Cherry Compote Ingredients

• 1½  pounds bing cherries, weighed before pitting
• ½ cup sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼  teaspoon cracked peppercorns, 3-4 peppercorns (NOTE:  In the ingredients shot, there are many more peppercorns.  I only used 3-4.)
• Cassis for drizzling  

Ricotta Mousse Ingredients

• 1 sprig rosemary
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pound dry ricotta
• ½  cup heavy cream

Shortbread Ingredients

• 8 ounces unsalted butter, soft
• ¾  cup sugar + extra for sprinkling
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• ½   cup ground almonds, skin on 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾  cups all purpose flour
• 72 whole almonds

Cherry Compote Instructions

1. Cut the cherries in half and pit.
2. Combine the sugar, lemon juice and peppercorns in a large saucepan.  Simmer for 5-6 minutes until syrupy.  
3. Add the cherries and cook 5  minutes over low heat.  They should still be a little crisp.
4.  Let cool.
5. If the juices seem too watery, drain the juices into a saucepan and cook to reduce to a syrup. Pour over the cherries.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Ricotta Mousse Instructions

1. Strip the leaves from the rosemary so you have 1 tablespoon or so. 
2. Save some sprigs for garnish.
3. Put the rosemary leaves in a mortar and pestle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and bash around until the rosemary leaves are in small pieces.  Add the lemon zest and bash around some more.  If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a knife to chop the rosemary and lemon zest.  
4. Beat the ricotta with the seasoned sugar and the remaining sugar.
5. Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.  
6. Mix ⅓ of the cream into the ricotta.
7. Fold in the rest.  Refrigerate.

Almond Shortbread Instructions – Makes 24 cookies

If you think 24 is too many all at once, freeze a portion of the dough for another time.

1. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla or almond extract.
3. Beat in the ground almonds and salt.
4. Add the flour and mix until combined.
5. Transfer the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Form into a fat log about 2 inches thick. Fold the parchment so the far edge comes down to meet the near edge. Use a bench knife or dough scraper to tuck a pleat of parchment beneath the log, working your way along the width of the log.  This is more complicated to explain than to do (see photos), but it compresses the dough, eliminating air pockets, and smooths the surface.  When you’ve finished, roll the bundle up, twist the ends closed and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
6. Make an egg wash by beating the egg white with a teaspoon of water.
7. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
8. Slice the chilled dough into disks ¼-inch thick.
9. Place the disks at least 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan.  I like lots of space between the shortbread as it cooks, so I used 3 sheet pans, but if you adhere to the 1 inch rule of social distancing, you may get more cookies on fewer pans.  
10. Brush the cookies with egg wash. 
11. Top with 3 whole almonds.
12. Sprinkle with a little sugar.
13. Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Assembly

You can prepare the this ahead and chill until serving. Spoon cherry compote into the bottom of each dessert glass, then place a dollop of mousse atop the compote. Wait until serving to garnish each with a few leaves of rosemary and some cherries, then drizzle with cassis.  Offer shortbread on the side.