Ingredients for an approximately 26 cm diameter cheesecake: For the base:200 g Stracci (= red wine biscuits)100 g shelled walnuts3 egg whites50 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 tbsp Honey *** For the filling:500 g ricotta120 g Honey2 lemons (only the zest)3 eggs1 tbsp rice starch *** For the decoration on top: 3-4 tbsp La Fragolina 5 or 6 strawberries
Coarsely chop the Stracci biscuits and walnuts and mix them with the lightly beaten egg whites, the honey and the oil. Mix well and put the mixture in a cake tin, lined with grease proof paper, to form a base about 2 cm thick.
Put the ricotta, eggs, honey, grated lemon zest and spoonful of rice starch into a bowl and mix with a whisk (or in a blender if you prefer).
Pour this cream into the cake tin on top of the base you prepared before and then bake in a preheated oven, at 180 °C, for approximately 25 minutes. Once out of the oven, leave the Cheesecake to cool – now it’s ready to serve.
You can prepare the cheesecake the day before and, once cold, keep it in the fridge until about an hour before serving: it’ll be even more delicious.
At the Fattoria, for fruit lovers, Francesco (La Vialla's pastry chef) “colours” the cheesecake – just before serving – with 3-4 spoonfuls of La Fragolina and some sliced strawberries.
Buon dolce appetito!