Ricotta with honey and balsamico

(Jason Lowe)

Years ago in Sicily I experienced freshly made ricotta and I have remembered its unique flavour ever since. So during our recent trip to Modena, we made time to visit Matteo Panini who produces 12 wheels of cheese a day from his organic herd of cattle, and were lucky enough to try his ricotta, which is made from the whey after the Parmesan has been made – and it evoked the buttery, creamy memory of that fresh ricotta all those years ago.

There isn't a recipe as such for this dish, but the crucial thing is make sure that you use aged balsamico which has a thick consistency, as opposed to the ordinary stuff which is thinner and more suitable for dressings. Simply spoon the ricotta on to serving plates and spoon a little balsamico over; drizzle with honey.