Serves 4
I first tasted ricotta on its own, as opposed to a layer in lasagna, at lunch with Colman Andrews, one of the founding editors of Saveur magazine and my friend and mentor in food writing. We were at Mario Batali’s Lupa Trattoria in Greenwich Village, and for dessert, the restaurant sent him a plate of sheep’s-milk ricotta drizzled with chestnut honey, a dark-colored honey with a funky, woody, slightly bitter flavor. The combination of cheese and chestnut honey, Colman told me, is an Italian classic. I reached over, took a bite, and about fell out of my chair. Two ingredients. Cheese. And honey. And yet so completely out of this world. I add toasted buckwheat and walnuts for crunch and nutrition, so I can call it “breakfast.” The crunch topping also makes a delicious breakfast cereal served over yogurt or with milk. It’s like nature’s Grape Nuts.
1 cup buckwheat
1 cup walnut halves
2 tablespoons canola oil or another neutral-flavored oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup fresh rosemary
8 ounces good-quality store-bought ricotta (preferably sheep’s-milk ricotta, or plain sheep’s- or goat’s-milk yogurt)
Honey (preferably buckwheat or chestnut honey), for drizzling
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
To make the crunch, toss the buckwheat, walnuts, oil, maple syrup, and salt on a baking sheet and spread the ingredients out in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, until the buckwheat is barely golden. Shake the pan or stir the buckwheat so it browns evenly. Remove from the oven, stir in the rosemary, and return the baking sheet to the oven until the buckwheat is golden brown and the rosemary is crispy but not burnt, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for the buckwheat to cool to room temperature and crisp up.
To serve the bowls, spoon the ricotta into four small bowls, dividing it evenly. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with the crunch topping.