Ricotta Lemon Cheesecake with Biscotti Crust
I’m so hopeless, i just spent half an hour trying to link a word to a sound file. When you click on the word burp is there a way to hear a burp without leaving the page? Is that even possible in wordpress!? Am i asking too much for chrissake? Computer geeks, HELLO!? err..eh.. Why am i talking about burps!?
Well let me explain, I have a backlog of recipes to post… it’s scary! This lemon ricotta cheesecake came back from the bowels of my computer hardrive and it regurgited it with a burp sound. True story! That my friends is a sure sign your computer is rebelling. And since i want you to have an interactive experience when you visit this blog i wanted you to actually HEAR the burp! Oh gosh, what i have gotten into?.. err.. nevermind! I don’t know, strange things are happening. Since i’m about to change computer i didn’t renew my virus protection… now i hear voices and stuff appear on my screen out of the blue. I see.. i see DEAD PEOPLE!! When i started my computer today a flash gogo dancer appeared on my screen out of nowhere! What the heck!?.. Is that what happens when you don’t renew your virus protection? Did my computer get herpes? I went to my wallet looking for dollar bills and when i came back the whole system froze and crashed. I don’t know if i will make it to the end of this post. It doesn’t look good but this cheesecake does, right?
This cheesecake is inspired by the one Andrew Carmellini makes but I tweaked it a little bit to make it more zen friendly. It’s a bit more labor intensive than your average cheesecake, you start a day ahead and make your candied lemon slices and let them rest in the syrup overnight. Sing them a lullaby if you wish, it only makes them more tender. The amount of sugar used in the syrup might sound excessive but you can re-use it for other citrus, i candied some kumquats in it and they were excellent. For the cheesecake you make a nice biscotti crust which is a nice departure from the usual graham crackers, make sure you use only plain biscottis though, any flavoring such as cinnamon would throw the balance off. I used a mixture of ricotta and cream cheese for the cheesecake part, you could do it all ricotta or all cream cheese if you prefer. I think the mix of the two is just right but i’ve been wrong before… once.. a long long time ago. 
Enjoy!
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Ricotta Lemon Cheesecake with Biscotti Crust
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- Adapted from Andrew Carmellini
- Serves 6 to 8
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For the candied lemon slices:
- 3 lemons
- 6 cups sugar
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For the biscotti crust:
- 12 plain biscotti
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter, melted
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For the cheesecake:
- 1 1/2 cup fresh ricotta
- 1 cup cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- zest of 2 lemons
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For the candied lemon slices:
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- Freeze the lemons for 30 minutes. Meanwhile combine 3 cups of sugar and 4 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Slice the lemons (not your fingers!) as thin as possible. Add them to the syrup and cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, let it rest for 10 minutes and carefully strain the lemon slices, discard the syrup.
- Start again the process by combining the remaining 3 cups of sugar with 3 cups of water, bring to a low simmer, add the lemon slices, cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let it cool. Place in an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight. Sing it a lullaby.
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For the biscotti crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325′F.
- Process the biscotti to fine crumbs in a food processor.
- In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix with a fork until incorporated.
- Line a 9 inches tart pan with the mixture, pressing down with your fingers. Proceed to stuff yourself with the leftover crumbs.
- Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let it cool. No i didn’t say you’re cool!.. eh.. Okay you are!
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For the cheesecake:
- Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, heavy cream, and lemon zest in a food processor and mix until combined, about 2 minutes.
- Fill the cooled crust with the cheesecake mixture and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. It should stop wiggling when you shake it and a knife inserted should come out clean.
- Let it cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Better overnight i think but i’ve been wrong before.. eh.. a long long long time ago.
- When ready to serve, arrange the candied lemon slices over the top in zee beautiful’ pattern.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:36 am
c’est sympa ton nouveau site, j’aime bien le style classe et épuré. tout comme cette recette! ciao
April 7th, 2009 at 6:50 am
Very stylish looking cheesecake. I’m intrigued by the candied lemon slices – they look beautiful on top of the dish
April 7th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Hilarious – you’re so funny. I’m loving this cheesecake – it looks fantastic!
And EVERYONE is switching to WP…I made the switch too. It shole wasn’t easy – but I think I almost have the hang of it now.
April 7th, 2009 at 9:21 am
This looks so simple and fresh- the perfect spring dessert. I’ve just recently discovered using ricotta in baked desserts and have several lemons sitting in the fridge. Just might have to try this!
