Unlike classic New York-style cheesecake, this lemon-ricotta cheesecake is sheathed by a simple cookie-crumb dusting, which allows it to come together in no time. Its silky texture tastes both rich and light at the same time, and though a small slice will suffice, it’s nearly impossible to resist seconds. PS: Lemon-Ricotta Pound Cake PPS: Lemon-Coconut Date Balls These are the cookies my mother always uses for her cookie crusts — they are so good and made with seven ingredients all of which you can pronounce: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda: The lemon zest is key in this cheesecake — it complements the ricotta so nicely and just adds a lovely bright flavor. Ready for its water bath: 4.9 from 22 reviews Notes:
Plan ahead! This takes time to make and bake and chill — it must chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before serving. You’ll need a 10-inch springform pan for this recipe. Ricotta: You must use whole milk ricotta here. Low-fat will leave the cheesecake with a gritty texture. Calabro brand, sold at Whole Foods, is nice. If you are serving this the same day you are making it, bake it first thing in the morning. As noted above, this can be made a day in advance. Bring to room temperature briefly before serving. Fresh ricotta versus not: Fresh is best. My mother always uses fresh, but keep in mind you will need three pounds, which can get pricey. Most recently I made two using standard grocery store ricotta, and I still thought it was completely delicious, but several commenters have not had success with non-fresh ricotta, so I am advising to use fresh ricotta only here. Cooking times will vary dramatically depending on your oven, the pan you are using for the water bath and what type of fresh ricotta you are using. Start checking at 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cookie crust is more of a cookie dusting than a crust — it melts into the cheesecake making it almost undetectable. It’s a subtle touch, but still really nice. Use whatever cookie you like, but I highly recommend the Jules Destrooper butter waffles if you can find them. This is what my mother always uses and what I use now, too. They are made of all good things — flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda — and they are delicious to boot. You also could skip the cookie coating all together for simplicity. If you have a Thermapen (highly recommend!), use it to test the temp of the cheesecake, and remove it when it reads 150-155ºF. I have never done this, but the next time I make this, I’m tempted to skip the water bath, and bake the cake on a rimmed sheet pan at 350ºF for about an hour — I’ve seen a number of recipes that skip the water bath without issue.
