I first had a Ricotta Cheesecake in a Gastropub in downtown Seattle. Vanilla with a lemon curd topping, wow! I knew I had to make it at home. I found a recipe for the Vanilla Ricotta Cheesecake, and the lemon curd online, but I knew I was going to be making 50 (actually 60+) individually plated servings for my “Handcrafted” party. I didn’t want slices on a plate, I wanted each molded in a square bowl. The answer was to cook it sous vide and then pipe it into the bowls ahead of time. I adapted the recipe and it worked great and was the hit of the day.

This recipe is cooked conventionally so don’t panic. The result of mixing the “batter” with a electric beater is a light, whipped, dessert very unlike the American Cheesecake. I also use less sugar making it a perfect ending if you don’t want to waddle away from the table.

For Cheesecake:

2 cups persimmon puree (about 4-5 med persimmons very ripe)

2 lbs whole milk ricotta cheese

1/3 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

6 eggs

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

For Crust:

2 cups finely chopped walnuts

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tbls butter melted

For Topping:

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup persimmon puree

2-1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 Tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the cheesecake ingredients together in a mixing bowl and beat thoroughly until smooth with an electric hand mixer. Butter and flour the inside of a 9 inch spring-form pan. Combine the walnuts, butter and sugar in a bowl  and press into the pan firmly and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Pour the batter into the pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake about 60 minutes or until a knife blade inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a rack and refrigerate.

Combine the powdered sugar and 2 cups of the heavy cream in a mixing bowl and whip into stiff peaks. Add the rest of the topping ingredients in a bowl and whisk together over a double boiler until cooked through (FDA says 160 degrees). At this point I set the bowl in an ice bath to chill quickly. Next fold in the whipped cream.

After the cheesecake is cooled room temperature release the spring form and spread the topping over the cake. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

* Optional Garnish with plain whipped cream