Chocolate Ricotta Fig Pudding

I am totally going to sound cheesy if I say that “Winter is Coming”! Haha! But what’s life without having a pinch of cheesy fun sprinkled over here and there. And it becomes even more apt when truly winter is coming in this part of the world at least. Suddenly the weather has become colder since the beginning of this week. And all you want to do is to keep snuggled under the warmth of a quilt and keep having some comforting winter food. This is when you need to have more soups, stews, hot chocolates and puddings. My chocolate ricotta fig pudding is just the right kind of pudding you would want to have in this kind of weather. Perfectly chocolatey and not cloyingly sweet! It is a celebration of flavors of Autumn and Winter. Chewy candied morsels of dried figs strewn throughout the smooth and velvety chocolate ricotta baked pudding set the tone perfectly. Top it with some melting chocolate fudge sauce, pouring cream and honey baked figs to bring all your dessert dreams to life. And the best thing about it like the rest of my food is that this one too is quick and fuss-free.

Ingredients

• 120 gm ricotta
• 120 gm dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solid, melted
• 50 ml pouring cream, plus extra to serve
• 3 eggs, separated
• 40 gm caster sugar
• 6 dried figs, chopped finely

For Chocolate Sauce

• 150 ml pouring cream
• 100 gm dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solid, roughly chopped

For Honey Baked Figs

• 6 fresh figs
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp butter, softened

Instructions

• 1
  Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Grease a 20 cm oven proof baking dish or frying pan generously and keep aside.
• 2
  In a bowl, mix together melted chocolate, ricotta, egg yolks, dried figs and cream to make a smooth batter. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and sugar until glossy peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until top is just set.
• 3
  Meanwhile, half the fresh figs and lay on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle honey and dab with butter. Bake for about 10 minutes, alongside the pudding, till figs are tender and bubbly. Prepare the chocolate sauce by heating the cream in a saucepan until just boiled. Take off the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Stir to mix thoroughly.
• 4
  Once pudding is baked, serve with baked figs, chocolate sauce and extra pouring cream.