Amaretto Ricotta Cheesecake
from https://www.tasteofhome.com/

One reviewer substituted blueberries for the cranberries in the garnish and she said everyone said they were the best part.

FMM: I made this cheesecake to take to Candace’s when she was hosting the Feast of the Seven Fishes one year. We all liked it, it was creamier than I thought it would be being make with ricotta cheese, and the cranberries were quite interesting, but good. It does not have a bottom crust, but I had no problem getting the cheesecake pieces off of the pan. Although I would probably not make this cheesecake again, as the Amaretto was not noticeable and I prefer a New York style cheesecake, it is a good option for anyone interested in ricotta cheesecakes.

2-3/4 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup amaretto
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
5 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto

Garnish:
1 tablespoon light corn syrup [I used 1/4 c water with 1/3 cup sugar instead per the note below]
1 cup fresh cranberries [frozen do not work]
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Line a strainer or colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth or 1 coffee filter; place over a bowl. Place ricotta in prepared strainer; cover ricotta with sides of cheesecloth. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove ricotta from cheesecloth; discard liquid in bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and amaretto. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and drained ricotta until smooth. Beat in amaretto mixture. Add eggs [most recipes have you add the eggs one at a time]; beat on low speed just until blended.

Pour into a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until center is almost set, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Let stand 5 minutes on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients; spread over top of cheesecake. [Do not spread the topping to the edge of the pan otherwise you get a ragged edge when you loosen the sides of the pan in the next step. Just take it to the edge of the cake.] Bake 5 minutes longer.

Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim from pan.

For garnish, place corn syrup in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, until warm, about 10 seconds. Add cranberries; toss to coat. [1 tablespoon of corn syrup does not seem like enough. Use simple syrup instead. See below.] Place sugar in a small bowl; add cranberries and toss to coat. Place on waxed paper and let stand until set, about 1 hour. [They are ready when the sugar is slightly firm, forming a crust.]

[Most recipes make a simple syrup, 1 part water to 1 1/2 part sugar - bring to simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. While still hot, toss cranberries in syrup, cover and let steep overnight otherwise the cranberries are quite tart. Because the cranberries are added while the simple syrup is still hot they will cook just slightly, softening them and lessening the tartness they have when eaten raw. Place cranberries, without touching, on wire rack and let dry for 1 hour, toss in granulated sugar, let dry for 1 hour.

Flavoring the syrup: Adding a little vanilla extract, or steeping the simple syrup with orange zest, will add a little extra flavor to the cranberries.

Store them lightly covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few days. If they start to look a little wet, toss them in a little more sugar.

You can also sugar rosemary and it looks like pine sprigs with snow on them. Just dip the rosemary in the simple syrup, let dry until tacky and sprinkle with sugar.]

Top cheesecake with almonds and sugared cranberries.

16 servings