Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

 Tom and I love cheesecake. He often brings home slices from Aldi (frozen). They come with a variety of toppings, are single servings and really can't be beat. There was no sense for me to try to make homemade ... other than I saw this recipe which looked incredible and felt compelled to give it a try.

 I've never made cheesecake before. I mentioned to Tom that I'd have to buy a springform pan. A week ago he came home with a 9" Wilton pan. I was therefore committed.

 The recipe for this Italian Ricotta Cheesecake is here.

 I have a few notes for future reference:

1. Make sure to snugly cover the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil. I used several layers. Springform pans will slightly leak (test yours with water first and see). It's best to have a snug covering on the base to collect any leakage.

2. Even so, I sat the springform pan on a cake drip pan ... just to be sure. A little water can be added to the cake pan for a "water bath". It'll increase the humidity in the oven and is said to prevent splitting. I used very little water (not enough apparently) and my cheesecake did develop a split atop. It's not a problem, though, and easily filled with a fruit topping.

3. Ricotta cheese was in a 15 ounce package at Kroger's, Close enough to the pound the recipe calls for.

4. Baking time was 1.5 hours for me. I wouldn't even consider a shorter time.

5. I was mostly concerned about the instruction to "turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven with door closed for 2 more hours". That seemed excessive to me. But that's exactly what I did and it was perfect.

6. The cheesecake takes many hours to cool once removed from the oven. Only place it in the refrigerator when it is completely cooled. Do not slice it until it is cold.

 The cheesecake has just completed 1.5 hours of baking. The top is a beautiful golden-brown.You can see my foil wrap in this picture.

 The next day I removed the cake from the springform pan. I ran a knife around the edge (probably not necessary because it had slightly shrunk back from the edge of the pan) and the pan lifted off easily. One crack developed on the top but the cake could be cut to hide that ... and fill with fruit.

 First slice! The cheesecake cut perfectly. Add some cherry or blueberry pie filling and you have a perfect (though high calorie) dessert. They're about 500 calories per slice.

 Cheesecake takes some time (mostly baking and resting) but it's well worth the effort.