| Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 40 mins | Total Time: 60 mins |
| Serves: 9 servings | Oven Temp: 375° F |
Here is an unusual dessert that combines whipped ricotta cheese with orange zest, cocoa, and cinnamon. It is baked in a cookie crust and served with coffee swizzled with cinnamon sticks. No eggs or sour cream are used.
From: My Great Recipes, 1981
INGREDIENTS
| ½ | c | AP flour |
| ½ | c | whole wheat flour |
| ¼ | c | sugar |
| ½ | c | butter |
| 1-2 | T | orange liqueur, optional |
| 2 | c | ricotta cheese |
| ¼ | c | powdered sugar |
| 3 | T | finely chopped almonds |
| ¼ | t | orange zest |
| ½ | t | vanilla |
| 1 | T | cocoa |
| ¼ | t | cinnamon |
| Orange slices and zest for garnish |
STEPS
- Combine the flours and sugar. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Press into 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with the liqueur, if used.
- Beat the ricotta cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, almonds, orange zest, vanilla, cocoa, and cinnamon. Spoon into the crust.
- Bake at 375° F for 35-40 mins or until top is firm. Cool. Cut and serve at room temperature. Garnish with orange zest and orange slices.
TIPS
- If a lower calorie dessert is desired, eliminate the crust, whip filling, and serve small scoops of it, unbaked, on a plate with Italian biscuits which are low in fat and sugar.
My Notes
This is unusual and delicious. This is more of a bar than a cheesecake, but I really don’t care. These can taste like those beautiful orange cream chocolates.
Use naval oranges for the zest, since they tend to have more flavor than Valencia, and less bitter pith. Use dutch processed cocoa powder for a really deep flavor, but that can be harder to find.
What is Ricotta Cheese?
Ricotta means Recooked in Italian. Why is this?
Ricotta is a “whey cheese”. In traditional cheesemaking, the milk separates into curds, the solids, and whey, the liquid. The curds are taken out and pressed to form cheese. This is where our favorite cheeses come from.
What do cheesemakers do with the whey? Well, there is a small amount of curd left behind in the whey, and traditional ricotta (along with other whey cheese) is made of this.
Cheesemakers add a little whole milk and an acid (usually citrus juice or vinegar) to the whey, then heat the mixture. This causes the remaining curds to start to coagulate. (You can see this happen if you mix lemon juice with milk.) The curds will solidify and get larger. Eventually, you can empty the pot into a cheesecloth and strain. Once all remaining whey is gone, you’ll have fluffy, white ricotta.
While using leftover whey is the traditional method, commercial ricotta is made from whole milk instead of whey.
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