R is for (Honey) Ricotta Cheesecake (Jennifer)

Howdy, howdy, howdy!

I'm lounging on my couch right now, recovering from a long day following last night's 10-year high school reunion! Wow, did I just say that?? Cahrazy, people. Seriously, cahrazy. But, it was fun. It was really, really fun to reminisce, look back at old yearbooks, and catch up with people I haven't seen in ages. My high school was really small--my graduating class was about 30-some odd people. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less, I can't remember. But, you can imagine, with such a small class, you get to know people pretty well.

So, along the theme of reminiscing, when I saw this week's recipe for Honey Ricotta Cheesecake, it made me think of my mom's cheesecake. The one she made from the yellowed, torn-edged, drip-stained recipe card with her handwritten "New York Cheesecake" at the top. Needless to say, when I made the Honey Ricotta Cheesecake, the bar had already been set pretty high. : )


Honey Ricotta Cheesecake
Recipe from here

Ingredients

• 8 ounces purchased biscotti
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup orange blossom or clover honey
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 4 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil.



Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.

Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the honey and orange zest. Add the eggs and pulse just until blended.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour and 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold).
Transfer the cake to a rack and cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into wedges and serve.

 Review:
On a 1-10 scale, this cheesecake ranks a 6 or 7. I liked it, but I'm not sure I would say that I loved it. The primary reason I didn't fall head over heels for it was the honey. The flavor reminded me a little of the nickel candy I would eat as a kid "Bit O' Honey." It's basically a Tootsie Roll-like candy that's made out of honey. I never really loved "Bit O' Honey", which might explain why I wasn't in love with this recipe. I think if I made it again, I would just omit the honey. The rest of the cheesecake was awesome--the smoothness, creaminess of the ricotta, hint of citrus from the orange peel. Overall, it was good, just omit the honey for me, please. : )