The best ricotta cheesecake for me

This ricotta cheesecake conquered me. Cheesecakes are pretty common also here in Italy. I have tried some, prepared other recipes, but none had captured me.

Since I have found this ricotta cheesecake. THIS is the one.

I have found it on the great blog Alexandra’s Kitchen, and it seems that it is going to be my Summertime dessert, as I’ve already prepared it twice in a week and plan to prepare it next week when my daughter returns from China.

Maybe it’s because it doesn’t have the buttered cookie crust, or maybe because it doesn’t need isinglass, or still because it is prepared with an ingredient that rarely misses in my fridge: ricotta cheese. I don’t know. I only know it is fantastic and easy to prepare (important issue ;-D).

The ones you see on the photos are prepared with silicone molds, but it is great if prepared as one whole pie the same (7.8 inches). It is a recipe that won’t cause you problems, but will only give you pleasures ;-D.

I changed only a bit of the original recipe. While making the proportions (I decided to prepare a slightly smaller one with a 7.8 in the diameter springform pan) I added a little bit more of mascarpone cheese, so as for vanilla and lemon zest and juice. But I liked it so much that I don’t want to change it anymore.

This ricotta cheesecake gives its best if you prepare it the day before you intend to serve it.

Here’s to you: my favorite ricotta cheesecake!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 digestive cookies
• 1 cup of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250 g of mascarpone
• 2 Tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tsp of grated lemon zest
• 2 Tsp lemon juice
• for strawberry coulis (optional):
• about 20 strawberries
• 1½ Tbsp of sugar

Instructions:

1. Put the ricotta into a colander and let it lose extra liquids for about one hour.
2. Triple wrap a 7.8 in/20 cm springform pan with aluminum foil. Brush the bottom and sides with the melted butter.
3. Reduce the cookies into powder and sprinkle on the bottom and sides of the pan.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
5. Put some water into a pan and turn on the gas. It will be used to a bain-marie.
6. Put the ricotta and the lemon zest into your electric mixer bowl and turn it on on low speed until it becomes creamy.
7. Add one egg at a time.
8. Add the sugar.
9. Add mascarpone, vanilla and lemon juice.
10. Pour the mixture into the pan and place it inside a bigger pan.
11. Put both into the oven and, when they are stable, add the boiling water to the bigger pan until it covers a little bit more than half the cheesecake one.
12. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The pie will inflate but will return to its original size after.
13. The ovens may vary between one and another, to be sure it is well done, check the surface that should be colored and, shaking lightly the pan, the batter should not ripples too much. If it does, leave it into the oven for longer.
14. When done take it out of the fridge and let it cool completely before putting it into the fridge overnight.
15. If you want to add a strawberry coulis, clean and wash the strawberries. Cut them in small pieces and leave the smallest entire for decoration after.
16. Put them (entire plus cut ones) into a pan with 1½ Tbsp of sugar and turn the gas to low. Let them cook. When done, separate the entire strawberries and puree the rest with a mini pimer. Put in the fridge and add to the ricotta cheesecake before serving.
17. Buon appetito!