Ricotta, black cherry and vanilla crisp mousse

The fluffy mousse is presented with the delicate creaminess of cow’s ricotta cheese, embraced by the freshness of cream. The black cherry insert is a flavor explosion that captures the intensity of the juicy fruit and their enveloping sweetness. The final touch of refined taste is the vanilla crisp, which adds an elegant note, creating a mix of textures that blends harmoniously with the creaminess of the mousse.

Ingredients for 2 persons:

• 
  For the mousse:
  
  120 g cow’s ricotta, 40 ml fresh cream, 15 g powdered sugar, 3 g gelatin leaves
  
• 
  For the black cherry insert:
  
  120 g black cherries in syrup, 50 g Sugar, ½ leaf gelatin
  
• 
  Vanilla crisp:
  
  50 g butter, 25 g brown sugar, ½ vanilla bean, 10 g flour
  

Procedure:

For the mousse: Begin by hydrating the gelatin in a bowl with room temperature water. Whip the ricotta cheese with the powdered sugar until frothy. In a small saucepan, over gentle heat, pour the cream and gelatin leaves to dissolve completely. After a few minutes, incorporate it into the previous mixture gently, stirring with a whisk from the bottom up.

For the black cherry insert: Prepare the insert by placing the black cherries in a saucepan along with the sugar and half a cup of water, boil for about 10 minutes. Add the previously hydrated gelatin. Pour the still-warm mixture into molds smaller than the mold you are going to use for the mousse and place in the blast chiller in negative mode (at least -18). Once the insert is frozen pour the ricotta mousse into another mold as desired and insert the insert in the middle. Place the molds in the blast chiller for 2 1/2 hours.

For the crisp: Prepare the crisp base by combining the room temperature butter, vanilla bean seeds, brown sugar and flour by kneading everything together. The mixture should be spread on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and baked at 180° for 8-10 minutes. Baked, still warm, shape to your liking by making shapes with the help of tongs.

Plating: Once the mousse is well frozen, unmold from the mold and let it thaw in the refrigerator for 1 hour (depends on what mold will be used, the larger it is the longer it will take to thaw). Plate the mousse by laying it on the vanilla crisp base and decorate with a few black cherries.

Helpful tips: If you do not have a blast chiller, send the sour cherry insert into preparation before making the mousse.

Freeze both the black cherry insert and the ricotta mousse thoroughly so that there are no defects on the final cake shape.

If you have silicone molds, it is better; you will be able to unmold them better once frozen.

Wine pairing:

(Edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Mitterberg White Passito Sissi 2019 Merano Winery

Golden yellow. Explosive aromas of saffron, orange peel and bitter honey. The original nutmeg aroma of Yellow Muscat meets intense fruity notes of Petit Manseng and delicious floral nuances of Traminer Aromatico. The structure is imposing but harmonious and sprawling. Very long ending. *0.375 bottle.

Production area: Cermes, Lana, Marlengo, Merano in the province of Bolzano, from vineyards located at 350 to 500 meters above sea level on morainic, porous granitic soils. There are few vineyards where grapes can ripen on the vines until late fall. During this long ripening, the clusters lose volume and weight, while their sugar content increases. Under favorable weather conditions, an absolutely harmless noble rot forms on the berries, giving the wine an exceptional aroma.

Grape varieties: Yellow Muscat 70%, Petit Manseng 20% and Traminer Aromatico 10%, from vines 10 to 20 years old.

Vinification: The hand-picked grapes are left to dry in small crates for 2 months. This is followed by alcoholic fermentation and maturation on the final yeasts in steel and tonneaux for 12 months.

Alcohol content: 12% vol.

Serving temperature: 8-10°C

Recommended pairings: aperitif and dessert wine, aged cheese and typical South Tyrolean desserts, such as apricot dumplings or strudel

Longevity: 15 years.

Trivia: This sweet, golden nectar is named after the former Empress Elizabeth of Austria known as Empress Sissi.