I took small break from blogging to go on a long awaited, rescheduled, and finally enjoyed, dream vacation to the California Wine Country. I’m actually glad our plans had to change; April was a perfect time to be in Napa and Sonoma. We celebrated an anniversary a birthday and had an all around fantastic trip. Best of all, well the wine was marvelous – but the food – oh my. There were pastas, salads, seafood, and desserts that we sampled and loved. Still I have to confess that we were happy to come home to Nashville with a garden in full bloom to rival any we visited in California, and a lot of new recipe ideas to try. One of our favorite things about traveling is meeting interesting people, and California definitely has its share. Everyone has a favorite winery and a favorite restaurant you MUST try. A tour guide at one winery chatted with me about his plans to produce a cookbook for his girlfriend. As he attempted to describe her favorite dish, I thought, “I’ve got to have that!” And so I did! Yesterday! My new friend’s recipe involved whipping strawberries with ricotta in a blender and then topping it with several luscious ingredients – including tarragon – a favorite of mine.
I didn’t exactly do that - I love the textures too much to blend everything. But I know my version is a success because we all wanted seconds and I had to make it again immediately. I’m calling it, The California Dessert, but this dish could be a first course for a fancy dinner, part of a light lunch, or, quite frankly an afternoon treat. The hardest part of making this recipe is slicing a few strawberries. Does five minutes sound about perfect for this summer dessert! I think so! Here it is - you’ve got to try it!
Ingredients
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
16 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese
4 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Fresh ground pepper
1 – 2 Tbsp fresh chopped tarragon (I guess you could use mint – but it would definitely change the taste)
Directions
For each serving - add 2 Tbsp ricotta cheese to each individual serving bowl or glass, top with strawberries, pour over 1 Tbsp each, honey and balsamic vinegar.
Top with a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper and a sprinkle of tarragon leaves.
Enjoy!
