Here's a delicious recipe for cheesecake made out of ricotta. It's so easy to put together and quite delicious. I love how the semolina flour makes a light self-forming crust. Try some today! (This recipe is based on one from Milk Street that I saw recently on PBS, with a slight change of switching out cream cheese for the Mascarpone, which is hard for me to find in our area.)
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
16 oz. whole-milk Ricotta
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup semolina flour, plus some for pan
4 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Blueberry Sauce:
2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan with cooking spray, then dust pan with about 2 tablespoons semolina flour, tapping out the excess.
In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon zest. Process until moist about 15 seconds. Add the ricotta and cream cheese and process until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the semolina flour, egg yolks, Marsala, lemon juice, and salt. Process again until combined about 15 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium high until light and foamy. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and continue to whip until they form firm peaks about 2-3 minutes. Add a third of the egg whites to the cheese mixture, stirring until combined. Lightly fold in the remaining egg whites until just incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Tap on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the cake is just set, but still jiggles when shaken. (It is okay for an Italian cheesecake to crack on top, as this is part of its settling process.) Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for another 2 hours before removing from pan. Top with blueberry sauce. Serves 8-10.
To prepare Blueberry Sauce: In small saucepan, bring 1 cup blueberries, sugar, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in remaining blueberries. Cool completely, cover and chill until ready to serve over cheesecake.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe.