Thanks for sharing,
Siri
April 7th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Looks so good! Absolutely dreamy!
April 7th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Lemon and cheesecake, Mmmmm! You should go to avast.com, you can get some virus protection for free! Really!
April 7th, 2009 at 10:24 am
We want to hear the story of when you were wrong that once! Spill the beans! Ok, you don’t have to if you deliver a slice of this jewel of a cheesecake at the embassy by 11am.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I love those candied lemon slices atop the cheesecake, which also looks delish.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Beautiful Itailan cheesecake! I love the flavors of lemon and ricotta together. I highly recommend these meyer lemon ricotta cookies!
April 7th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Beautiful tart Mr. Zen! I love lemon and most definitely love lemon tart.
Cheers,
elra
April 7th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
biscotti crust??? yummy!
April 7th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Wow, this is refreshing…tangy and cheesy. My Piggies would love this for their dessert. Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe:)
April 7th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
That looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it!!!
April 7th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Great new domain – and delicious looking tart – love the thinly sliced lemons on top.
April 7th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
This is too funny, I was planning on making a lemon cheesecake this weekend and was wondering how to do candied lemons for the top… what perfect timing! I just made some Meyer lemon marmalade and was thinking about running a swirl of that through the middle too.
April 7th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
“Did my computer get herpes?” was the line that made me shoot a lovely viognier out of my nose and onto my shiny iMac. Thanks!
I do feel you on the backlog of posts though. It’s actually been a bit of a blessing for me since I haven’t really cooked anything worth posting in the past week and a half.
This cheesecake looks delicious!
April 7th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Ugh! That’s why I hate computers! Computers are the worst!
April 8th, 2009 at 2:25 am
WOW! great dessert and a fantastic new blog! awesome!
April 8th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Oh dear. You were a victim of the Blue Screen of Death and to add insult to injury, your computer BURPED at you. Bad computer!!!
Sing the lemons a lullaby? Is it possible for lemons to run screaming from the room?
I do love the recipe. I anxiously await the coming postings of those backlogs (but not so anxious that you should feel pressure or anything).
April 8th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Loving the new blog zen, especially your little icon and the tag cloud. cute
)
April 9th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I have been craving cheesecake for the longest time. This does not help. Unless you have saved some for me, you are no longer my friend. So there.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Plain biscotti? You mean I can’t use chocolate chip ones? Ha ha ha. I didn’t realize till the close-up that those were lemon slices, and not a glaze! Beautiful! (You know labor-intensivity does not get to me.
Sorry to hear about the computer. Stop clicking on porn sites!
April 9th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
That cheesecake looks awesome! And so does the new site!
April 10th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Hi Zenchef, I love your idea of using Bizcotti crust. Lemon cheesecake is so refreshing. Great idea for Spring.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
OMG! Zen! congrats on your new home sweet home.
love it , love it , love it! i just said to my mum that you are cute , i said that when i was reading your profile. loads of love from kuala lumpur x
April 10th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
This looked so good I had to make it for my guests last night. It came out great. I skipped the lemon slices as I didn’t have time and went with fresh whipcream. Also I have to disagree with you on the crust….I used anise flavored biscotti, it really popped with the lemon. Thanks for the recipe.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I adore the idea of this recipe. Biscotti crust? Brilliant. Last cheesecake I made, I used the shortbread Girl Scout cookies… those were good too. And candied lemon slices? Oh yum!
April 11th, 2009 at 12:06 am
a bit late, but congrats on your new home on the blogosphere!! the cheesecake looks amazing! i’ve only ever used digestive biscuits for the crust.
April 11th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Hey Zen. Congrats on your new blog – nice design and layout. Love it!!! nice looking cake. I have once tried lemon ricotta cake but found it bland. Maybe there was something wrong with teh recipe:) Your cake looks yummy!
April 11th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
i love you
i want this
it looks EXCELLENT
April 12th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
OK, so I made the candied lemons, I just have one toute petite suggestion: Instead of discarding the syrup the lemons are cooked in, strain it and save for use in cocktails whenever a simple syrup is called for (as long as the flavors don’t clash), or combine it with fresh lemon juice and a little water to make lemonade!
April 13th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Zen – This looks amazing! This is my first time to your site and I must say – I am totally impressed and I will be here everyday!
zesty
April 26th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Wow! That looks delectable! I really do love cheesecakes =)
May 10th, 2009 at 11:25 am
geeeez food porn much?
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:17 am
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