FridayLicious: Limoncello Cheesecake

Thank God It’s Friday… Thank God It’s Delicious!

Do you enjoy savoring a slice of cake with your coffee but don’t enjoy so much baking? Or, unfortunately for your husband and little ones, you would bake everything you could but your relationship with the oven is a love-hate affair that tends to lean a little bit more towards the “hate’? This Friday Rometti Limoncello has a delicious recipe for you that does not require baking: Limoncello Cheesecake. Well, there is a little baking, but it consists in only letting the crust sit!

Cheesecakes are very popular in the United States. If you ask around, some people will even tell you that Cheesecakes are an American invention, which is partially true and partially not. Believe it or not, the ancient Greek were already mastering the art of Cheesecakes, although at the time Cheesecakes were used for religious uses and had a very different taste. It took the introduction in 1872 of American cream cheese to develop the modern Cheesecake we all so love today. And once again, like for other cooking ingredients, cream cheese was nothing less than a mistake! In fact a dairyman called William Lawrence  from Chester, NY,  is the one to claim for such a popular dairy ingredient which he accidentally made while he was trying to reproduce the French Neufchatel cheese. Mr. Lawrence was the founder of Philadelphia brand Cream Cheese. The rest is history.

Just FYI shall you want to make this Limoncello Cheesecake a little more Italian-style, you can substitute cream cheese with ricotta.

Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter – melted
8 ounces cream cheese – softened
8 ounces frozen whipped topping – thawed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Rometti Limoncello

Preheat oven oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Stir together crust ingredients. Press firmly and evenly in bottom of pie plate.
Bake 9 minutes. Cool 20 minutes.
In the bowl of your mixer, beat cheesecake ingredients on medium speed until smooth; spoon over crust.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

~Enjoy!
Recipe and image copyright of Paula Jones with Bellalimento

Happy Hour Tuesday: Strawberry Ricotta Gelato Fizz

Happy Hour Tuesday!

Some days it seems like Happy Hour never comes soon enough. When you really need a break during a hard working afternoon, you might find it hard to make up your mind between having a drink or a snack. To satisfy both your thirst and food cravings Rometti has an incredible recipe for you to try: Strawberry Ricotta Gelato Fizz. Gelato is always a delicious, light and nutritious snack, and when you add some alcohol to it, the taste is even more effervescent.
Strawberry Ricotta Gelato Fizz has the sweetness of a dessert and the dryness of sparkling wine, yet the crispiness of the wine accentuates the fruity taste of ricotta. Finally the zesty flavor of Rometti Limoncello highlights the cider aroma of Prosecco.
Make some of these eat-and-drink treats in advance to be able to enjoy them anytime of day.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings):

For the Strawberry Ricotta Gelato:
2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Zest of 2 lemons
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Rometti Limoncello
1 cup milk
1 cup finely chopped strawberries

For the Lemon Strawberry Sauce:
1/2 pint strawberries, rinsed and dried
1/3 cup (1 3/8 ounces) confectioners’ sugar + more to taste
2 tablespoons Rometti Limoncello
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch table salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Prosecco, Cava or sparkling water

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, place ricotta, sugar, vanilla paste or extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and Rometti Limoncello. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl with a silicone spatula. Add milk and process again until thoroughly blended.
Transfer mixture to an ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Add chopped strawberries after ice cream is finished and run machine until they are just incorporated. Remove finished product from maker and put into freezer safe container.
Freeze at least 4 hours.

Put the strawberries, confectioners’ sugar, limoncello or vodka, lemon juice and salt in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and well blended. Taste and add more confectioners’ sugar or liqueur accordingly. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl or 2-cup measure, pressing firmly on the seeds. Discard the seeds. Stir in the lemon zest and cover and refrigerate until ready to serve or up to 3 days.
Before serving, mix the strawberry mixture with an equal amount of Prosecco and stir until blended. Fill the glass with the strawberry mixture and serve with a spoon.
We found this unbelievable, packed-with-flavor recipe Creative Culinary (http://www.creative-culinary.com/2012/08/strawberry-ricotta-gelato-prosecco/). We hope you love it as much as we do!

~ENJOY!