This is one of my favorite recipes with ricotta and berries. Very easy to make, it is a moist, dense cake (kind of) studded with berries, which can be used fresh or frozen. It keeps well and is perfect for afternoon tea, picnics, potlucks, or just because.
I had half a kilo of languishing ricotta cheese in my fridge, which I had bought to make these savory zucchini corn and bacon crepes, or some stuffed jumbo seashell pasta. Or maybe this lemon polenta cake. Who knows. It's the third time I find myself buying ricotta and not using it in the last few months, so it's accurate to say I don't know either.
Then there is the issue of the freezer. The black hole that sucks anything and everything I make. To use later of course. I don't throw away good food, I freeze it. Then I throw half of it away on a later date. But since it's not freshly made and have lost any perkiness it once had, it doesn't bother me much.
But summer berries are a different story. I took the time last summer to individually freeze and then bag sweet fresh raspberries, blackberries, and pitted cherries. For now, a cold, windy, and crisp day like today, a day before the official start of winter, and my birthday.
friend? Aren't good friends one of the main pillars in life?
They have no crust but are similar to a ricotta pie, something very common in these latitudes. The berries are a tangy surprise, perfect to cut through all that soft and monochromatic batter.
But I had to spend the day with all of you too, readers and friends of this little blog.
Life without it would not be the same, and without you, it wouldn't make sense.
So cheers to all of you and a big thank you from the bottom of my soul for taking even a second to drop by whenever you can.
Happy birthday, Paula! I hope you had a wonderful day 🙂 These bars look like a great treat to celebrate with. I freeze tons of fruit too. I don't pit the cherries first - too much work.
a belated but heartfelt birthday to you, paula. you are one of my favourite people in the blogging world! i hope you had a fabulous day with your friends - and thank you for sharing it with us.
PS i buy ricotta then forget why too!
Haha, I totally hear you about putting stuff in the freezer for a few weeks or months, and THEN throwing it away. That's my strategy as well, even though I generally hate throwing away food. But once it's languished in the freezer for awhile, I feel a lot less guilty 🙂
Happy Birthday, Paula! (a few days late) - BTW you are NEVER too old for a pajama party. 🙂 These ricotta berry squares look like they have a wonderful texture + I had fun clicking through all of the past recipes that you mentioned. So many I want to make! (especially those boozy brownies)
Happy birthday Paula, and thank you for sharing my recipe!
Delicious! Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!! I think these summer berry ricotta squares look like a prefect way to celebrate-enjoy your special birthday week 😉
Happy birthday! And how juicy and delicious do these little squares look?
Paula, one is NEVER too old for a pyjama party! And haven't you heard, 45 is the new 30 😉 It sounds like you had an utterly fabulous day, which you absolutely deserve. You've gone through a lot this past year and I mean it when I say that I'm hoping your 45th year brings you only bigger and better things. You're one of the sweetest, toughest ladies I know and I'm honoured to call you a friend. One day we'll meet and we'll drink, and laugh, and talk, and eat, and drink some more! Until then, I'll bake these delicious ricotta squares and eat it in your honour.
Thank you girl! SO looking forward to the day we meet!
Happy Belated birthday to you Paula! Hope it was a lovely, lovely day. Sounds like it was shaping up to be! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes and sweet thoughts!
¡Feliz cumpleaños, mi amiga! What a wonderful way to celebrate with close friends. If I had ricotta in my fridge, I would have been baking these instead of the summer berry cake that is in the oven now... I wish you a year of good fortune, happiness, culinary adventure and the love of good friends and family... ~ David
Thanks David! And you could make both recipes y´know...
You are right! Why make it an 'either/or' situation!
Happy Birthday, Paula! I adore Ricotta and know I would love these squares! Every time I visit you, I find something else I have to make! These just sounds incredible! A perfect summer dessert! Have a great weekend!
Happy Birthday Girl! I love the taste of fruits in desserts, and these squares look amazing and colorful 🙂