Recipes

Holiday and party ideas

Creamy Ricotta-Apricot Cheesecake

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. For the crust, spray a 18-cm springform pan with non-stick vegetable spray.
3. Crush graham crackers, and mix with almond extract and margarine. Press into the bottom of the springform pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes until golden brown, and cool.
5. For the filling, sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup cold water and let stand 5-10 minutes, until softened.
6. Bring ¾ cup skim milk and sugar to a boil in a non-stick saucepan.
7. Mix cornstarch into the other ¼ cup cold skim milk, and add to boiling milk mixture, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken, and then continue to cook for 1 minute longer over low heat.
8. Stir in softened gelatin, and continue to cook for about 1 minute until all of the gelatin has dissolved. Cool slightly.
9. Beat ricotta cheese and brandy until combined. Put ricotta mixture through a sieve, followed immediately by the "cream mixture". Cool and reserve.
10. Beat egg whites until stiff, then add the non-fat yogurt to the beaten egg whites, slowly folding together with a wire whisk.
11. Add sieved ricotta cheese mixture and fold together.
12. Pour "ricotta custard" into prepared springform pan, and refrigerate for ½ hour.
13. Remove from the refrigerator, and pour thinned apricot jam in strips across top of cake. Then draw a knife through it to form a marbleized pattern.
14. Continue to refrigerate dessert for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.