Flashback to Restaurant Week in Philadelphia, January 2013. Barbuzzo on 13th Street. The whipped ricotta appetizer comes to the table and all thoughts of doing anything but swimming in it go right out the damned door. Heaven.
Flash forward to early summer, 2015. Did you know that there was such a thing as corn milk? Seriously, you cut the kernels off of raw ears of corn, purée them to death, strain them through a chinois or some cheesecloth, and voilá! You have corn milk. Who knew?!?
This was one of those “what if we…?” recipe inspirations. The substitution of the corn milk for the cream in the original dish makes this lighter and gives it another flavor note that adds so much to the finished product, and corn is so abundant and inexpensive in the summer, this is a great appetizer idea to have in your arsenal for those family cookouts and light meals on particularly hot days. Top it with roasted cherry tomatoes, or other vegetables that you have in the crisper (or garden, but don’t brag), or anything fun and savory that strikes your fancy. Honestly, this is wonderful simply drizzled with a nice, fruity olive oil and a balsamic or wine reduction.
Did I mention that you’ll want to swim in the stuff? Bring floaties. This is also super easy to adapt for gluten allergies, because all you have to do is swap out gluten free bread, or go even lighter by slicing a zucchini on a diagonal into 1/2 inch ovals. Win. Win.
Inspired by the Whipped Ricotta at Barbuzzo, via Phildelphia Chef’s Table.
- Corn Whipped Ricotta:
- 4 ears corn, husked
- 1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- Burst Tomatoes:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- dash of red pepper flake
- salt and pepper, to taste
- To serve:
- 1 baguette, sliced into ¼ -inch slices and toasted
- A few leaves of basil, thinly sliced
- To make corn “cream”: slice corn kernels off the cob and place into food processor. Using the back of a knife, scrape liquid from corn cobs into the food processor. Process for one minute, then strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Place liquid into a small pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until liquid is thick and reduced almost by half, about five minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
- To make corn whipped ricotta: Place corn “cream”, ricotta and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- To make burst tomatoes: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, red pepper, salt and black pepper, cover the pan with a lid, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until tomatoes burst, about 5-7 minutes. Remove lid and add sugar and vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minutes or two to reduce the liquid.
- To serve, spread corn-ricotta onto toasted baguette slices and top with tomato mixture and a pinch of fresh basil.
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