If you’ve never tried it, trust me that Ricotta and goat cheese are a delicious combination when whipped together. The creaminess of the ricotta balances the tanginess of the goat cheese. If you want to serve the whipped cheese dip just on it’s own, adding a little lemon zest to help elevate the flavor is a great option. It’s also delicious mixed in with pasta (this you must try). Ricotta is one of my favorite soft cheese. It is so versatile because it can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. My favorite savory dishes are Pork Ricotta and Sage Meatballs and my favorite sweet is Fresh Fig and Ricotta Dessert Tart. The tomatoes are a delicious sweet addition to the creamy cheeses. They are cooked in the French confit style, braised at low heat in oil. You could also toss them with pasta and top with the cheese. The garlic cloves are kept whole when cooking to add flavor. You can choose to have the tomatoes as garlic-y as you like. You can cook them in the oil then remove them completely, or mash them up for extra garlic flavor. I want to talk for a moment about the tomato skins. As the tomatoes cook and shrink, the skins will peel away. If this is bothersome for you, once they have cooled you can easily remove the skins, or you can leave them in, your preference here. What you are left with are soft and sweet tomatoes, flavored with the garlic and herbs as well as a sweet and flavorful dipping oil. You have the option to either remove them at the end, or mash them into the oil for even more garlic flavor. To serve as a dip, you can use crusty bread, crackers or the mini sweet peppers that are in season right now. You can also blend the confit tomatoes and turn it into a pasta sauce or marinade. And yet another serving idea is spread the whipped cheeses on toasted bread and top with the tomatoes for a delicious bruschetta. Wow! Tomatoes are so good right now and cherry or grape tomatoes are my favorite as they are so sweet. I love to serve them in Herbed Brown Butter Chicken with Tomatoes and an easy summer Warm Cherry Tomato and Basil Salad. If you’ve made this Whipped Ricotta and Goat Cheese with Braised Tomatoes, leave a comment (or question) below.
