Grandmama's Crustless Super Fluffy Ricotta Cheesecake Even a Hater Will Enjoy.

Mmmmm cheesecake, a dieter's delight. Luckily, I've engaged in a diet that allows cheesecake. It's called the "be a pig and then get your arse to the gym/pool/jog" diet.  I can't recommend this diet highly enough.

Cheesecake seems to be a huge fan favorite for sweet tooth(s) everywhere, but I never opt for it, given a dessert selection (then again, I don't have much of a sweet tooth). The consistency is often too brick-like and the cake itself I find overly sweet.  I'd rather have ice cream if I'm going to put myself into a dairy sugar coma.

That's where Grandma comes in to save the day.  In my likeness, Grandma isn't too fond of overly sugared desserts either (relatedly, an immigrant friend of mine with the baking acumen of a Taiwanese Betty Crocker says that whenever she follows an American recipe, she always cuts the amount of sugar called for in half...apparently, American baking recipes double as diabetes how-tos).  Grandma's cheesecake recipe saves the day through delicate, subtle sweetness and puffed fluffy like air-in-a-cloud consistency, thanks to a ricotta base.

This is obviously not a CSA-inspired recipe, BUT, as I've been away all week at a conference and most of the veggies were depleted in my absence, I figured I'd put up what I'm a-cookin' in the meantime. My disclaimer is since this is baking, the basic ingredient accuracy is somewhat important (ie, annoying), however, I will say this recipe is pretty flexible with respect to add-ons. I've added pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices for a Thanksgiving cheesecake, and I think chocolate/nuts/cinnamon would also work. Some folks probably like a crust on their cheesecake, but this one works pretty well without it. I'm considering throwing together a fresh fig compote as a topping this time....

                                                   Ingredients*

All the fatness one cheesecake can hold.

-Ricotta cheese, 1 Lb
-Cream cheese, 1/2 Lbs
-4 eggs
-Sugar, 1.25 cups
-Sour cream - 1 pint
-Lemon juice - 3 tbsp plus zest
-Flour - 3 tbsp
-Corn starch - 3 tbsp
-Butter, melted, 1/2 lb (ie, 2 sticks)
-Vanilla extract, 2 tbsp


*I've used fat free/low fat/full fat combinations on all of the dairy items, and it comes out a little differently each time, but always delicious, so feel free to sub wherever you see fit. This time I'm going light on cream cheese, because that's what Trader Joe's had yesterday...

Procedure

1. Pre-heat oven to 325F.

Mmmmm...I'm getting hungry...

2. Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored, add sugar and lemon juice.
3. In a large bowl, combine ricotta and cream cheese. Slowly mix in egg mixture and some zest.
4. Add flour and corn starch and mix. I don't have an electric mixer, so I have to beat out the lumps with some extra elbow grease. A few dry mix lumps doesn't mess it up, I promise.
5. Stir in melted butter and vanilla, and then finally the sour cream.

6. Pour into an ungreased 9" springform pan and bake 40 min to 1 hour, or whenever the top-middle looks cooked through (can check with the toothpick test).

7. After the cooking has finished, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake equilibrate in the (off) oven for 1 hour. Then place in fridge overnight (can remove the springform rim after one hour in the fridge).

Betty Crockerowitz in the hiz-ouse.

Final product + Cool Whip + Fig Compote

Afterthoughts

So I threw together some fig compote (fresh figs chopped up, sugar, a cup of water, cinnamon, and two lemon slices (skin included) into a saucepan, reduced to a hot syrupy delight), and served that atop the cheesecake with a spoonful of cool whip. The cheesecake was a hit amongst friends, and though the level of sweet was spot on mild, the consistency of the cake was still a bit heavy for my taste. I think this was the first time I made it with mostly full-fat products (I usually go no fat on the sour cream and low to no fat on the ricotta), and that may have contributed to its heft.