RICOTTA AND CANDIED FRUIT SEMIFREDDO

RICOTTA AND CANDIED FRUIT SEMIFREDDO image

Yield 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 9

½ pound fresh ricotta, squeezed in cheesecloth if watery
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
¼ cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
¼ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
zest of 1 lemon, julienned with a zester
zest of 1 orange, julienned with a zester
¼ cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate
1 ½ cups strawberries, rinsed and patted dry

Steps:

Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl and whip it with an electric mixer or a whisk until smooth. Place the heavy cream in a mixing bowl and whip it while adding the sugar a little at a time, until well incorporated. Fold the whipped cream into the ricotta, then add the following ingredients one at a time, mixing carefully: almonds, pistachios, lemon zest, orange zest, and chocolate. Refrigerate until serving, but don't let it sit for more than an hour, or it will lose its fluffiness. Add the strawberries just before serving so that they don't "bleed out" and color the dish.