Chocolate Almond Ricotta Cake

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons butter, softened
2 hard-boiled egg yolks, plus 2 raw egg whites
3/4 pound ricotta cheese, drained
4 T granulated sugar
1 1/2 ounces dark rum
2 T bittersweet chocolate, finely grated, plus more for garnish
1/8 pound blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
lemon zest, for garnish

Preparing the ricotta cake:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Thickly grease the bottom and sides of a 1 quart loaf pan with butter.

Hard-boil 2 eggs. [Add the 2 whole eggs to a small pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a gentle boil over medium heat. When the water boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot and run them under cold water to stop them from overcooking.]

Peel the hard-boiled eggs and, discarding the whites, put the yolks through a small strainer to break them into small bits. Add the egg yolks to the ricotta and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl add the sugar, rum, chocolate and almonds and whisk to blend. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the 2 raw egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture with a rubber spatula, retaining as much fluffiness as possible.

Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan. Put the pan into a shallow water bath and bake, undisturbed, for 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and the water bath. Allow to cool at room temperature and put into the refrigerator to tighten up before serving. Sprinkle with a touch of lemon zest and some chocolate over each individual portion.

Serves 4 to 6