Guest Author - Anita Burroughs

I am often faced with the dilemma of whether to serve a low fat dessert, or a high test version when giving a dinner party. My husband and I have a gang that gets together once a week for a pot-luck; when it’s my turn to do dessert, I am very much aware that half of the group is dieting, and the other half is clamoring for a fattening, to-die for dessert.

Not wanting to make two different desserts, I usually go with a low-fat dessert. Ok, in the interest of full confession, I am one of the dieters in the group. I confess that I no longer make an announcement that what I am serving is low in fat, because I am greeted with a chorus of moans and groans from the non-dieters when I do so. Instead, I simply make something I know everyone will love, even if it’s not a traditional dessert.

One ingredient I consistently turn to in this situation is ricotta cheese. If you’ve ever been on the South Beach Diet, you’ll recognize ricotta as a dessert staple of a low carbohydrate diet. Ricotta is simply a blank palate that can be mixed and matched with many ingredients to make an incredibly delicious and satisfying dessert. If you want a full-fat version of a dish made with ricotta, simply choose whole milk ricotta cheese. If you want the low-fat version, choose part-skim milk ricotta, which is significantly lower in fat than its high test counterpart. I stay away from fat free ricotta in desserts, as I find the end result to be too watery and lacking in flavor and body.

Here is one of my favorite recipes of all time. It has a small amount of chocolate, which gives this dish just the right amount of flavor to make this a “wow” recipe.

Ricotta Cream with Fresh Berries

2 ½ cups ricotta, whole milk or part-skim milk (22 ounces)
2/3 cup orange marmalade
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or semi-sweet, if you prefer)
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier (or any orange flavored liquor)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pints fresh berries of your choice (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)

Place the ricotta cheese in the bowl of your food processor and run the machine until the ricotta is smooth. Add the orange marmalade and continue to process. I like to retain some pieces of the marmalade to give the dessert some texture.

Transfer the ricotta mixture to a bowl. Add the chopped chocolate, Grand Marnier (or other orange liquor), and vanilla extract and mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to two days.

This dessert looks wonderful in a martini glass or wine goblet. Place some of the ricotta cream in the glass, and add berries on top. A chocolate covered cigar cookie placed into the dessert adds an elegant touch, and keeps the non-dieters very happy.