 Blue is good for you, according to nutritionist, Catherine Saxelby  Fresh ricotta with minted blueberry sauce, adapted from a recipe by Lorenza De' Medici Blue is good for you, according to award winning nutritionist, Catherine Saxelby. In her latest book, Complete Food and Nutrition Companion, Ms Saxelby reminds us that blueberries are 'one of today's superfoods... bursting with nutrition and flavour, packed with antioxidants and very low in kilojoules'. I like hearing this, particularly given that my body has been craving blueberries lately, and as such I have a good supply of them in the fridge. If you love blueberries too, please stay tuned as I plan to share a number of really lovely blueberry recipes with you in coming weeks and months, particularly in the peak of the season when they're in plentiful supply. My recipe here is adapted from one by Lorenza De'Medici in her book, A Passion for Fruit, one of the favourites on my shelves. Note, you will need some muslin and dariole moulds or ramekins. FRESH RICOTTA WITH MINTED BLUEBERRY SAUCE 375g low fat ricotta*, well drained scant 1/4 cup vanilla infused caster sugar 1 punnet blueberries 6-8 fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs to garnish scant 1 tablespoon water * To make ricotta at home, first see my recipe, it's simple and delicious! Combine the ricotta and half the caster sugar in a bowl and whisk until well blended. Line your moulds or ramekins with clean muslin and spoon the mixture into the moulds. Press down gently with the back of a soup spoon and fold the muslin over the top. Refrigerate the ricotta moulds until just before serving. To make the sauce, combine the blueberries, mint leaves, remaining sugar and the water in a saucepan and cook over a very low heat for 8-10 minutes. The sauce should be syrupy, but the blueberries still holding their shape. Remove and discard the mint leaves. To serve, turn out the ricotta moulds onto serving plates and carefully spoon the sauce around the base. Dependent on the size of your moulds, this quantity will serve 2-4 as a dessert. My colleagues at Sydney Markets Limited have published some handy information about buying and storing blueberries, as well as a few recipes that you might like try. And make sure you visit the Australian Blueberry Growers Association website, which has particularly good information about blueberries and nutrition, blueberry trivia and how to grow blueberries. The process in pictures... (click through) Spoon the warm minted blueberry sauce around the ricotta mould  Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve  Do blueberries feature regularly in your kitchen? What is your favourite way of enjoying them? Please feel free to share your recipes or links.
16/9/2012 03:59:23 pm
Mmm Lizzy this looks fantastic! Such fresh delicious light flavours. So perfect for summer and for get togethers :)
Lizzy
16/9/2012 04:15:09 pm
Christine thank you ; D It is so delicious... and those berries.... Mmmm indeed.
Lizzy
16/9/2012 10:50:34 pm
Thank you! The ricotta mould on its own is lovely with fresh blueberries, but particularly good with the sauce! 16/9/2012 05:39:45 pm
See - you are right! Gorgeous! Love blueberries, but Saskatoon berries are my favourite - and I would definitely add cream to my ricotta if I was eating it like this. YUMMERS!
Lizzy
16/9/2012 10:51:18 pm
When I come to visit you, we must try Saksatoon berries please Valerie. No cream needed though. ; D 16/9/2012 11:48:38 pm
More beautiful, vibrant food from your kitchen Lizzy! I have not had a lot of experience with fresh blueberries although I occasionally splurge on a punnet. They are always expensive in our part of the world and disappear so quickly! This looks truly delicious and has me craving dessert at this time of the night :)
Lizzy
17/9/2012 05:05:18 am
Hello there Jane.... with all that land you have, and the price of blueberries in your area, what if you tried to grow some of your own? There is some information here http://www.abga.com.au and http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s789952.htm and http://www.edengate.com.au/growing.html (love the wren on that logo). Thank you for your kind words xox 17/9/2012 07:50:59 am
Lizzy this looks absolutely sensational.
