Recipe for: Quick citrus-cardamom cups with ricotta, caramelized mandarins, and crunchy almonds - photo 1
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Recipe for: Quick citrus-cardamom cups with ricotta, caramelized mandarins, and crunchy almonds

Desserts Cakes and Bakes 25 min Easy 8 wyświetleń ~50.43 PLN - (0)
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Description

A delicate, quick dessert for the winter season that combines creamy ricotta with intensely sweet and tangy caramelized mandarins and a crunchy, slightly honeyed almond crunch. This light, impressive dish brings together the creamy texture of the cheese with shiny, caramelized fruits and the crunchy texture of nuts — perfect for family gatherings, dessert after dinner, or as an elegant mini-serving for guests. The flavor is enhanced by aromatic cardamom, and fresh mint visually and tastefully completes the composition. It is served chilled or at room temperature; the dessert is quick to prepare (about 25 minutes), visually appealing, and easy to make even for beginners.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (10)

Servings:
4
  • Ricotta 400 g
  • Mandarin 600 g
  • Sugar 60 g
  • Butter 30 g
  • Almond flakes 80 g
  • Sea salt 1 g
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Cardamom 2 g
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Honey 30 ml
  • Vanilla extract 10 g
  • Fresh mint 0.2 pęczków (~6 g)
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~50.43 PLN (12.61 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Preparing the fruits

1

Peel the mandarins: use a sharp knife to cut off the tops, then remove the skin with a knife or your fingers, ensuring as much of the white membrane is removed as possible. Holding the mandarin over a bowl, cut out the segments (known as supreming) — insert the knife along the sides of each segment and separate it from the membrane. Collect the juice in the bowl — it will be useful for caramelizing. From this amount, you will get about 500–600 g of cleaned segments and juice.

Ingredients: Mandarin
Use a cutting board with a groove to collect the juice; a wide chef's knife makes supreming easier. If this is difficult for you, the mandarins can be peeled and separated by hand into clean segments without removing each membrane.

Caramelizing fruits

2

In a medium skillet (preferably 20-24 cm in diameter), heat the butter over medium heat. When it starts to foam (about 30 seconds), add 40 g of sugar and the juice from the mandarins (about 30-40 ml) — stir with a wooden spoon. Wait until the sugar dissolves and begins to lightly brown (about 1-2 minutes). Add the prepared mandarin segments and gently fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, until the fruit becomes shiny and the sauce thickens slightly. Be careful — do not overcook, they should remain firm.

Ingredients: Butter, Sugar, Mandarin
Use a non-stick pan or a wide steel pan. If the sauce starts to stick too much, lower the heat. Properly caramelized mandarins are covered with a glossy, slightly thickened sauce and retain the shape of the segments.

Crispy almond

3

In a separate dry skillet, heat the almond flakes over medium heat. Toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until they become light golden and smell nutty. Add 20 g of sugar and (optional) 30 g of honey, quickly stir for 1-2 minutes until the sugar dissolves and coats the almonds with a thin, sticky glaze. Immediately transfer to parchment paper laid out on the countertop, spread in a thin layer, and wait for 5-8 minutes until it hardens, then gently break into larger pieces >2 cm.

Ingredients: Almond flakes, Sugar, Honey
Use a wooden spatula to stir. When the almonds are golden and start to crackle, act quickly – adding honey/sugar should be immediate, otherwise they can easily burn. If you don't want to use honey, skip it — the almonds will still be crunchy and sweet.

Ricotta dough

4

In a bowl, place the ricotta (400 g). Add the remaining 20 g of sugar, ground cardamom (2 g), 10 ml of vanilla extract (optional), and a pinch of salt (1 g). Whisk by hand or with a mixer on low speed for 30–45 seconds, just until combined and smooth. The mixture should be smooth, slightly fluffy, and not runny.

Ingredients: Ricotta, Sugar, Cardamom, Vanilla extract, Sea salt
Use a bowl with a diameter of at least 18 cm and a whisk. Do not whip for too long — excessive aeration will cause the mixture to lose density after cooling. If the ricotta is very watery, drain it in a sieve for 10–15 minutes beforehand.

Chilling (optional)

5

If you want to serve the dessert chilled, place the bowl with the ricotta mixture and the plate with the caramelized mandarins in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes. Chilling will slightly thicken the mixture and enhance the flavors.

Ingredients: Ricotta
Use an airtight container or cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent the mixture from absorbing odors from the fridge.

Assembly of the cups

6

Prepare 4 bowls or low glasses. Place 2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture (about 50 g) at the bottom of each. Then add a layer of 3-4 caramelized mandarin segments and a teaspoon of sauce from the pan. On top, add another layer of ricotta (about 50 g) and sprinkle with a tablespoon of crushed almond crunch. Finish with one mandarin segment and a few larger pieces of almond crunch on top.

Ingredients: Ricotta, Mandarin, Almond flakes
Use an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons for even portioning. Each cup should have visible layers — this enhances the visual effect.

Decoration and finishing

7

Garnish each cup with a small sprig of fresh mint (a few leaves) and, optionally, drizzle with a bit of honey (about 2–3 g per serving) for a glossy finish. If there is leftover caramelization sauce, drizzle it on top just before serving.

Ingredients: Fresh mint, Honey, Mandarin
Use a small teaspoon for precise drizzling of honey. Mint adds freshness and a color contrast — place it just before serving to prevent wilting.

Serving

8

Serve the cups immediately after preparation or after cooling for 10–15 minutes. They look best on a plate: place 4 cups on a large board, next to them put dessert spoons and a fresh sprig of mint as decoration.

Ingredients: Ricotta, Mandarin, Almond flakes
The dessert is just as delicious slightly warm (right after caramelization) as it is chilled. If you are serving it to guests, prepare the ingredients in advance (sliced mandarins, toasted almonds) and finish assembling just before serving.

Cleaning and leftovers

9

Store the leftover almond crunch in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; keep the ricotta and caramelized mandarins in the refrigerator covered for 24–48 hours. Before reusing, briefly whisk the ricotta to restore its smoothness.

Ingredients: Almond flakes, Ricotta, Mandarin
Wash the pans immediately after use with hot water (if there was a sugar glaze, soak for a few minutes) to avoid hard residues.

Fun Fact

💡

Mandarins, as a variety of citrus fruits, were one of the first "winter" fruits brought to Europe from Asia. Combining them with delicate cheeses like ricotta is a relatively new but popular practice in Italian desserts, where sweet fruits balance the creamy texture of the cheese.

Best for

rodzinne spotkania zimowe szybki deser po obiedzie eleganckie mini-desery dla gości

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve in clear cups to showcase the layers. Add a teaspoon chilled in the fridge to each dessert — the cold tool will enhance the creaminess of the ricotta. For a 'non-alcoholic' version, omit the alcoholic additions (none were used in this recipe).

🥡 Storage

Store the almond crunch separately in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep the ricotta and caramelized mandarins in the refrigerator (max. 48 hours) in airtight containers; before serving, mix the ricotta to restore its smoothness. Do not freeze the almond crunch with ricotta — it loses its crunchiness.

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