"Cannoli-Style" Ricotta Ice Cream

Last month, I visited New York to run a half marathon.
I showed up at the Today Show (with this sign) and ended up
getting on the show's segment about the run
and meeting the anchors!

I workout everyday because it's good for me--and because I like to eat and get good recipe ideas during workouts.  :) I come up with dinner party menus during long runs and am not ashamed to admit that I run for cupcakes.  I was flipping tires during an intense strength workout (yeah, I know, CRAZY!) when the vision of cannoli ice cream came to mind.

This ice cream was a little lighter than regular ice cream, and you could tell that there was ricotta in it--so it did taste like cannoli filling.  I added in some honey, pistachios, and chocolate chips and then filled cannoli shells with the ice cream.  

Sometimes, ricotta cheese can be a little grainy, but if you blend it in a high powered blender, that will help make it less grainy.  Ricotta cheese is really easy to make, too.  It was a hit!

Cannolis are one of my all-time favorite desserts, and this is a fun summer twist on the traditional cannoli.

"Cannoli-Style" Ricotta Ice Cream
Yields 1/2 quart or enough to fill 6 cannoli shells (one package)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. honey
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Cannoli shells, for serving (optional)

Directions:
In a medium size bowl, whisk the egg yolks and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and the sugar over medium heat.  Stir gently so that the cream does not scald, and cook until warm and the sugar is dissolved.  Then, gradually add the cream mixture to the egg yolks, and stir.

Transfer the combined cream-egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly.  Stir until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from heat and leave at room temperature for about 20 minutes so it can cool slightly.

After it cools, pour the mixture into a blender, and add a pinch of salt, honey, and the ricotta cheese.  Blend until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a medium size bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, add chocolate chips and pistachios to the mixture, and then pour it into the bowl of your ice cream maker and churn.  When done, transfer it to a container and freeze.  If desired, serve the ice cream in cannoli shells.

Source: A Simply Sweet Justice Original