Lizzy
17/9/2012 09:53:00 am
Mandy, thanks so much! ; D
Lizzy
17/9/2012 10:12:10 am
Good morning Celia! Thank you. They are among my favourites too, but I do love all fruit. I look forward to playing with them! ; D 17/9/2012 11:00:25 am
This certainly has caught my eye Lizzy! The mint is a lovely addition indeed. My blueberry bushes are absolutely covered in little buds, so I'm hoping for a bumper crop this year!
Lizzy
17/9/2012 09:12:54 pm
Oh, how lovely, Bec! I have tried in the past without success to grow blueberries and now I don't have the space. *Envious*. Best wishes for a bumper crop. Thanks too for your email, hope to call you to chat xox
Lizzy
17/9/2012 09:13:16 pm
Jane, thanks ever so much for your very kind compliment! ; D
Eha
17/9/2012 07:19:35 pm
Oh, yum - this looks sensational! All berries are good for one's health, the darker the colour the better - so, please, more & more recipes! Love the use of mint with this: my huge pot has gone 'crazy' this spring and I'm even using it on my open European sandwiches in the morning :) !
Lizzy
17/9/2012 09:13:52 pm
How delicious! Don't you just love mint, so refreshing! Have a look at my chocolate mint ice cream recipe. It's a beauty!
Lizzy
17/9/2012 10:05:27 pm
Why, thanks so much! I love both. So yummy. Hope you will give this a try, my friend! 18/9/2012 03:32:44 am
Another beautiful recipe, Liz, and great that it is so healthy too!
Lizzy
18/9/2012 09:43:14 am
Thanks Christine. Blueberries are great, aren't they. So good for us! 18/9/2012 02:36:35 pm
I've been eating a lot of blueberries recently too - made some delicious muffins a couple of weeks ago. I love to throw them in my morning smoothies.
Lizzy
18/9/2012 09:28:47 pm
We must be having the same cravings... at my local stores the prices are coming down. Smoothies and muffins... mmmmm. 18/9/2012 03:04:07 pm
Lizzy, I feel as though we are on the same wavelength! I made a ricotta dish recently and bought two huge bags of blueberries :D This looks fabulous! And a bonus that it's good for you too :)
Lizzy
18/9/2012 09:29:31 pm
Hi Lorraine.... how lovely that we are on the same wavelength! Love blueberries! Having them again this evening. ; D 18/9/2012 04:17:03 pm
I love blueberries, what a delectable sauce! And to pair it with fresh ricotta... perfection!
Lizzy
18/9/2012 09:29:56 pm
Hi Laura, fresh ricotta and a minted sauce, which is so delicate and yummy!
Lizzy
19/9/2012 03:24:53 pm
El, hello! Thank you. This is such a beautiful dish... we enjoyed it again last evening, so simple and yet so tasty and fresh. Thank you for stopping by.
Lizzy
23/9/2012 09:25:49 am
Wow, I had no idea. Are there growers in your area where you can pick your own, Glenda? Usually the berries are cheaper that way. 23/9/2012 02:45:29 pm
i only wih blueberries weren't so expensive; they are a real treat for me. i love ricotta, so i'm intrigued by this recipe. thanks you for the zingy pictures.
Lizzy
25/9/2012 05:24:12 pm
Hi there... the prices will come down. I bought these on special. I love ricotta too. I hope you will try this recipe.
Lizzy
25/9/2012 05:24:59 pm
Hi Amanda. Blue is good, isn't it. I'm wearing shades of blue today. Do try this recipe, it is quite lovely.
Lizzy
25/9/2012 05:25:48 pm
Hello Moya... blueberries are expensive at times, aren't they. The prices will start to come down. I love making ricotta too. It's the best, isn't it! Comments are closed.
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Hi. I'm Liz. I'm a writer, cook and traveller based in Canberra, Australia.
I love the process of writing and the stringing together of words to form a story borne from the wisp of an idea. I also greatly enjoy cooking and travelling. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes, postcards and morsels from my adventures, conversations with cookery writers and chefs, and news on food and cooking.  Search by topicNB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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