Luscious lemon ripple cheesecake bars

Just when I thought I’d seen every variation possible on cheesecake, I came across Elinor Klivans’ recipe for lemon ripple cheesecake bars.

A talented pastry chef, Ms. Klivans uses a square rather than a round pan and cuts squares instead of wedges from this particular cheesecake dessert. However, these delectable bars are truly inventive because of the unusual way the filling is prepared.

A rich short pastry dough studded with a hint of lemon zest is pressed into a pan and topped with a vanilla-flavored cheesecake batter. Then before baking, a thick, lemon-curdlike mixture is swirled through the batter to produce a lovely rippled pattern. Paired with fresh berries, these citrus-scented confections make an irresistible dessert for summer entertaining.

As when making any cheesecake, having the primary ingredients for the filling - the cream cheese, eggs and sour cream - at room temperature will produce better results, and chilling the baked cheesecake thoroughly will make for easier slicing.

These are ideal for entertaining. Since no last-minute work is required, all you need to do at serving time is arrange the bars on a platter, fill a bowl with some seasonal berries, and be ready to share the recipe.

Elinor Klivans’ lemon ripple cheesecake bars

Makes 16 bars.

CRUST:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces and chilled, plus more for the pan

FILLING:

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 large egg yolks

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 1/4 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

2 cups fresh raspberries or blueberries and mint sprigs for garnish

For crust, adjust rack to middle and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square nonstick baking pan. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt. Add butter and pulse until a soft, crumbly dough forms. Press dough evenly over the bottom and a scant 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and firm.

For filling, in a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1/2 cup cold water. In a medium saucepan, whisk the yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar and the lemon juice. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook over medium heat, whisking gently, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot, about 4 minutes. Boil over medium-high heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick and glossy. Strain the mixture into a heatproof bowl. Stir in lemon zest and let cool.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until batter is smooth.

Pour cream cheese batter over the crust and smooth with a spatula. Place lemon mixture in dollops on the cheesecake batter and carefully swirl it into the batter using the tip of a knife or a skewer; take care not to cut into the crust.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden around edges and just set. Run the tip of a knife around edges to loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Cut into 16 bars; garnish each serving with berries and mint.

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