It’s World Nutella Day 2009!
Monte Dolce - A sweet mound of ricotta, berry preserves, warmed Nutella, and Frangelico infused rasberries.
At first glance, this photo may look like nothing more than a hot fudge sundae with a raspberry on top instead of a cherry.
Try again…Yes, that’s Nutella on top. But what’s under the divine chocolate hazelnut blanket?
In my effort to concoct a tasty, gluten free recipe for World Nutella Day, I came up with this quick dessert that is sure to impress the guests. This past weekend, I was feeling the time crunch as I paired down my recipe choices, and I started to imagine the preparation and ingredients for my top contender for World Nutella Day : Calzoni Dolci con Nutella e mermelata-Sweet calzones with Nutella and marmalade.
Frankly, the dough part of the recipe was giving me an uneasy feeling. I didn’t want to deal with kneading dough, making a calzone for the first time, and feeding my family an overload of calories after an already rich Sunday meal.
So, I removed the dough from the recipe completely and came up with this very simple treat!
What I like about this recipe is how easy it is to prepare. You don’t have to use raspberry marmalade, I just happen to really dig the chocolate raspberry combination. You don’t have to put a cookie under the ricotta nest which so nicely holds your favorite fruit spread or coulis. I just happened to be inspired by the gluten-free pizzelli I found in the supermarket, so I went ahead and I dressed up the recipe even more. I imagine any wafer-thin cookie would be just fine, and if the cookie has hazelnut flavor, all the better!
How about that fruit on top? Maybe a little Frangelico soaked fruit to top off the dessert? Ooo, Fra. Angelico, the monk from the Italian Piemonte region is smiling down on me now, delighted to see his liquor being put to such good use 300 years later. The marriage of Frangelico and Nutella. Well, maybe not marriage, afterall, he was a monk.
So, in honor of World Nutella Day, I share with you this gluten-free recipe I call, “Monte Dolce.”
On your World Nutella Day tour today, don’t forget to visit our cohosts’ blogs, Bleeding Expresso and Ms. Adventures in Italy. Thanks to Michelle Fabio and Sara Rosso for this chocolaty event in the blogosphere!
Note: This recipe is naturally gluten-free. Those who do not follow a gluten-free diet can ignore instructions that mention gluten-free ingredients, if they wish.
Monte Dolce
A sweet mountain of ricotta, fruit preserves, warm Nutella, and liquor infused fruit…
Ingredients
4 heaping tablespoons of whole milk ricotta (Go out of your way to get the best you can find in your local Italian food market)
2 oversized tablespoons of your favorite gluten-free berry preserve
3 tablespoons Nutella
1/8 cup of milk
Optional:
¼ cup of raspberries or other berry, soaked in ¼ cup Frangelico
Wafer-thin gluten-free cookie of your choice
Instructions for Preparation
1. Soak raspberries in liquor while eating main course.
2. Place cookie on a small dessert plate. Scoop out two oversized tablespoons of ricotta with one spoon and set on top of the cookie. With the spoon, create a groove in the ricotta base so that you can later place a tablespoon of fruit preserves. Place one tablespoon of fruit preserves on top of the ricotta.
3. Begin to heat the Nutella in a small pan on low to medium heat, being careful not to burn the spread. Add a small amount of milk and stir the spread constantly until you achieve a smooth, liquid-like consistency, like that of hot fudge or chocolate sauce.
4. Pour the Nutella over the cheese, marmalade, and cookie.
5. Top with Frangelico-soaked raspberries.
Serves 2.
Eat slowly and smile with delight.
