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 RISTORANTE  d'ANNAMARIA

Sicilian Ricotta Cheesecake:

I was sitting here at my computer thinking about a recipe for dessert when lo-and-behold I get an email from a colleague with this and another recipe included. This ricotta cheesecake is similar in style to an American cheesecake, but is much lighter. Enjoy.

Ingredients for 12 persons:

2 pounds              ricotta cheese

2/3 cup               white sugar

1/3 cup               all-purpose flour

6                           eggs

1/4 teaspoon        ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons           orange zest

2 teaspoons           vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon        salt

(Note): If you haven't done a lot of baking, orange zest is nothing more than finely grated citrus fruit skin. Grate a little of the skin off an orange (or lemon if the recipe calls for that). Be careful not to get any of the pulp. You want only skin. 

How to do it:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). 

Set rack in the middle of the oven. 

Butter and flour a 9 1/2 inch springform pan, and tap out excess flour.

Place the ricotta in a large mixing bowl, and stir it as smooth as possible with a rubber spatula. 

Stir the sugar and flour together thoroughly into the ricotta. 

Stir in the eggs 1 at a time  to prevent the batter from getting lumpy. 

Blend in the vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest and salt. 

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until a light golden color.  Make sure the center is fairly firm, and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack. 

It will sink slightly as it cools. 

Cover, and chill till serving time.