Lemon Cardamom Sandesh or Cheesecake Bars
Today is Bengali New Year. I am thrilled to see an acknowledgement from the White House.
Specifically, from John Kerry. It helped me justify these cheater Lemon Cardamom Sandesh bars for today. We as migrants love some popular acknowledgement. Something that meshes us just a little with the mainstream, offers a little legitimacy. Makes us feel like we fit in.
About my Lemon Cardamom Sandesh.
Well, this love child is a of the Bengali Sandesh and cheesecake. She is blessed and baptized by lemon. A super easy and truly delectable concoction put together by yours truly.
Who knew, a day would come when I would be creating my own baked goodies. This particular recipe found a lot of good favor with the kids. The sandesh like texture comes from the fact that I have used fresh channa or homemade paneer in this recipe.
A One Bowl Recipe
The only effort in this recipe is making the homemade channa or paneer. Outside of that it is a one bowl recipe.
If you want to simplify it further, while store bought paneer or chenna will not work, you can substitute this with ricotta cheese, now this substitution will offer a richer taste, but will also tone down the interesting texture that paneer affords this recipe.
Then again, I so totally understand, the time crunch component. I have spent almost a week, trying to get this post up. However, this time of the year, I always take a little time to pause, and see what I can do to refresh those new year ideas.
In fact, just to make life more on the track course, I have got myself a fitbit, hoping that it will get me back to walking more in the neighborhood, something I have made less time for ever since I started working in the city. Well, if you want to try your hand at making home style paneer, here is a video by yours truly showing you how to do it.
A cheesecake like lemon bar, reminiscent of Bengali sandesh. It is ridiculously easy and a perfect treat by any name.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup homemade paneer (aka channa) (using 1 gallon milk following the video above) or ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup sugar (you can add more if you want
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
- 11/2 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
- 13/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or a mixture of almonds and pistachios
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the base of a square cake pan.
- Place the butter, paneer or ricotta cheese, sugar and eggs in the base of a food processor. Break in the eggs, the ground cardamom, lemon zest, lemon juice and the flour sifted in with the baking powder.
- Process for about 2 minutes, until everything is well mixed, do not over process.
- Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked (test with a toothpick), the sides should be pale golden. Do not overcook.
- Cool for about 5 minutes, remove from the oven and invert carefully.
- While the cake is cooking, make the syrup by adding the lemon juice, 1/2 cup water and sugar and cooking this down for 15 minutes to a sticky reduction. Pour this over the lemon bar square.
- Scatter with the almonds.
- Let it cool for at least 1 or 2 hours and cut into squares and serve.