easy entertaining and whipped ricotta
I recently re-watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s and was struck by the long party scene in Holly’s apartment. The scene is chaotic, in a way that parties should be. It’s glamorous, exciting, yet completely effortless (as is anything with Audrey Hepburn). Holly seems so relaxed as a host, outsourcing drink duty to a friend and ensuring her guests feel comfortable and are always with drink in hand. The buzz of conversation and laughs fill the room, complemented with the quick tempo tracks of Henry Mancini. Small snack bowls are scattered on shelves for guests to pick at. In a way, it’s reminiscent of a university kegger-just slightttly more elevated. For those of you that don’t know what I am talking about, watch the movie! It’s great (for many reasons), but this scene made me step back for a moment to think about entertaining, and this idea of an effortless vibe.
While we typically host dinner parties (not NYC glamorous soirees), where I tend to go all out, lately I have been gravitating to this more casual and relaxed feel when it comes to entertaining. It could be that I am tired, or that it’s been a hectic summer, or that I am flat-out lazy, but while I usually love developing full-blown menus complete with apps and desserts (which I promise I will share with you), I have been looking for ways to add a warm and elevated touch to an evening, just without all the work. I have been moving away from spending most of the time in the kitchen preparing and cooking, allowing the focus on to be on the people, the conversation and the shared experience- more often than not, around the dining table.
This summer, I’ve been pushing this Whipped Ricotta with Radish app hard! It’s so creamy and fresh with the right amount of tart from the lemon zest salt and the crunch from the radish. I’ve paired it with a few plates of chorizo rounds and some cerignola olives with plenty of chilled rosé, duh! It takes no time at all, and you’ll be fiending on that lemon salt! Plus it’s so easy to whip up, pun intended!
Whipped Ricotta with Radish
This is such an easy appetizer that is always such a crowd-pleaser. The zesty salt is something you can also keep on hand to sprinkle over a salad,grilled herb chicken or even on yogurt- the world’s your oyster here (oh, it also would be delicious on a freshly shucked oyster). You can certainly dip other vegetables or crostini into the ricotta as well.
Ingredients
1 475 g tub ricotta
1 bunch radish (washed, cut and halved)
1 tbsp Flaky sea salt (Maldon is my fave)
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp really good olive oil
Method
Put the tub of ricotta in a larger bowl and using a dinner spoon whip until the ricotta is so so smooth (this could also be done with an electric mixer, but I prefer to get a tricep workout in the process)
On a small plate, place salt and lemon zest and start pinching it together with your fingers so it’s eventually all combined into your ‘zesty salt’
In a serving bowl, put whipped ricotta on one side and cut radish on the other. You may not use all the ricotta on the first serving, depending on the size of the bowl, but you can keep it aside to keep topping up.
Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with zesty salt
What are some of your entertaining go-tos?
(Top Photo from Breakfast at Tiffany's via The Guardian)
