Gather up the four corners of the cheesecloth, tie a stick into it as if for a satchel and prop the stick on the edges of a bowl and allow it to drain until firm, about 1 hour.
• When ready to serve, assemble 8 plates. Paint half of each plate with the blueberry syrup and half with the raspberry syrup. Mound 1/4 cup of the ricotta on the center of each plate. Stack 6 alternating slices of melon together and place on the plate so that the inside of their crescent shape faces the cheese; then fan them slightly. Garnish with an edible blossom. Repeat with the remaining 7 servings.