Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake tart
With Blueberry Compôte, Candied Lemon Peel, and Lemon Snap Crust
In a family of cooks and bakers, no one goes home hungry from holiday get togethers. And Easter this year was no exception! After diving into a meal of some of my family's traditional Easter favorites, including my mom's famous meat pie and egg bread, we waddled our way into dessert. We enjoyed carrot cake whoopie pies, vibrantly decorated cupcakes, and this tart I adapted from cheesecake recipes past.
After receiving samples from Sweetzels and Paradise Fruit and using them together in previous recipes, I decided to marry the two again in a bright, spring inspired dessert. Blueberry and lemon are a classic flavor pairing and what better way to bring them together than with cheesecake?!
Although I looove me some traditional rich and creamy New York-style cheesecake, I am head over heels for ricotta cheesecake. The light and fluffy texture pairs deliciously with the natural sweetness of the blueberries and the zesty flavor of lemon. And just for shits and giggles, I added the neufchâtel cheese I had in my fridge to give the filling some added silkiness...and...well...it ain't called CHEESEcake for no reason.
INGREDIENTS
CRUST: 20 Sweetzels Lemon Snaps
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground clove
COMPÔTE:
2 cups frozen blueberries, divided
3 tbsp water
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
¼ cup granulated sugar
FILLING:
30 oz part-skim ricotta, well drained
4 oz neufchâtel cheese, cubed
½ cup heavy cream, room temp
4 large eggs, separated at room temp
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
GARNISH:
Fresh blueberries
Paradise Fruit Candied Lemon Peel
Fresh mint leaves
METHOD
CRUST:
In a food processor, manually pulse about 4 or 5 cookies at time until small crumbs form. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and repeat to the remaining cookies.
Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove to the cookie crumbs and mix to combine.
Stir in the melted butter until well combined and all of the crumbles are wet.
Transfer the crumbles to a 9-inch tart pan and evenly press into the bottom and up the sides. Place in the refrigerator to allow the crust to firm up.
COMPÔTE:
In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the blueberries, water, sugar and lemon juice.
Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Add the rest of the blueberries and the lemon zest and cook for an additional 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature. The compote will continue to thicken as it cools.
FILLING:
Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 325°F.
With a paper towel, remove any excess cookie crumbs from the food processor bowl and blade.
Using a sieve, sift together the flour, ginger, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Separate the eggs, placing the whites in the bowl of standing mixer and the yolks in the food processor bowl. NOTE: Be careful not to get any yolks in the whites!
Add the sugar and vanilla to the food processor with the egg yolks and process on low until thick and yellow, about 1 minute. Add the ricotta and lemon zest and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. On low speed, add the neufchâtel cheese a few cubes at a time and process until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Using the whisk attachment on the stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually fold the whites into the ricotta mixture and return to the bowl of the standing mixer.
On medium low speed, mix in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Gradually mix in the flour mixture until well combined.
Remove the crust from the refrigerator and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a large serving spoon, gradually add the ricotta mixture to the crust until just below the edge. Use a small spatula to evenly spread the ricotta mixture.
Fill a 9”x9” baking pan with about ½-inch of water and place on the bottom oven rack. Place the tart on the baking sheet on the middle oven rack and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until just set.
Remove from the oven and allow to come to room temperature.
Once the tart is cool, evenly spread the blueberry compote over the top in about a ¼-inch layer.
Line the rim of the tart with fresh blueberries and generously sprinkle candied lemon peel in the inner circle along the blueberries. Add mint leaves and more blueberries as additional garnish.
Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake Tart
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