Espresso-Ricotta Cream With Chocolate Espresso Sauce

This cool dessert is silky-sweet ricotta flavored with espresso coffee and spices. The cheese is packed into a pie dish, chilled, and then unmolded onto a cake plate. Cut into wedges and streaked with a warm espresso chocolate sauce. From The Italian Country Table: Home Cooking from Italy's Farmhouse Kitchens by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, and found at splendidtable.com.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• Ricotta Cream

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1  tablespoon cold water
• 1⁄4 cup  very strong  espresso
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1  lb  high-quality whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 2  ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1⁄4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks and chilled

• Chocolate Sauce

• 2  teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 1⁄4 cup hot water
• 2  tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa
• 1⁄2 ounce bittersweet chocolate
• 1⁄3-1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup half-and-half
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Line an 8-inch pie pan with plastic wrap. Combine the gelatin and cold water in a small saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the espresso and cinnamon. Stir over medium heat to dissolve the gelatin. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
2. Puree the ricotta in a food processor, or press it through a fine sieve. Turn it into a medium bowl and stir in the espresso mixture, sugar, chocolate, and cream. Mix well. Spread in the pie pan, tapping to settle. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
3. To make the sauce, combine the espresso powder with the hot water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve. Blend in the cocoa, chocolate, and 1/3 cup sugar. Stir over low heat until the chocolate melts. Add the half-and-half, and heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 100 degrees. The sauce should be the consistency of thin cream. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Taste for sweetness, adding more sugar to taste. The sauce holds well, covered, for an hour or two. Stir as you rewarm it over medium heat before serving.
4. Serve the ricotta cream cool, not cold, sliced into wedges. Drizzle each portion with 2 tablespoons of the warm sauce.