This week’s recipe for Cook the Book Fridays comes from Dorie Greenspan’s latest cookbook, Everyday Dorie and is one I can’t wait to make for a crowd (original recipe serves 16!). It’s one that requires a bit of time and patience – it bakes a long time, cools in the oven a long time and needs (ideally) an overnight chill in the fridge. But patience pays off because this really is a winner. Dorie calls for the ricotta to be drained but mine didn’t need to be so that was one less step for my version but that’s something to take into account in your planning too.
Of course I didn’t make a full-sized cheesecake, given we’re still not able to gather with many people and cheesecake isn’t an easy thing to do porch dropoff with so….. minifying it was! I made 1/3 of the recipe (full-sized recipe called for 3 eggs so it’s easy to divide by the eggs to make a smaller amount) and used three 4-inch springform pans for 6 servings, it was the perfect amount.
When the cheesecake bakes it does puff and mine cracked slightly too and when it cooled, the pretty puff had settled to flabby creases that didn’t look exactly like Dorie’s photo but that I thought were quite rustic and charming. I also knew that with a slick of honey glaze and some tangerine segments, those imperfections wouldn’t be so noticeable (I was right!).
The texture of this is lovely – not dense at all, more “fluffy” (thanks to the ricotta/ cream cheese blend) and it would be easy to change up the flavours – it’s a lovely blank slate without the citrus zest/ toppings etc… This version doesn’t have a crust at all – it’s got a “crumb coat” around the edges of the buttered pan but this would definitely work with a graham crumb crust too (next time).
I’ll tuck this recipe in my back pocket as a “go to” cheesecake for our next gathering with a larger group of people. It really is a winner!
Get the recipe for Dorie Greenspan’s Tangerine-Topped Cheesecake on page 270 of Everyday Dorie and there’s also a version here.
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Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Everyday Dorie” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions 100% my own.
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Yes, this was lovely.
Had me itching to open a Moscatel de Setubal from Portugal…
mr. neil is good with the wine pairings. 🙂 i like the way yours settled- so cute! i thought the same about making a graham crust next time…i like the crust as much as the filling!
After reading your post, I realized I didn’t butter the side of the pan. As a result, the crack came around the edges, making it hard to release. You can hardly see any crack on your cake. This is truly a lovely “blank slate” of a cheesecake.
oh my – yes it would have needed butter on the side of the pan for sure!
Very cute and great photo with the oranges. I will tell you from experience that the bigger the pan, 10 inch in recipe, the less puff and sagging you will have. Either way it tastes good.
This does take patience to get the final product but I think all my tasters would say it was totally worth it haha. Loved your picture with the oranges 😍
ooh! so smart Mardi! Why didn’t we think about making a smaller cheesecake?
haha, oh well! we gave away cheese cake to several people on our floor and around us! Everyone on our wing had the opportunity to have cheesecake!