Most commercial ricotta cheese is ubiquitous, nondescript. It works just fine as a filling for lasagna or as a base for Italian cheesecake, but ricotta is not usually the belle of the ball. I have a new favorite ricotta to eat off the spoon: Maplebrook Farm Whole Milk Ricotta. It is creamy, even silky. Its taste is delicate and supremely delicious. Maplebrook Farm is a small (20 employee) cheese company in Vermont that produces fresh mozzarella, cherry-wood smoked mozzarella, ricotta and cheddar cheese bites. Currently, Maplebrook Farm cheeses can be found at specialty food markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. They also have sampler packs available for mail-order.
Maplebrook Farm’s ricotta is made in small batches with rGBH-free milk. It is hand dipped and hand packed. The end result is a Vermont artisan cheese that deserves the spotlight.
Ricotta, Pistachio, Honey Cup
My favorite no-cook treatment for this stellar ricotta. Serve with fresh fruit in season: Citrus in the winter and berries in the summer.
1/4 cup ricotta
2 Tbsp. roughly chopped pistachios
drizzle of orange blosson honey
Place ricotta into a small dessert dish, top with pistachios and drizzle with honey.
Serves 1
[…] If you are on the east coast, search out some Maplebrook Farm Ricotta. […]