Ricotta Cheese Trifle Bowl

By Nechama Norman

I happen to like cherries a lot. The sweetness, the juiciness, and the color all get to me. The pits? That’s another story. They can be hard to navigate around. I was therefore very excited to find frozen pitted cherries in the freezer section at the supermarket. I got right to work trying to find the best recipe to utilize this yummy fruit. Success! You will be just as excited as I am by this show-stopping dessert.

¾ cup ricotta cheese
1½ cups heavy cream
¾ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) container whipped cream cheese, softened
½ package tea biscuits or Biscoff biscuits (in Israel), crushed, divided

Red Wine Cherry Compote Sauce
¾ cup sweet red wine
1 pound (2 cups) frozen sweet pitted cherries
½ cup sugar
6 tablespoons water, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ lemon, squeezed
1 tablespoon potato or cornstarch

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine ricotta, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, cream cheese, and heavy cream. Whip for 3 minutes. Add in half of the crushed biscuits.
  2. In a saucepan, bring wine to a boil. Cook until reduced by half. Add cherries, sugar, 4 tablespoons water, vanilla, and lemon juice. Simmer on low for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cherries are cooked through. Remove from heat.
  3. Combine starch with remaining 2 tablespoons water. Stir into compote sauce to thicken. Let cool.
  4. To serve, place ricotta mixture in a trifle bowl. Top with remaining crumbs and cherry compote. You can use one large trifle bowl or mini individual trifle bowls.

Yield: 8 servings

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