Quick weekend baking

I had some leftover ricotta cheese and decided to try out a "cheesecake" recipe from Martha Stewart to use it up. It is a very simple recipe and took no time at all. You know, one of those recipes you can practically throw together by the time the oven is done preheating.

The result? Very delicious, although it's better with embellishment. We used fresh strawberries. There's no crust, but you coat the pan with sugar after the butter, so the outside is a little sweeter and almost crust-like.

Here's an abridged version of the recipe, taken from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook:

Preheat oven to 375. Generously butter & sugar a 9-inch springform pan.

Whisk together in a large bowl: 1.5 pounds ricotta, 6 egg yolks, 1/4 cup flour, 6 T sugar, zest of 2 lemons and 1/4t salt. (it says to puree ricotta in food processor and I totally forgot this step. I think it would enhance the texture of the cake, but you can probaby skip it if you're in a hurry).

Beat 6 egg whites with 6 T sugar until stiff & glossy, then fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture. Gently fold in the remainder of the egg whites and pour into your pan.

Bake for about 1 hour, until center is firm and top is golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!

~Susan