FRUIT SALAD WITH CANNOLI CREAM
09 july 2006

a double header!

i picked this recipe b/c i've been dying to try out the electric hand-mixer my mom gave me a few months ago. my initial choice was the apple crisp (it had an irish whiskey whipped cream) but time didn't permit, & since then, the mixer's been sitting in a paper bag on: (1) the floor of my car, (2) a chair in the front room, (3) the window sill by the stairs, & finally (4) a shelf in the kitchen.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
12 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 dry pint fresh raspberries (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 kiwi, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

METHOD
stir the ricotta & 2 tablespoons of cream in a medium bowl to blend. using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/3 cup of cream, powdered sugar, & cinnamon in a large bowl until semi-firm peaks form. fold the ricotta into the whipped cream. place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to stiffen & yield a creamier filling. (can be prepared 4 hours ahead. cover & refrigerate.)

toss the strawberries, raspberries, sugar, & lemon juice in a medium bowl to combine. let stand until juices form, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes. add the kiwi.

spoon the fruit mixture into 4 dessert bowls. dollop the ricotta cream atop the fruit. sprinkle with the almonds & serve.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
what could be easier?

making this cannoli cream was really wicked easy. i thought it'd be at least a LITTLE tedious, but it totally wasn't.

i left out the raspberries (naturally), & i will tell you why: i hate them. i'm not sure WHY i hate them, b/c i haven't eaten raspberries since i was a little kid, but i feel like it might be partially related to the time my four-year-old sister found a worm wiggling around in her breakfast raspberries.

i left off the almonds, but that was on accident.

i think i was hoping it'd be creamier (maybe custardy?) & of course the ricotta made it a little bit dry, but it was still quite good. i also would prefer more sugar, BUT i understand that not everyone likes to smother fresh fruit in unnatural sweetness.

anyway, brian potts took seconds & finished off the cannoli cream entirely, so i guess the consensus was A++ would eat again!

"Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream" from Everyday Italian, 2006.