I was flipping through Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook and this recipe for Spoonable Ricotta caught my eye. It would make the perfect centerpiece for any easy charcuterie plate. Aka, a quick dinner to throw together for a night of playing catch-up on some of our favorite shows. Gouda bookmarked the page for me while I ran to the market.

This is hardly a recipe that needs explaining. Basically you throw some shallots, lemon juice and any herbs that you want into some whole milk ricotta. I used the last lemon from my tree in this and wished I had another one, so it’s all about what YOU like. I highly recommend using tarragon in this. Oh and don’t go cheap on the Olive oil you use, go big!

I served this with crackers and homemade crostini.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole-milk ricotta, drained if there’s liquid

1 large lemon, or more to taste

3 tablespoons minced shallots, rinsed and patted dry

1 tablespoon GOOD extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

¹/₂ teaspoon fleur de sel if you have it, or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 pinch freshly ground pepper ( I used 2)

¹/₃ cup minced mixed fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme, cilantro and/or basil.

DIRECTIONS

Put the ricotta in a medium bowl. Finely grate the zest of the lemon over it, then halve and squeeze the lemon and blend in the juice. Stir in the shallots, scallions, olive oil, salt and a healthy pinch of pepper. Taste for salt and pepper, then stir in the herbs. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before adjusting for salt, pepper and lemon juice and serving.