My girlfriend, Alison, sent me a recipe for a Lemon Ricotta Tart and asked if I could lighten it up. I tried this recipe yesterday and it was mediocre; the tart didn’t have a strong enough lemon flavor. So, I made a few changes to intensify the tartness by increasing the amount of lemon juice and adding sour cream.
I did not have a tart pan with a removable bottom so I used a spring form pan (cheesecake pan) and it came out perfectly except that I had to bake it for about 60 minutes, not 35. If you are trying this recipe, check it after about 40 minutes to make sure it bakes correctly.
I am offering the original and the modified low fat recipe so you can compare.
I was actually lucky enough to get a second request on a different lemon recipe and will be following up on that one soon. Keep submitting those recipes that you’d like to see transformed into delicious and light.
Enjoy and happy baking…
Lemon Ricotta Tart Light
Serves 8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
6 cups Frosted Flakes cereal
4 tablespoons low calorie butter spread – melted
1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup fat free sour cream
4 ounces light cream cheese – softened
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup egg substitute
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
½ cup lemon juice
Confectioners’ sugar – for dusting (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven 375o. In a food processor, pulse cereal until finely ground (to yield 2 cups). Add butter spread and mix well until crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Spray a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and transfer crumb mixture into pan. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake crust until lightly browned and set, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven.
- In clean food processor, blend ricotta, sour cream, cream cheese, flour, egg substitute, granulated sugar lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth. Pour into hot crust in pan
- Bake until filling is set and browned in spots, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, dust top of tart with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Estimated Values per serving:
Calories = 265 Fat = 7 grams
ORIGINAL RECIPE:
Lemon Ricotta Tart (from the cookbook Fresh Flavor Fast)
Serves 8
72 vanilla wafers (from a 12-ounce box)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups ricotta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons), plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven 375 degrees. In a food processor, pulse vanilla wafers until finely ground (to yield 2 cups). Add butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Transfer crumb mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake crust until lightly browned and set, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven.
- In clean food processor, blend ricotta, cream cheese, eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until smooth. Pour into hot crust in pan; bake until filling is set and slightly browned, about 60 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, dust top of tart with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Estimated Values per serving:
Calories = 310 Fat = 18 grams
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