cheesecake recipe Archives - The Franklin Shopper

A cheesecake recipe can be useful on any special occasion, and especially so on Valentine’s Day. For many people, cheesecake is not cheesecake without the addition of ricotta cheese. While ricotta is included in savory dishes like lasagna or manicotti, it is at home in desserts like cheesecake as well. Ricotta means “recooked” in Italian, and its production involves reheating the whey left over from making other cheeses, like mozzarella. Its texture is like a creamy/grainy, thick sour cream.

Ricotta is included in this recipe for “Ricotta Cheesecake With Coffee and Chocolate” from “Nick Stellino’s Family Kitchen” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) by Nick Stellino, but it is not the only flavorful ingredient in this decadent dish. Coffee liqueur, chocolate and lemon zest add to the complex profile — which only get more pronounced if you prepare this cake a day in advance.

Ricotta Cheesecake With Coffee and Chocolate (Tortino al caffè e ciccolato)

Serves 8 to 10

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1⁄2 cup sugar

2 lbs. ricotta cheese, drained of excess liquid

8 eggs, separated

1/2 cup cream

1/4 cup espresso or extra strong coffee, cooled

1/4 cup coffee liqueur

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Make a graham cracker crust by mixing together the melted butter with the crumbs, and sugar. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Mix together the ricotta, sugar, egg yolks, cream, espresso, coffee liqueur, lemon zest, and salt until creamy. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture. Stir in the chocolate morsels and pour onto the prepared crumb crust.

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until just set in the middle. The cake will still seem wobbly, but will be lightly browned and cracked around the edges. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours or overnight before running a sharp knife along the edge of the cake and removing the pan. Cut into wedges to serve. Garnish with shaved chocolate and strawberries, if desired.

Pumpkins are readily available in fall, when people carve jack-o’-lanterns out of pumpkins for Halloween or serve up pumpkin pie after a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. But people who are unsatisfied with plain old pumpkin pie can add something new to their repertoire this fall by cooking up the following recipe for “Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust,” courtesy of Lori Longbotham’s “Luscious Creamy Desserts” (Chronicle Books).

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust (Serves 8 to 10)

Crust

11/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Filling

11/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
11/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup solid-pack pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup créme fraîche, homemade (see below) or store-bought, or sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter an 8- or 81/2-inch springform pan.
2. To make the crust: Stir together all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until the crumbs are moistened. Press the mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F.
3. To make the filling: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large deep bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and then the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and pumpkin pie spice and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the pumpkin purée, créme fraîche and vanilla, and beat until just combined. Pour the filling into the shell.
4. Place the cheesecake on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 F and continue baking for 1 hour.
5. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 21/2 hours. Then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, tightly covered, for at least 10 hours, until thoroughly chilled and set, or for up to 2 days.
6. To serve, run a knife around the side of the cheesecake and remove the side of the pan. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature, cut into thin wedges with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and wiped dry after each cut.

Créme Fraîche (Makes about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup créme fraîche or sour cream with live cultures

Pour the cream into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and spoon in the créme fraîche. Let sit on the counter, with the lid slightly ajar, until the mixture thickens, from 4 to 24 hours, depending on the weather. Refrigerate, tightly covered, until ready to use.

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Cheesecake Makes a Decadent Valentine’s Day Treat

Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust