Friday, April 17, 2009

Ricotta Cheesecake

Every once in a while, I do ask Kurt what he would like for me to make. It’s only fair given that he suffers the brunt of all of my failed attempts in the kitchen. For Easter, I asked what he thought would be good for dessert. Without even a moment to ponder, he fired back: cheesecake. I liked that idea and of course, chose to make one I hadn’t tried before. This is from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, and it states in the intro to the recipe, this is about the easiest cheesecake you can make.

There are two steps which require different appliances, but they’re quick and simple. First, put some fresh ricotta in a food processor and process until smooth. Next, use a mixer to beat egg whites to a stiff, glossy state. That’s it. The rest was just a matter of folding things together. In a large mixing bowl, the ricotta was mixed with egg yolks, flour, some sugar, orange zest, and salt. Then, the egg whites were folded into that mixture. It all went into a springform pan and was baked for about one hour. There was no water bath, so no need to wrap the springform pan in foil. It really was a very easy cheesecake to make.

It came out of the oven puffed like a souffle, but it didn’t drop like one. It settled into a flat shape with just a little ridge around the outside. The instructions in the book mention turning the cake out of the pan and then inverting it back right side up, but I’m not sure why. I just removed the outer ring of the springform pan and let it sit on the base of the pan. Once it cooled to room temperature, I chilled it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. This was a sleek, grown up kind of cheesecake. It had no crust, no cream cheese, and it wasn’t as sweet as other cheesecakes I’ve made. The texture was lightened by the egg whites but still had some sense of density from the ricotta. It was mildly flavored with an orange accent, and would be perfect with espresso. Since I didn’t think to buy some espresso beans, I served it with a strawberry coulis. Dark chocolate sauce would be another option or maybe a melted marmalade. I think this particular cheesecake could be taken in all kinds of directions with sauces and toppings, and it was pretty delicious all by itself too.


30 comments:

  1. ooooh that looks awesome! love the way the strawberry coulis looks with the cheesecake, yum!

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  2. It looks thick, yet light and fluffy. Delish!

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  3. I've never made cheesecake with ricotta. That must be delicious, especially with the strawberry coulis.

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  4. This cheese cake looks so light and delicious - yummy with strawberry coulis!

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  5. oh wow, this looks so good, I've been craving cheese cake lately and I think I found my fix

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  6. you know I love this cake.
    It is a staple in our house.
    I sometimes add citron or candied orange peel to it, it's so good.
    I have never tried Martha's recipe.
    I use Nick Malgieris. I know you the cookbook collector have one of his books!

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  7. Perfect post to end the week Lisa. cake look delicious, and the photo look gorgeous.
    Cheers,
    elra

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  8. wow...I have yet to try a ricotta cheesecake...it seems so fluffy yet really dense and rich. amazing!

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  9. Oooh that cheesecake looks so good. Great blog you have :)

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  10. Wow, this cheesecake is so perfect!I must try it!

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  11. You know me and ricotta. I'm definitely going to have to try this. I like how there's no crust, too. Makes it easier, and you get to enjoy the sublime filling more intensely.

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  12. It looks so creamy and delicious! I love that there's no crust-so simple and easy to make. The strawberry coulis looks like a real yummy treat with it.

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  13. kurt has good taste! there's nothing like a classic - this looks delicious!

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  14. This looks much creamier than the usual cheesecake. And that strawberry coulis! Mmmmmmrrroooowww!

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  15. Looks perfect, kind of light with the ricotta in it. I love a good cheesecake now and then!

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  16. I'm not usually a big fan of cheesecakes because they're so dense, but I like that this one has egg whites folded in.

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  17. i find myself saying this often about a variety of dishes, but what incredible texture! it's fluffy and smooth and creamy, and i can tell even in 2d form. yum.

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  18. Looks so good! I would love it with some strawberries or dark chocolate (or both! :)

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  19. I'm craving for cheesecake for a longer while now... I think I will make one soon :)

    Enjoy your day!
    Margot

    p.s. Wanted to let you know about Chocolate-Making Kit GIVEAWAY on my site :)

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  20. I love cheesecakes, but I've never made one without a crust before, will definitely try this.
    I don't particularly like the taske of orange zest, but I'm guessing it could be easily substituted with anything else ... peppermint syrup, lime juice, just vanilla....

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  21. I've never ever had ricotta cheesecake, and I feel like, since I'm Italian, it is something I must have! Yours really looks fantastic... just absolute perfection all around!

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  22. Looks so inviting! I dun mind to eat this cheesecake all by itself.

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  23. This looks gorgeous. I love that you don't have to cook it in a water bath.

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  24. I've had my eye on this one for AGES, the picture in the book is so pretty! Glad it came out well.

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  25. It looks absolutely rich and oh-so-decadent and yet the from your description of the recipe, it seems so light! I haven't made a cheesecake precisely because all the recipes I've tried are cream-cheese based and so dense. I'll need to find this recipe ASAP!

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  26. this is one of my favorite things in the world. a little alcohol - amaretto or something - in the batter would be nice too... that's what mario batali does and well, that's all i need to know.

    just wonderful and amazing

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  27. I love ricotta cheese and I think the texture makes it perfect for cheesecake.

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  28. I have learned to love ricotta since I moved to NJ, and hubby's family uses it for many things. He likes cheese cake, so this would make him very happy! Perfect...

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