One of my best friends is leaving for Madrid to be an au pair for the next few months.  I am so excited for her, but selfishly I will miss having her in town this summer! She came over for an impromptu dinner the other night, and while the meal was not Spanish I thought it would be fun to serve a Spanish inspired dessert.

My parents gave me this beautiful cookbook for Christmas, The Food Of Spain, and I’ve been dying to try some of its recipes.  I’m excited I finally have!
I didn’t have a lot of time to whip up dessert when I came home from work, but this recipe actually turned out to be perfect for the occasion.  Four ingredients and almost no prep-work later, we had some delicious Spanish Cheese Pudding on our hands. (In the cookbook it is just called “cheese pudding”, but I think Lemon Ricotta Pudding sounds nicer…!)
This simple dessert is the perfect accompaniment for the colourful fruit that is starting to abound at the market and a little drizzle of honey.  The lemon flavour comes through lightly and will be great for easy breezy sunny days, this one is definitely on the “make again” list.
Love you, Laura — buen viaje!! xo

Cheese Pudding — from The Food of Spain, by Claudia Roden

1 pound fresh ricotta
1/2 to 2/3 cup superfine sugar (I used 1/2 cup, it was perfect)
Grated zest of one lemon
5 large eggs

Blend the ricotta, sugar, lemon zest, and eggs in a food processor until creamy. Pour into a buttered baking dish about 10 inches in diameter. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 45minutes, or until it feels firm. Let cool to room temperature and serve in the dish in which it is baked.

¡Buen provecho!