I am HOME

      

     I am home. Wow. Finally. Home and twelve hours of sleep, that's all I really needed. I'm also so sorry about the flan post. The pictures are so awful! That is what sleep deprivation does to me. But, now I am back and oh so bubbly. Being able to sleep and not worry about what I have left in the fridge to eat, it does help my mindset a lot.

You can see me! 

     So, what did I make in this state? Ricotta pudding. Maybe this sounds strange to you. But, this lemon ricotta pudding is my go-to comfort food. I have made it so many times I have lost count, and the recipe book I get it from now falls open to it's page. It's delicious warm, a browned crust, and then oozing citrusy pudding underneath.

     I love this dessert. It makes me feel all warmed up on a cold wintery day, but it is also not too heavy. I think lemon has that lovely property of making desserts feel like they cannot possibly weigh you down - I just realized that could be considered a bad pun, sigh. Regardless, it made me happy. Using the handheld beater and then the electric mixer - oh how I missed a Kitchenaid - also helped with my beautific state.  

Awaiting its baking - in blue roasting pan.

     So, after spending the day resting on the couch, I got up and finally made this pudding. It was - if you haven't already guessed - amazing. It was everything I said it was, and sprinkled with a little powdered sugar, the best end to a meal I finally did not have to cook myself. Ah heaven.

Lemon Ricotta Pudding

Adapted from Dessert by Katy Holder 

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1/4 cup Butter

1 1/2 cups Ricotta

3 Eggs Separated

1/4 cup Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

Confectioners Sugar for Sprinkling

        Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a casserole dish with 6 cup capacity. Set some water to bowl. In one bowl, beat the butter and sugar together thoroughly with an electric mixer. Then, add the three egg yolks and beat them in. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add the dry mixture and ricotta alternately to the butter-sugar-egg yolk mixture, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks (if using the same mixer: clean the whisks well). In two batches, fold the egg whites into the rest of the mixture. Place the casserole dish on a roasting pan, and fill the casserole dish with the mixture. Place them both in the oven, and then fill the roasting pan with water so it comes halfway up the dish. Bake for about an hour (it took me about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean and the pudding doesn't jiggle when you pull the pan. The top will be browned, don't worry. Then, let it cool a little, and sprinkle confectioners sugar over the top. Lastly, serve, and eat!