Imārat Ṣiqilliya Terni

Name: Imārat Ṣiqilliya Terni
Total time: 1200 s
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 250 g ricotta fresca; 50 g blanched almonds or pistachios; 1 orange; 75 g caster sugar; 2 tbsps citrus or whisky liqueur (optional); 50 g white chocolate; 60 ml single cream; sugared hearts (optional)

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

This terni is named after Imārat Ṣiqilliya (Emrate of Sicily) which was an Islamic kingdom that ruled the island of Sicily from 831 to 1091 as it is made from the island’s locally grown ingredients, almonds, oranges and ricotta.

In the spring the air in Sicily is filled from the scent of almond blossom and the citrus fruits growing on the tree-lined avenues surrounding the market stalls selling ricotta.

Almonds were one of the first trees domesticated and are mentioned in the Bible and found in Tutankhamen's tomb. They have been grown in Sicily for over a thousand years.

Oranges are a cross between a pomelo and a mandarin and have been cultivated for over 2,300 years. The orange peel is not only flavourful but contain most of the essential oils of the orange tree and is rich in antioxidants.

The festival Sagra della Ricotta e del Formaggio held in Vizinni celebrates ricotta which has been produced in this area since the Bronze Age. Ricotta is not a cheese but is created from the whey left over from cheese-making.

White chocolate is a recent invention, first produced by the Nestlé company in Switzerland in 1930. It is not actually chocolate as it doesn’t contain chocolate solids so it is a good choice to use in desserts to be eaten in the evening as there are only trace amounts of the stimulants theobromine and caffeine.

To enhance the sweetness of the cream and chocolate, bitter orange peel is candied and infused with whisky and orange liqueurs.

In the spring the air in Sicily is filled from the scent of almond blossom and the citrus fruits growing on the tree-lined avenues surrounding the market stalls selling ricotta.

Almonds were one of the first trees domesticated and are mentioned in the Bible and found in Tutankhamen's tomb. They have been grown in Sicily for over a thousand years.

To enhance the sweetness of the cream and chocolate, bitter orange peel is candied and infused with whisky and orange liqueurs.

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

In the spring the air in Sicily is filled from the scent of almond blossom and the citrus fruits growing on the tree-lined avenues surrounding the market stalls selling ricotta.

Almonds were one of the first trees domesticated and are mentioned in the Bible and found in Tutankhamen's tomb. They have been grown in Sicily for over a thousand years.

To enhance the sweetness of the cream and chocolate, bitter orange peel is candied and infused with whisky and orange liqueurs.

In the spring the air in Sicily is filled from the scent of almond blossom and the citrus fruits growing on the tree-lined avenues surrounding the market stalls selling ricotta.

Almonds were one of the first trees domesticated and are mentioned in the Bible and found in Tutankhamen's tomb. They have been grown in Sicily for over a thousand years.

To enhance the sweetness of the cream and chocolate, bitter orange peel is candied and infused with whisky and orange liqueurs.

Saved

Ingredients

20 minutes

2 servings

250 gricotta fresca
50 gblanched almonds or pistachios
1orange
75 gcaster sugar
2 tbspscitrus or whisky liqueur (optional)
50 gwhite chocolate
60 mlsingle cream
sugared hearts (optional)

Saved

Steps

20 minutes

1

Drain the ricotta of any liquid by placing in a sieve.
Heat the oven to 160 degrees C fan. Place the almonds (or pistachios) on a tray and bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes until lightly toasted. Leave to cool.
2

Peel the orange, remove any pith and finely julienne the rind. Juice the orange, sieve to remove any flesh and set the juice aside. Place the rind in a small saucepan, cover with a cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Keep the rind and discard the liquid.
3

To make the syrup combine 50g of the caster sugar with 50ml water and bring to the boil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange juice to the pan with the rind and half the liqueur (if adding). Simmer for 5 minutes until it is syrupy. Take off the heat, remove the rind from the syrup and set aside to cool and set.
4

Chop the toasted nuts and the white chocolate. Whisk the drained ricotta with the cream and remaining sugar and liqueur then stir in the white chocolate and toasted nuts. Fill 2 moulds with the cream mixture and place in the fridge to set.
5

To serve, pour the syrup on a plate and sprinkle with sugared hearts.
Demould the cream mixture. Top with the orange rind.