wolit@mhuxd.uucp (Jan Wolitzky) (03/20/87)
CHEESECAKE-7(D) USENET Cookbook CHEESECAKE-7(D)
CHEESECAKE 7
CHEESECAKE-7 - Amaretto-amaretti chocolate cheesecake
This is adapted from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate
Desserts, (Knopf 1980). It won me a blue ribbon at the
Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Exhibition and Fair in 1983.
If you ever find yourself in front of a firing squad, this
makes an unbeatable last request.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 16)
CRUST
7 oz Amaretti (see note)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (1 square)
5 Tbsp sweet butter
FILLING
6 oz semisweet chocolate
7 oz Amaretti
4 oz almond paste
1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur
1 1/2 lb cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs (large or extra-large)
1/2 cup heavy cream
PROCEDURE (CRUST)
(1) Butter the sides only (not the bottom) of a 9-inch
spring-form pan (2 1/2-3 inches deep).
(2) Grind the Amaretti very fine in a food processor
or blender. Mix with sugar in a mixing bowl.
(3) Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a dou-
ble boiler, stirring occasionally. Add the melted
mixture to the Amaretti crumbs and sugar and mix
thoroughly. (Don't wash the double boiler;
you'll be using it again in a minute.)
(4) Turn the mixture into the prepared pan. With your
fingers, distribute it evenly over the bottom and
press it down into a very firm, compact layer.
Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
PROCEDURE (FILLING)
(1) Adjust rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven and
preheat to 350 deg. F.
(2) Partially melt chocolate in the top of a double
boiler, then uncover and stir until completely
melted. Remove the top of the double boiler and
set aside to cool.
(3) Break the Amaretti coarsely into a bowl and set
aside.
(4) Cut the almond paste into small pieces, and beat
on low speed with an electric mixer, while gradu-
ally adding the Amaretto liqueur. Beat until
thoroughly mixed, and set aside.
(5) Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until
smooth. Add the sugar and beat until smooth
again. Add the almond paste-Amaretto mixture and
beat until thoroughly mixed. Add the melted cho-
colate and beat well again. Add the eggs one at a
time, beating at low speed until they are incor-
porated after each addition. Add the heavy cream
and beat until smooth. Add the coarsely broken
Amaretti and stir gently only to mix.
(6) Turn into the prepared pan, pouring the mixture
over the bottom crust. Rotate the pan gently to
level the batter. (Don't worry if the mixture
comes almost to the top; it won't run over.)
(7) Bake 45 minutes. It will seem soft and not done,
but don't bake any more; it will become firm when
chilled. The top of the cake is supposed to look
bumpy because of the large chunks of Amaretti.
(8) Let cool completely at room temperature, then
carefully remove the sides of the pan and refri-
gerate the cake (still on the bottom of the pan)
for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.
NOTES
Amaretti are Italian almond-flavored wafer cookies. They are
usually sold in metal tins with the wafers wrapped in pack-
ages of two inside the tin. You can also buy Amarettini,
which are the same flavor but much smaller and not individu-
ally wrapped. Since you're going to grind some of the wafers
and break the others into chunks, it doesn't matter which
size you start with. One brand is Amaretti di Saronna, Laz-
zaroni & Co.
This is an expensive cake, both in terms of the cost of the
ingredients ($15-$20) and the number of calories.
RATING
Difficulty: moderate to hard. Time: 30 minutes preparation,
45 minutes baking, overnight cooling. Precision: measure
ingredients carefully.
CONTRIBUTOR
Jan Wolitzky
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA
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