By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- 4(153)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Inspired by the Mediterranean treat of fresh ricotta drizzled with regional honey, this really is one the simplest and best desserts imaginable. The main challenge is to find good fresh ricotta. You want the kind that is delicate and custardlike, so avoid the commercial, grainy supermarket kind. You can, of course, make your own, though if you find fresh ricotta sold in little plastic basket molds, it makes a lovely presentation, unmolded onto a plate, cut into wedges at the table and served with a refreshing rhubarb sauce. You'll have plenty of the sauce left over: Save it for spooning over plain yogurt, ice cream or pound cake.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings, plus extra sauce
- 1¼cups granulated sugar
- ¼cup finely slivered or grated fresh ginger (from a 3-inch piece)
- 12cardamom pods
- 1pound rhubarb, cut into ½-inch (or slightly smaller) pieces
- ¾pound fresh ricotta
- Handful of toasted pine nuts or chopped pistachio (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
299 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 43 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 52 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Put sugar, ginger, cardamom and 1 cup water in a nonreactive saucepan or skillet, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat to low and let syrup simmer for 5 minutes. Do not strain.
Step
2
Add rhubarb and stir to incorporate syrup, then continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Set aside and let cool. (The rhubarb syrup can be made a day or two in advance, and becomes more intense.)
Step
3
Serve a large spoonful or wedge of ricotta on a small plate. Spoon at least 2 tablespoons of rhubarb sauce over the cheese. Garnish with pine nuts or pistachio, if using.
Ratings
4
out of 5
153
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
suzyk
Is there a substitute for rhubarb? I can not find either fresh or frozen anywhere.
john griffiths
Should I discard the cardomom pods when the syrup is cooked?
dai
The ginger and cardamom are nice but it's on the sweet side. If you are like me and like rhubarb for it's tartness, go easier on the sugar which is what I'll do next time.
KimT
Delicious. I served this over fresh ricotta I made. Ricotta is a lot easier to make than you would think and it is light years better than the grocery store stuff.https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015560-fresh-ricotta?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
Rebecca
Yes, this occurred to me too late! Next time I will them all in a disposable teabag and pull out when the rhubarb is cooked.
Laura
This combines three of my favorite things: rhubarb, ginger and cardamom. Thank David! I love it for breakfast, lunch or dessert. Good ricotta is critical. The nuts are purely optional but I sometimes use almonds, which I typically have on hand and they work really well.
Susie
Followed this recipe reasonably closely except for adding sliced strawberries in the last moments to make it more of a compote than a sauce. The ginger and cardamom are a refreshing change from the usual spices cooked with rhubarb, and the ricotta is a terrific, rich but not sweet, alternative too. Loved this!
bill mittendorff
Best dessert ever. Good ricotta is a must. I added a little red wine to the syrup.
Leslie
This is delicious
Jesse
Loved this! Easy to make and so tasty. I added slivers of fresh mint and slices of strawberries just picked from the garden. I was also able to get some goat ricotta from a local farm (we are spoiled around here).
SB
This amount of sugar is too sweet and masks the rhubarb. I only use 1/4 cup of sugar for a hint of sweetness showing off the tartness of the rhubarb. It’s also good for breakfast over yogurt with a bit of granola.
Munjoy fan
Skip the sugar and use maple syrup plus orange juice (just a tad) for a real Yankee breakfast treat, eaten like stewed tomatoes on the side.
suzanne
This is a fabulous recipe. I made it three times. Used 1 cup sugar and added strawberries for the color. A keeper!
Lisa
I would highly recommend discarding the pods - icky too chewy and fibrous. Otherwise, this sauce is the bomb!
Yael Reiner
Absolutely divine! I didn't have ricotta so used greek yoghurt and it still tasted incredible. I also lightly toasted the pistachios in olive oil prior to garnishing. The syrup is so complex and well balanced for such a simple recipe. I went easy on the syrup for serving so sweetness didn't overpower. Will cook again and again.
dimmerswitch
Luscious. We included the optional pistachios at service. Also since we like rhubarb more tart we reduced sugar to 1C and used the 1 1/2 lb rhubarb we had on hand. We chose to sliver the ginger (from 3" piece as written but was not quite 1/4C) in big enough slivers to be removed if an eater wanted to but eaten if fresh ginger fan wanted to. Excellent ricotta is key. https://bellwetherfarms.com/product/whole-milk-basket-ricotta/
Rose
I added a pinch of saffron and a splash of grand marnier. Delicious!
sandra
To Susyk, who posted a year ago, perhaps cranberries? I'm thinking they might be the same level of tartness. Or sour cherries. I had the rhubarb first and then found this recipe, so working for me, but I know it is difficult to find rhubarb out of season.Am looking forward to trying this. Have the sauce made, as well as the ricotta (with a tub of the regular stuff as backup) and some blueberries to scatter on top -- red-white-blue for July 4th celebration.
dai
The ginger and cardamom are nice but it's on the sweet side. If you are like me and like rhubarb for it's tartness, go easier on the sugar which is what I'll do next time.
Susie
Followed this recipe reasonably closely except for adding sliced strawberries in the last moments to make it more of a compote than a sauce. The ginger and cardamom are a refreshing change from the usual spices cooked with rhubarb, and the ricotta is a terrific, rich but not sweet, alternative too. Loved this!
bill mittendorff
Best dessert ever. Good ricotta is a must. I added a little red wine to the syrup.
Laura
This combines three of my favorite things: rhubarb, ginger and cardamom. Thank David! I love it for breakfast, lunch or dessert. Good ricotta is critical. The nuts are purely optional but I sometimes use almonds, which I typically have on hand and they work really well.
KimT
Delicious. I served this over fresh ricotta I made. Ricotta is a lot easier to make than you would think and it is light years better than the grocery store stuff.https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015560-fresh-ricotta?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
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