Strawberries with ricotta, honey, and walnuts (Fresas con mató, miel y nueces)

Dessert can sometimes be very simple especially when the ingredients are excellent. This is one of those sugar-free desserts that are light and superb.

Make this dessert in the height of the strawberry season, when they are full of flavour. The combination of the sweet-tart fruit with the creamy ricotta and the nuts is simple yet so elegant. This is an assembly dessert, meaning it takes no work. There is no sugar in this dessert, just a small drizzle of honey so it is not overbearingly sweet, but rather light and fresh. You can use this as dessert after a heavy meal, but I also tend to use this as a simple palate cleanser between courses.

Boqueria is a Spanish tapas restaurant that started as a New York tapas bar, but now a few of them exist in major cities around the US. They work at getting the best ingredients to the table to make absolutely fabulous dishes at each of their restaurants. I am always partial to Spanish cuisine, so I had to get this gorgeous cookbook and so far I have loved every recipe I have tried from it. I highly recommend this cookbook for those folks or cooks who would like to up their tapas game at home and wow their guests.

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook click here.

Ingredients:

8 walnuts halves

8 large strawberries

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 orange

Honey

Toast the walnuts in a small frying pan till aromatic. Set aside to cool.

Hull the strawberries at the base about 3/4 way up the strawberry to create a flat surface. Lop off a bit of the strawberry's tip so it will stand.

Stand the strawberries on a plate. Top with a teaspoon of ricotta. If you find the dessert too bland, add a couple of teaspoons of honey to the ricotta and mix in. Note, if you are looking for a lightly sweet cheese, do not overpower it with too much sugar. Top with a toasted walnut half. Grate some fresh orange peel on top and drizzle a little honey on top. Serve.