Farmers’ Market Salad with Whipped Ricotta

Name: Farmers&rsquo; Market Salad with Whipped Ricotta
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: AMERICAN
Ingredients: 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese; 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; Zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon; 1 garlic clove; Kosher salt; Juice of 1 Meyer lemon; 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 Tbs. wildflower honey; Kosher salt; 6 oz. (185 g) Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated; 1/2 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on a mandoline, fennel flowers or fronds reserved for garnish (optional); 1 handful (about 1/4 pint) golden cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced on a mandoline; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 1 Hass avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) slices; Small handful of dill flowers for garnish

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Servings: 4

When those first spring veggies arrive at farmers’ markets, our Test Kitchen chefs love to showcase them in simple salads. Here, the chefs toss Little Gem lettuce, fennel, cherry tomatoes and watermelon radishes with a lemony dressing, then plate everything atop whipped ricotta cheese for a touch of richness. Bright and refreshing, this salad is like a welcome breath of spring air. The recipe calls for Meyer lemons, which are less tart than regular lemons and have a slightly sweet, floral flavor.

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Ingredients:

For the whipped ricotta:

1 cup (8 oz./250 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon
1 garlic clove
Kosher salt

For the Meyer lemon dressing:

Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. wildflower honey
Kosher salt

For the salad:

6 oz. (185 g) Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated
1/2 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on a mandoline, fennel flowers or fronds reserved for garnish (optional)
1 handful (about 1/4 pint) golden cherry tomatoes, halved
1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced on a mandoline
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Hass avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) slices
Small handful of dill flowers for garnish

Directions:

To make the whipped ricotta, in a food processor, combine the ricotta, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and 1/4 tsp. salt. Process until smooth and combined, about 30 seconds.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey and a pinch of salt until emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.

Using a spoon, place large dollops of the whipped ricotta on a serving platter. Smear the ricotta artfully with the spoon to make swirly divots in the cheese; this will spread the ricotta out evenly and create indentations to capture the dressing. Drizzle about one-third of the dressing over the ricotta.

In a medium bowl, combine the lettuce, sliced fennel, tomatoes and radish. Add a few pinches of salt and a few grindings of pepper and toss gently until combined. Drizzle on as much of the remaining dressing as you like; you can start with a little, then taste and add more as desired.

Transfer the salad in a pile on top of the ricotta, allowing a little bit of the cheese to remain visible on the sides of the platter. Arrange the avocado slices on the salad. Garnish with the fennel flowers or fronds and dill flowers. Add a few grindings of pepper and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen