Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with Hazelnut Aillade, Lemon, and Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Name: Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with Hazelnut Aillade, Lemon, and Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Yield: serves 8
Ingredients: 1 cup hazelnuts; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest; 1/2 teaspoon grated or minced garlic; 1/4 cup hazelnut oil; 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts; 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; Garlic Confit (page 38); 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste (juiced lemon reserved for grating the rind); 3 cups fresh sheep’s milk or cow’s milk ricotta; 8 Garlic Crostini (page 46), brushed with oil left over from making the Garlic Confit; Maldon sea salt or another flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel

January 26, 2012

When the media review the Mozzarella Bar, they almost always mention having eaten this dish. It is composed of two special ingredients—large hazelnuts that we get from Trufflebert Farms in Eugene, Oregon, and sheep’s milk ricotta imported from Italy—paired in an unusual way. Aillade is a French condiment of garlic pounded with some type of nuts, usually served as a condiment for duck or other meats. We make ours with hazelnuts; it’s one of the few condiments that we make at the restaurant using a mortar and pestle because otherwise it comes out too smooth, like peanut butter.

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