Citrus Breakfast Cheesecake
I figured that “Citrus: Part Two” wouldn’t be near as appealing as cheesecake…
Fruit curds are scrumptious-thick, rich spreads made from fruit, sugar, eggs and butter. And no, they most certainly are not health food! But like jam, a little bit can add amazing flavor. I played with making curd all winter, given the non-stop zest and juice from our various citrus fruits. The best ones combined sweet tangerine juice with the more tart tangelo juice. I actually have to confess, though, that my lazy self has been trying to perfect a reliable microwave recipe for it, and while all the experiments have been tasty, they haven’t all been curds, and certainly haven’t been reliable. I’ve discovered just this week that with slightly more effort, involving creaming the ingredients before stovetop cooking, my lemon curd was perfect. I use my frozen citrus curds to flavor numerous simple dishes and the good news for cooks everywhere is that beautifully bottled lemon curd is available in most grocery stores. Which means that you can leave all my kitchen experimentation behind and just make delectable dishes easily!
Plain, tart whole milk yogurt is one of my go-tos for breakfast. Sometimes I just spoon on the curd and top with toasted nuts. Or make layered parfaits with Greek yogurt, citrus curd and granola. Either way the sweet acidity of the curd balances the tartness of the yogurt beautifully. One of my mom’s easy desserts was what she called jelly tarts. These consisted of pie dough, rolled and cut into circles, with a cutout in half of them. Once baked, she would simply fill them with jam. I like to fill them with a combination of blueberry jam and citrus curd, the flavors of which are natural partners. But my favorite way to use citrus curd is in cheesecake.
Now Mom made a fabulous New York style cheesecake, dense and rich with just enough sugar, vanilla and a tinge of lemon. It was a large cake, made in a spring form pan with graham cracker crust. Mind you, she didn’t make it often, I suspect for the same reasons that I don’t make it. Even sliced into very small servings, it’s calorific to the max and easily serves a big crowd. If I don’t have a crowd to eat all those petite little pieces, you can imagine who will… me. Which I do not need. BUT, what if I could make a lighter version and call it breakfast? That’s a win in my book.
The first time I experienced such a thing was in Boston, roaming the aisles of Faneuil Hall in search of something to accompany my morning cappuccino. What I discovered at an Italian stall was a slice of creamy ricotta cake with a buttery cookie crust. Not a major improvement on Mom’s cheesecake in terms of fat and calories, but delicious beyond belief. Once home, I set about making one that inspired just a bit less guilt. The ricotta is higher in protein and lower in fat and carbs than cream cheese, which made for a good start. Replacing the buttery cookie base with crushed granola provided just enough crust to satisfy while still feeling somewhat virtuous. And while I used whole milk ricotta, I suppose one could use part-skim to really push the virtuosity, but how much fun will it be if it isn’t a tad bit naughty? Balancing dietary virtue with naughtiness; story of my life. Citrus zest, juice, curd and vanilla provide the flavor and balance sweetness. Baked in an 8-inch pie tin, the recipe makes 6 to 8 servings, depending on your morning appetite, but let us not forget that this pie has to fuel your body for the whole morning…
Citrus Breakfast Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 ½- tablespoons soft butter
- 1 cup crushed granola divided
- 1/3- cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 lb. ricotta cheese
- 1- teaspoon vanilla
- 1- teaspoon citrus zest of choice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/3- cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour I use spelt, but all purpose or GF blend is fine
- 2 tablespoons citrus curd of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Brush the butter thickly over the bottom and side of an 8-inch pie tin. Sprinkle 2/3 of the granola over the butter and roll the pan around to evenly distribute, forming a “crust.” It’s fine if the layer on the bottom is thicker than the side.
- Place the remaining ingredients in the order listed into a blender. Blend on medium speed to thoroughly combine. Pour evenly into the prepared pie tin. Bake for 15 minutes to allow the edges to set. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/3-cup of granola around the edges. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until mostly set; it may be soft in the center but will fully set upon cooling. I like to top each slice with a dollop of citrus curd.
