Recipe by Paula Bowman
Photography by Michael Alberstat
Food Styling by David Grenier
First published in Wish March 2008
Chef's Tips
- Prepare the cheesecake the day before you plan to serve it.
- Ruby-red blood oranges make for a dramatic garnish. Look for them from November to the end of March.
- Hazelnuts can be replaced with another nut, or removed. Just substitute an additional 1/3 cup graham-cracker crumbs.
Baking | Nuts | Dessert | All categories...
food
Orange Ricotta Cheesecake
In this lighter alternative to a traditional cheesecake, orange-scented ricotta is baked on a hazelnut crust
Ingredients (Makes 8 servings)
| 1 | 454-g container ricotta |
| 1/3 cup | hazelnuts, husked and ground |
| 1 cup | granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp |
| 2/3 cup | graham-cracker crumbs |
| 2 tbsp | unsalted butter, melted |
| 1 | 250-g package cream cheese, softened |
| 1/4 tsp | salt |
| 1 | orange, finely zested |
| 1/4 cup | freshly squeezed orange juice |
| 1 tbsp | cornstarch |
| 1 tsp | pure vanilla extract |
| 4 | eggs, room temperature |
| Boiling water for water bath | |
| Candied orange peel |
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 layers of foil.
- Place ricotta in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth (or a coffee filter) and drain.
- Combine hazelnuts, 2 tablespoons sugar and graham-cracker crumbs in a bowl. Add butter and stir until crumbs are moist. Press crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until crust is golden and firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. Let cool; keep oven on.
- In a food processor, blend ricotta until smooth. Blend in cream cheese, remaining sugar and salt, occasionally stopping to scrape sides down. Add orange zest, orange juice, cornstarch and vanilla and mix. Add eggs and pulse just until blended.
- Pour cheese mixture over crust. Place springform pan into a large baking pan with deep sides, and pour enough boiling water into it to come 1 inch up the outside of the springform pan. Bake until top of cheesecake is golden and centre jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour.
- Remove cake from water bath and cool on counter for 1 hour, then refrigerate about 6 hours.
- Run a sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake before unmoulding. Garnish with candied orange peel.
Nutritional information
Nutrients per slice (without orange peel): 430 calories, 25 g fat, 12 g protein, 39 g carbs, 1 g fibre.
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