Sformato di Ricotta e Erbe Selvatiche Friulano

Ingredients

• 500 g fresh ricotta, sheep's or cow's milk; drained through a fine sieve for 1 hour before using
• 3 eggs, whole
• Wild herbs
• 50 g wild garlic (aglio orsino), leaves only; blanched briefly in salted boiling water, squeezed firmly dry, then finely chopped
• 50 g young nettles, collected before flowering; blanched briefly in salted boiling water, squeezed firmly dry, then finely chopped
• 30 g sorrel, blanched briefly in salted boiling water, squeezed firmly dry, then finely chopped
• 20 g chives, blanched briefly in salted boiling water, squeezed firmly dry, then finely chopped
• 20 g borage leaves, blanched briefly in salted boiling water, squeezed firmly dry, then finely chopped
• For the herb oil
• 30 g flat-leaf parsley, blanched, squeezed dry
• 10 g chives, blanched, squeezed dry
• 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 pinch white pepper, freshly ground
• as needed butter, for greasing the ramekins

Method

1. 1
   Drain the ricotta through a fine sieve for 1 hour. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch the wild garlic, nettles, sorrel, chives, and borage in batches — each for 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer immediately to iced water to arrest cooking. Squeeze each herb firmly in the hands until completely dry; no moisture should be released when pressed. Finely chop all blanched herbs together. The mass should feel almost dry to the touch.
2. 2
   Prepare the herb oil: blend the blanched parsley and chives with the olive oil until smooth and vivid green. Pass through a fine sieve; discard solids. Reserve at room temperature. The oil should run freely and hold an intense, unbroken green colour.
3. 3
   Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Lightly butter four individual ramekins (approximately 150 ml capacity). In a bowl, beat the drained ricotta with the eggs until smooth and homogenous. Fold in the chopped herbs. Season with salt and white pepper. The mixture should be thick, cohesive, and hold its shape briefly when spooned — not pourable.
4. 4
   This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: fill the prepared ramekins to within 5 mm of the rim. Set them in a deep baking dish and pour hot water into the dish to reach halfway up the ramekins. Verify with a thermometer that the bain-marie water is barely simmering at 80 °C before the dish enters the oven and throughout cooking. Water above 80 °C will scramble the eggs and destroy the texture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The sformato is done when the edges are fully set and the centre yields only a faint, slow tremor when the ramekin is gently shaken.
5. 5
   Remove the ramekins from the bain-marie and rest on a rack for 5 minutes. Do not unmould before this interval; the proteins must set fully or the sformato will collapse. Run a thin knife around the inside edge of each ramekin. Invert onto a warm plate with a decisive motion. The sformato should release cleanly and hold its moulded shape.
6. 6
   Spoon herb oil in a pool around each unmoulded sformato. Garnish, if available, with wild garlic flowers. Serve immediately — the sformato holds its heat briefly.