Brown Butter Nectarine Cornmeal Squares with Lemon Ricotta Cream

Brown Butter Nectarine Cornmeal Squares with Lemon Ricotta Cream 🍑🍋 These golden nectarine cornmeal squares sit somewhere between a simple tray cake and a fruit dessert bar. Brown butter gives the crumb a warm nutty edge, ripe nectarines bake into glossy jammy pockets, and the lemon ricotta cream keeps each slice bright instead of heavy. Yield: 9 generous squares or 12 smaller pieces Time: 20 minutes prep, 30-35 minutes baking, plus cooling Ingredients: For the squares: • 115 g unsalted butter • 2 ripe but firm nectarines, thinly sliced • 130 g fine cornmeal • 90 g plain flour • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt • 2 large eggs • 125 g caster sugar • 120 g plain yogurt or sour cream • 1 tsp vanilla extract • finely grated zest of 1 lemon • 2 tbsp chopped pistachios, plus extra to finish • 1 tbsp demerara sugar for the top, optional For the lemon ricotta cream: • 200 g ricotta • 80 g thick Greek-style yogurt • 1 1/2 tbsp honey, plus extra to taste • 1 tbsp lemon juice • finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon • small pinch of salt Method: 1. Heat the oven to 180 C. Line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper, leaving an overhang so the bake lifts out cleanly. 2. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Keep cooking, swirling often, until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn deep golden. Pour into a heatproof bowl and cool for 8-10 minutes. It should be warm, not hot, before it meets the eggs. 3. In one bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar for about 1 minute until glossy. Whisk in yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest and the cooled brown butter. 4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no dry patches remain. Do not beat hard; a gentle fold keeps the crumb tender. Scrape the batter into the lined tin and smooth the top. 5. Arrange the nectarine slices over the batter, pressing them in lightly. Scatter with pistachios and demerara sugar if using. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden, the edges pull slightly from the paper and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. 6. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out and cool completely on a rack before slicing. Warm cake is delicious, but fully cooled squares cut much more neatly. 7. For the cream, whisk ricotta, Greek yogurt, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt until smooth and softly spoonable. Add a little more honey if your nectarines are very tart. Serving and storage: Serve the squares at room temperature with a spoonful of lemon ricotta cream, extra pistachios and a little lemon zest. They are lovely with coffee, brunch fruit or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Store the cake airtight at room temperature for 1 day or chilled for 3 days. Keep the ricotta cream covered in the fridge and spoon it on just before serving. ✨ Save this one for a fruit bake that is simple, sunny and properly sliceable. Tasteloom.club - easy recipes for everyday cravings