Experimenting with Pomegranates

I've been trying to come up with dessert ideas using pomegranates for a Turkish blog event. Here are a couple of pictures, the recipes will follow. This proved challenging for me. I ended up making a cake and a ricotta cream using both pomegranate seeds and juice. I then tried to create different desserts using these 2 building blocks. I must say that I was not too pleased with my results, as the pomegranate taste was not as evident in any of the below as I would like. However, my son loved the second serving suggestion at first bite and has been asking me to make that crunchy dessert ever since. Since he is usually very picky about what he eats, I should consider this an indication of success.

Pomegranate Pound Cake



I used this recipe I found on the Internet and threw in some shelled pistachios, orange zest and orange flower water for good measure. The result was definitely tasty, but not as colorful as I anticipated since the pomegranate seeds lost their bright color during baking.

Ricotta Cream with Pomegranate Juice

This was adapted from a similar recipe in The Book of Desserts by Sally Taylor.

• 1 c ricotta cheese
• 3 tbs sugar
• 3 tbs pomegranate juice
• 1 1/4 c whipping cream
• 2 egg whites

Line 5 molds with double thickness of cheesecloth. Press cheese through a sieve, and mix 2 tbs sugar and pomegranate juice. In a separate bowl, whip cream until stiff. Stir into cheese mixture. Whisk egg whites until stiff with 1 tbs sugar and fold it into the cheese mixture. Spoon the ricotta cream into the lined molds and refrigerate overnight to drain. To serve, unmold and remove the cheesecloth carefully.

Serving Suggestion #1



I layered ricotta cream, pomegranate seeds and shelled pistachios in a cup. Then I topped it with an orange juice based gelled topping and more pomegranate seeds.

Serving Suggestion #2.



I layered cake rounds and cream in a small mold and topped it gelatin and pomegranate seeds as in Serving Suggestion #1. I would have liked to serve it with a pomegranate sauce, but what you see in the picture is a raspberry sauce.

Serving Suggestion #3



This one is Mehmet's favorite. It is basically the ricotta cream topped with pomegranate seeds.

Serving Suggestion #4



This one is a mini charlotte. The accompanying picture explains how I made it.