Friday, April 17, 2009

Limoncello Cheesecake Squares

I can't bring myself to edit these last 2 pages of chapter 6. Why? It means I'll have to start editing chapter 5 again, and I can't remember if I left it in decent or horrible shape. So, I think I'll post one of my favorite recipes of all time, something I could eat by the pan, and the thing I told Giada "thank you" for when I met her at the SoBe Wine/Food Festival: Limoncello Cheesecake Squares (Giada de Laurentiis).

I made this recipe yesterday and ended up drinking about 1/4 cup of the batter, raw eggs & all. Mmmmmm. Honestly, it's my favorite part about making anything dessert-like - eating the batter. Anyway, this dessert is perfect for spring and summer; they're rich, but light at the same time. I have been known to spice them up with a homemade blueberry compote (combine blueberries, some water, and sugar and citrus zest over medium heat; cook until blueberries have burst and it turns into a gelatinous mixture, cool and serve). However, these are perfect all by themselves. Make them exactly according to her directions. It's perfect the way it is. I don't use "fresh" ricotta, but I do drain the regular kind using a cheesecloth. It makes a huge, huge, ginormous difference. Wring the ricotta out using a cloth towel over a bowl; be amazed at the amount of liquid that comes out of it. I ran out of biscotti yesterday, so I changed my crust to part biscotti/part graham crackers, and it worked like a charm. Also, difficult as it will be not to eat the cheesecake as soon as it's remotely cooled down, you absolutely must let it chill for 8 hours in the fridge before eating. Trust me. I tried eating it yesterday after only about 4 hours, and it wasn't the same.

No feminist theory today. It is Friday, after all. Just go make a cheesecake and enjoy your weekend.

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