Made with spelt flour and half the sugar (but, double the love).
Jury?
Lemon-Ricotta Bars
Makes 16 two-inch squares (plus edges for secret snacking)
Adapted from Food52
The crust
- 1-3/4 cup spelt flour
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, plus extra for decoration
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 12 Tbsp. cold but slightly softened unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks), cut into 1-inch pieces, plus extra for greasing the pan
The filling
- 8 ounces fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, set over a sieve for a few hours to drain
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. lemon zest
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Butter a 13"x9" baking dish and then make a "sling" out of two pieces of parchment paper, buttering the bottoms and sides of it too.
In a food processor, pulse the crust's flour, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt a few times until incorporated. Add the butter pieces, pulsing until you end up with a mixture that resembles cornmeal in color and texture.
Upend mixture into prepared pan and press lightly with fingers until even across the bottom and a half-inch or so up the sides.
Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
In the meantime, make the filling in a medium bowl by mixing together the ricotta, eggs, sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
Pour the filling into the pan with the cooked crust (will sizzle on contact) and carefully put it into the oven to bake until firm to the touch, about 30 minutes.
Let cool wholly and completely on a wire rack for an agonizing two hours, before removing the parchment paper sling and transferring the bars to a cutting board.
Wipe the knife between cuts to keep your squares tidy and then dust with confectioner's sugar to make them purdy.