Ricotta Oat Bars with Blueberry Lemongrass Spuma

vegetarian // serves 8

I’m going to be real: this recipe was the result of me having to use up a bunch of stuff in the fridge before it went bad. But don’t let that ruin your appetite. The spuma is bright and airy and tastes like the cloud form of blueberries. The oat bars use up some of the leftover egg yolks from the spuma, so you get a super rich and creamy eggy bar that tastes like a cross between a cheesecake and a Portugese egg tart! The rest of the ingredients are mostly pantry staples, aside from the ricotta, blueberries, and lemongrass, but you can swap in any fruit and the lemongrass is optional.

what you need:

for the blueberry lemongrass spuma and blueberry compote:

• core of 1 lemongrass stalk, sliced finely

• ½ cup water

• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided into ½ cup, ¼ cup, and ¼ cup portions

• 12 oz blueberries

• 3 egg whites (save two yolks for the ricotta oat bars)

TIP: the lemongrass lends a unique flavor to this spuma, but is not necessary if you don’t have it on hand. if not using, skip making the lemongrass syrup. proceed with the recipe by adding ¼ cup water and ¼ cup sugar to saucepan in place of the ¼ cup lemongrass syrup in step 2, along with some lemon peel if you have that.

for the lemon cake crumb:

• leftover cookie trimmings from my Lemon Herb Lofthouse Cookies Recipe

Tip: use any crushed cookie or cake crumb here instead.

for the ricotta oat bars:

for the ricotta filling:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese

• 2 egg yolks (left over from making the spuma)

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ⅜ cup granulated sugar

• ¼ tsp kosher salt

for the oat crust and topping:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup rolled oats, divided into ½ cup and ¼ cup portions

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp kosher salt

• ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

how to make it:

to make the blueberry lemongrass spuma and blueberry compote:

1. make the lemongrass syrup first. in a small saucepan, combine lemongrass core, water, ½ cup sugar. bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. let cook for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and strain out the syrup. measure out ¼ cup syrup for use in this recipe. transfer the rest into a fridge-safe container and refrigerate for use in teas, lemonades, etc.

2. next, make the blueberry syrup and compote. in a saucepan, combine blueberries, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ cup lemongrass syrup (if not using lemongrass syrup, add an additional ¼ cup water and ¼ cup sugar here instead). bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. let cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until blueberries burst and the mixture is syrupy. remove from heat and let cool slightly.

3. strain blueberry mixture. you should get around 1 cup of blueberry syrup. let this syrup cool completely. reserve the blueberry solids (the “compote”) for serving.

4. prepare a double boiler by adding water into a saucepan and bringing to a simmer.

5. add egg whites and ¼ cup sugar into a heat-safe bowl that fits snugly over the saucepan without touching the simmering water. over the water, whisk whites until warmed and the sugar is dissolved. remove from heat.

6. beat egg whites to stiff peak.

7. fold cooled blueberry syrup into the beaten egg whites.

8. transfer spuma to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours.

TIP: this can be made up to two days in advance.

to make the lemon cake crumb:

1. if making cake crumb from leftover cake: crumble cake onto a baking tray. bake at 350 F, tossing often, until browned and dehydrated throughout.

2. if using crushed cookies: seal cookies in plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin to create a rough-textured crumb with some fine pieces and some larger bits.

TIP: this can be done in advance and stored in an airtight bag at room temperature.

to make the ricotta oat bars:

1. preheat oven to 350 F. line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the sides, so you can easily remove the bars once they’re done.

2. add all the ingredients for the ricotta filling into a bowl and whisk until smooth.

3. in a separate bowl, add all the ingredients for the oat crust, except for the ¼ cup oats. using your fingers, work the butter in until it is well dispersed, with pea sized pieces throughout.

4. press ¾ of the oat mixture into the bottom of the lined baking pan, compacting it so it forms a solid crust.

5. pour the ricotta filling over the crust and shake gently to smooth the surface.

6. add the ¼ cup oats to the remaining oat mixture and stir to coat the oats in the flour. sprinkle this mixture over the ricotta filling.

7. bake for 35 minutes.

8. let cool completely.

to serve:

cut ricotta bars into squares. taking each square in your hands, break apart to form organic pieces. place pieces of the ricotta bars on one side of your serving plate and dot with blueberry compote. dust with confectioner’s sugar. on the other side of your plate, create a bed of cookie or cake crumbs. top with a rocher or scoop of spuma. enjoy.