Amaretto-Amaretti Chocolate Cheesecake

AMARETTO-AMARETTI CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

16 Preparation Time :

Categories : Desserts Cheesecakes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -- -- --

** NONE **

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)

Butter the sides only (not the bottom) of a 9-inch

2 1/2-3 inches deep

Amaretti very fine in a food processor or blender. Mix

with sugar in a mixing bowl.

Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double

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.)

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)

Adjust rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 350 deg. F. 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. Break the Amaretti coarsely

into a bowl and set aside.

Cut the almond paste into small pieces, and beat on

low speed with an electric mixer, while gradually

adding the Amaretto liqueur. Beat until thoroughly

mixed, and set aside.

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 chocolate and beat

well again. Add the eggs one at a time, beating at low

speed until they are incorporated after each addition.

Add the heavy cream and beat until smooth. Add the

coarsely broken Amaretti and stir gently only to mix.

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.)

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.

Let cool completely at room temperature, then

carefully remove the sides of the pan and refrigerate

4 to

hours, or overnight.

NOTES Amaretti are Italian almond-flavored wafer

cookies. They are usually sold in metal tins with the

wafers wrapped in packages of two inside the tin. You

can also buy Amarettini, which are the same flavor but

much smaller and not individually 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,

Lazzaroni & 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, 45minutes baking, overnight cooling.

Precision: measure ingredients carefully.

6 Feb

87 -- CONTRIBUTOR: Jan Wolitzky

AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -