And necessity.. it is the mother of invention.

First, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who wished me well over the past week while I was sick. I spent a week away from my kitchen, but it was a much needed respite.

But the kitchen called! And in more ways than just a shout. A week away from the fridge means strange things start piling up, and strange things start.. well, you know what happens when you leave things in the fridge too long.

Needless to say, I had a stockpile of ricotta that was screaming to get used. Rather than go and buy all new stuff, I decided to go ahead and use the pantry staples for this recipe. Its cold outside, can you blame me for not wanting to go to the store?

And what does one make when they have too much ricotta and a very big sweet tooth?

Sicilian cheesecake.

Its just like regular cheesecake, only completely different. *smile*
Just like the language. So close to Italian, yet so completely different.

Not that I know for personal experience. I’m not Italian or Sicilian. I’m not Greek.. I’m in no way Mediterranean at all, actually, not even by heritage. My family is Irish and German for the most part, although there may be a little sprinkling of Italian in there, since my mom does have beautiful olive toned skin.

..but you wouldn’t know that looking at me. I’m pasty white, cant catch a tan to save my life. I freckle. I have reddish brown hair. I have green eyes.

Still, I have dreams of living on the Mediterranean sea. I see myself dressed in a loose white cap sleeve dress, ballet flats with my hair loose, flowing in the sea breeze. Maybe I’d tuck it behind my ears, or maybe I’d tie it back with a bright red ribbon. I’d ride my Vespa through the towns, delighting in the sounds of the tires against the cobblestone streets.

I’d smile at the people walking along the street. Perhaps an elderly woman with a cane and specticles, wearing a dark coloured sweater over her brightly coloured and festively patterned dress would walk into view and smile back at me. Perhaps an elderly man would tip his hat.

I’d see lovers speaking their special language by fountains, followed by tourists who eagerly snap their photos as souvenirs of such a magical place.

Of course it goes without saying, I would stop at one of the many open air markets and marvel at such glorious goods. Fresh artesian breads, buffalo mozzarella, all the fruits and veggies and meats and just so many delicious offerings. Stopping into a small bakery, tucked between the cannoli and tiramisu, perhaps I’d find one of these-

And I’d buy it, and subsequently eat the whole thing.

…I have a feeling that if I did in fact live anywhere near Italy, after a few trips to “the local bakery” I’d have to trade in my Vespa for a Hoveround, and my cute little cap sleeve dress for something more like a muumuu.

Sicilian Cheesecake

Shortbread pastry *recipe following this one*
3 cups ricotta cheese (1-1/2 lbs.)
1/3 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon almond extract
1/4 cup chopped dried fruit (optional) I just threw in a handful of finely chopped dried apricots.
confectioner’s sugarSteps
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Line a deep, 9-inch pie pan with rolled pie pastry.

Force the ricotta through a fine sieve. Mix in the sugar and the almond extract.

Mix the egg yolks one at a time into the ricotta, add the dried fruit, and blend well. In a separate container beat the egg whites until fluffy and stiff, then mix them into the ricotta. Fold together well.

Pour this filling into the prepared (unbaked) pie shell.

Bake in a preheated 375° F. oven for 45 minutes, or until set (for me, this ended up being about an hour). Turn off the oven, open the door, and let the pie cool in the oven for about 20 minutes. Allow to fully cool on a cooling rack before refrigerating over night.

Spread the top with your choice of fruit preserves. I used a low sugar apricot preserve. It only took about a quarter cup to cover the top. dust with powdered sugar and slice to serve.
Shortbread pastry

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
Milk (if needed)

Toss together the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into cubes, and working with one half first, pinch the butter into the flour/sugar mixture as you would for any pie crust. After breaking down the first half of the butter into what looks like corn meal, add the second half of the butter. This should bring the mixture together. If you find that the mixture is still crumbly, add cold milk by the tablespoon until the dough gathers into a ball, but isn’t sticky.

You’ll use about half of the dough for your Sicilian cheesecake, and you can keep the second half in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can roll out the second half and make it into shortbread cookies. Just bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

A few things of note about this cheesecake.

It has quite a different texture than typical cheesecake. Ricotta is more granular than cream cheese, so.. the cheesecake retains much of that textural difference. I must say though, it is still quite creamy, and the flavour is so smooth and light. Also, unlike typical cheesecake, this cake is lighter and fluffier, and no where near as dense. I didn’t feel laid out after taking a few bites.

Another thing, this cheesecake isn’t NEARLY as sweet as typical cheesecake. I added the preserves on top because it was almost disturbingly UN-sweet. This is definitely something you could make for someone who isn’t a fan of sweets, but still would like a dessert. A little dark chocolate sauce, and you’re set.

Also, the top of the cake will crack. This is fine. When the cake cools, the top of the cake will shrink more than the base, so the sides of the cake will sort of angle inward. Thats normal too. The preserves and the powdered sugar cover all of those sins, so don’t worry about appearances.
I’m actually pretty impressed with this cheesecake. Its not something you’d want to make if you wanted a regular cheesecake, but rather something you’d make if you wanted something a little different.

If you want a regular cheesecake, may I recommend this recipe- The best cheesecake on the planet- because I made it last year, and I’ve made it a few times since, and it really is the best cheesecake recipe on the planet.

This one is pretty darn good too though!

-A.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 3:39 am and is filed under January 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.