Italicana Kitchen Cheesecake with Blood Orange Strawberry Sauce
 
Ingredients
For the Crust:
  • 2½ cups (300g) graham crackers
  • ½ cup (120g) butter, melted
  • ½ tsp (2g) cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon (21g) all natural maple syrup
For the Filling:
  • 1 cup (250g) ricotta, drained, at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup (140g) goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 cups (750g) original cream cheese (not light), at room temperature
  • ½ cup (150g) greek yogurt, room temperature
  • ½ cup (125g) plain yogurt, room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) lemon zest (1/4 to ½ of lemon, depending on size)
  • Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons flour
For the Blood Orange Strawberry Sauce:
  • 14oz (400g) fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled
  • 1 blood orange, rind removed and chopped
  • 3 mint leaves + more for decoration
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
  1. Finely grind graham crackers in a blender then pour into a medium sized bowl.
  2. Add the melted butter, cinnamon and maple syrup and stir until combined.
  3. Press the mixture into a generously buttered 9½ inch (24 cm) springform pan and distribute evenly along the bottom as well as up the sides leaving an inch or so from the top of the rim. Place in the refrigerator for ½ hour or freezer for 10 minutes.
  4. Heat the oven to 325 f (160 C) and arrange the rack in the middle of the oven.
  5. Using a large spoon, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, cream cheese, greek yogurt, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean seeds and nutmeg. Mix well.
  6. Stir in the eggs one at a time then the flour and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix.
  7. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and spread it out evenly. Set the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes. The outside edge will be rigid but the center should jiggle when the pan is gently shaken. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour.
  8. Remove from oven, then run a knife on the inside edge of the springform pan. This will help prevent cracking when cooling. Allow the cheesecake to cool on a baking rack for 2-3 hours before transferring it to the refrigerator for another 5-6 hours, although best if cooled overnight.
  9. In the meantime, puree’ the strawberries, orange and mint leaves in a blender. Pour into a saucepan and add the cornstarch. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to airtight container and cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before use. (If you want the sauce to be sweeter add ¼-1/2 cup sugar when you add the cornstarch).
  10. When ready to serve, take out the cheesecake and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Unlock and remove the outer ring and place the cheese cake on a serving dish keeping the springform pan base still intact. Evenly distribute the blood orange strawberry sauce on top. Slice, decorate with mint leaves, if desired, and serve.
  11. The cheesecake can be conserved int the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The cheesecake (or slices) can also be frozen for up to 2 months without the topping. Simply wrap with plastic wrap then foil and freeze. Allow the cheesecake/slices to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Recipe by Italicana Kitchen at https://italicanakitchen.com/italicana-kitchen-cheesecake-blood-orange-strawberry-sauce/