Ricotta Flan with Raspberrry Sauce

Makes 8 to 10 servings

You can bake this light dessert a day in advance and refrigerate.

Ingredients:

Flan

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

1 cup blanched almonds

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grated zest of 2 lemons

One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese, at room temperature

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting the flan

Fresh raspberries, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-by-1 1/2-inch flan dish with the butter.

Roast the almonds in a toaster oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, until golden. Cool. Finely grind them in a food processor.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, adding the sugar gradually until well combined. Add the vanilla, lemon zest, ricotta, and almonds. Mix well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the center feels slightly springy to the touch. Place on a wire rack to cool.


Ingredients:

Raspberry Sauce

One 12-ounce (340 g) package unsweetened frozen raspberries, defrosted

1 tablespoon Cognac (optional)

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, or to taste

Directions:

Puree the raspberries in a blender until smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve. Push the solids through the sieve with the back of a spoon to obtain as much puree as possible. Stir in the Cognac. Sweeten to taste with sugar.

To serve: Spoon the raspberry sauce on individual plates and place slices of the flan on top. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and garnish with fresh raspberries.