Hot Honey Whipped Ricotta with Pumpkin Seeds & Pinot Grigio (or Riesling!)
The cutest fish on earth, the easiest dip yet, and a baked brie recipe that you won't want to share!
Hellllloo my lovelies, I hope you had a fantastic Halloween and are having a relaxing post-Halloween weekend! This was our first Halloween in a house that actually got trick-or-treaters, and it was SO FUN to see all the cute (and legit terrifying) costumes. I’m still recovering from the skeleton clown of my nightmares, but the cutest little toddler in a duck costume made up for it.
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I know you’ve all been patiently waiting to see which costume we ended up going with for Josie. The winning costume from the poll I sent out a couple weeks ago was… THE PENGUIN! So so cute, but sadly I messed up and tried to order it too late (classic me). The options that would actually arrive on time for Halloween were limited, but I’m so happy with what we ended up with. Josie ended up being the cutest little clown fish in the world. Proof:
RIGHT?! I was SO excited to answer the door for trick-or-treaters holding this little cutie, but sadly the timing also lined up with that dreaded witching hour, so she cried and half-napped through most of it. We did get to show her off to two groups though, so I’m calling that a win! 3-month-old chaos aside, Justin and I had a lot of fun. We gave out candy with a glass of wine in hand and enjoyed our absolute favourite cool-weather meal for dinner: Garlic Butter Grilled Cheese and Homemade Tomato Soup! I make this every year around this time and it never dissappoints.
But enough about all that. Halloween is officially over, which means it’s November. Which means, IT’S TIIIIIIIIIMMMMEEEEEEE (cue Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas). I LOVE CHRISTMAS, and as a food and wine obessesed human, there’s no better time for cheesy indulgences and tasty bevvies! I have TONS of easy, cheesy, oh-so-indulgent dips and appetizers coming your way this holiday season that I can’t wait to share. This past week I shared two that I’m calling “Fall-iday" appetizers to get the party started, and yes - one of them is a dip. (Keep scrolling if that’s what you’re here for!)
The first is this gorgeous and insanely delicious Apple Pie Baked Brie, paired with ‘The Roost’ Single Vineyard Chardonnay by Bonterra Organic Estates. A gorgeous oaked Chardonnay with alllll the fall vibes and spiced apple flavours to compliment this Brie!
Click here for the recipe and pairing details!
Now for the dip!
Maybe the easiest dip yet, but also one that will be devoured in minutes! This creamy, fluffy whipped ricotta doesn’t require any cooking, which makes it the perfect last minute appetizer to whip up when you have guests coming over, or for that potluck you totally forgot to plan for!
The best thing about this one is how flexible it is. You can swap out the toppings to create your own little masterpiece! If you’re doing this, just make sure you keep the magic balance of salt + spice + sour + sweet + umami. With the toppings I included in the recipe below, we have the saltiness from the pumpkin seeds and sea salt, sweet and spice from the hot honey, sour from the lemon, and umami from the extra-virgin olive oil. You could also take it a step futher and add something fresh, like some fresh fruit (e.g., Pomegranate arils or chopped pear), fresh herbs (e.g., basil or sage), or both!
What to pair?
You could go a few ways with this one! The most important thing is choosing a pairing that is light enough so that it won’t overpower the dip (i.e. not a big bold red), and choosing something with enough acidity to balance out the mouth-coating creaminess. Luckily, most lighter wines tend to have high acidity! Another important thing to consider is the flavour profile. With the honey and bright lemon flavours in the dip, you’ll be better off with a white wine, sparkling wine, or rosé with citrusy vibes over a red wine.
I chose a bottle I had on hand and went with a crisp and mineral-driven Venezia DOC Pinot Grigio from the Veneto wine region in Italy. This wine style matches the weight of the dip (so it doesn’t get overpowered), has the acidity to refresh the palate between bites, and has the lemony flavours to match the bright lemon zest! It also follows my favourite food and wine pairing guideline: What grows together, goes together! The Italian-inspired flavour and texture from the ricotta and olive oil just work with this Italian wine style!
But in all honesty,
While I really liked this pairing, I do think there’s one out there that could beat it. A beautiful off-dry (or slightly sweet) Riesling. This wine style has similar lightness, acidity, and citrus flavours to compliment the dip, but it also has a hint of sweetness to match the sweetness/balance out the spice from the hot honey. Sweetness in food tends to dull the flavour, decrease the perception of sweetness, and increase the perception of acidity and bitterness in wine. In other words, it amps up the less desirable qualities of a wine and hides the more desirable ones. That is unless you match the sweetness in the food with some sweetness in the wine. So, while Pinot Grigio is without a doubt a good pairing, I can only assume a beautiful, crisp Riesling with a hint of sweetness would be a perfect one!
Here are some options for you:
Pinot Grigio
Riesling
Whipped Ricotta with Hot Honey and Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
1 cup smooth, full-fat Ricotta cheese*
1 cup Mascarpone
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds/pepitas**
Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
Drizzle of hot honey***
~ 2-3 tsp lemon zest
Sea salt to taste
Directions
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add 1 cup of smooth, full-fat Ricotta cheese, 1 cup of Mascarpone, and 2 tsp fresh lemon juice. Blend with a hand-mixer at high speed to incorporate air into it to make it light and fluffy (AKA, whip it!)
Transfer to a flat-bottomed serving bowl and spread out along the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil, top with pumpkin seeds, drizzle with hot honey, and finish it off with some freshly grated lemon zest and sea salt to taste.
Enjoy with simple homemade crostini, fresh sourdough, or your favourite original salted chips or crackers! And of course, don’t forget the wine!
Notes
*A 1:1 ratio of Ricotta to Marscarpone is key here! Makes it super rich and creamy. If you want a smaller portion, you can do 1/2 cup of each, or even 2 tbsp of each if you just want enough for your morning toast!
**If you have raw pumpkin seeds, you can roast them in the oven at 350 F for approximately 10 minutes. Just throw them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and bake! And watch them closely so they don’t burn! You can also do it the lazy way like I did: Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add your pumpkin seeds and toss to coat. Salt generously and stir/shake the pan continuously until they start to brown (which happens super quickly FYI). Remove from heat and transfer them to another dish to stop the toasting process. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before tasting one because these babies are HOT! Yes, I burnt my mouth because I couldn’t wait.
*** If you don’t have hot honey ready to go, you can just drizzle on some regular honey plus a sprinkle of chili flakes! OR if you’d rather skip the spice, just use regular honey sans chili flakes.
Enjoy and CHEERS!
xx Steph