Orange-Chilli-Ricotta Frozen Yogurt

I am certainly not as talented as Gattina, who created a perfect Orange & Chilli Ricotta Cheesecake . Even her description of the cheesecake is so poetic….”a little shy girl who needs a little nudging to shine in the spotlight.”So, you know where I’m going with this. My version, not so elegant, is like a teenage girl discovering miniskirt, push-up bra and hot pink lipstick for the first time.
My last experiment with frozen yogurt was so delicious that I just had to try a sexier version. The ricotta makes the yogurt smooth and rich. The chilli is a sensation that only lingers for a second, tracing the path of the cool yogurt as it moves from tip of tongue to back of throat.

Of course, you don’t need me to remind you to buy David’s book if you can find it. This is where the homemade frozen yogurt craze started, and my Orange Chilli Ricotta Frozen Yogurt is just an adaptation of his methods. I don’t even own his book yet! When I was in L.A. last week, I couldn’t find the book in 3 different shops around town. David emailed back and said to stop being so damn inefficient and just click over to Amazon and just buy it from there. Sheesh. Has the internet taken over our lives? Maybe I can get the internet to do my laundry too.

I’m not the only one with ice cream and chilli on my mind….check out Cloudberry Quark’s Lemon Chilli Ice Cream

Orange-Chilli-Ricotta Frozen Yogurt

For the photo above, I used a whole dried chilli and crushed with morter &amp; pestle (you could pulse with a spice grinder.) If you are using chilli flakes, run a knife though the flakes. You want a finer consistency than large flakes. If you want to use chilli powder, then just start with a generous pinch and taste. You can always add more!</em> <em>Yes - the course sea salt for sprinkling is important! Please don't skip this. The salt really brings together the sweet and savory parts of the dessert.

*If you don't have greek-style yogurt, use 6 cups of plain, whole milk yogurt. Line a strainer with a couple of layers of cheesecloth. Spoon yogurt on cheesecloth and let that strain for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator in a bowl large enough to catch the water that strains out. 6 cups of plain, whole milk yogurt will yield 3 cups strained.

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

  

• 3 cups greek-style yogurt *if you don't have greek style yogurt, see note below
• rind from 1 orange (finely grate with rasp grater)
• 1/4 cup ricotta
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon finely crushed, dried chilli
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup sugar

Garnish:

• course sea salt, for sprinkling
• additional grated orange rind, for sprinkling

Instructions

 

• Combine all ingredients except the garnish. Taste...does it need more chilli or salt? Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Following instructions (if you can find them) that came with your ice cream maker, churn until it becomes the consistency that you like. My ice cream maker takes 25 minutes.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle with some grated orange rind and course sea salt.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!