Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake

One of the items on my ongoing list of recipes to make is a baked cheesecake. Until recently, I had never made a cheesecake of any sort, though cheesecake is certainly one of my favorite desserts. I have fond memories of the no bake cherry cheesecake my mom used to make for me. I don't often have dessert, as most of the meals I make are quite satisfying, but when I found this recipe for Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake I simply could not resist. It's a fancy looking cake, but it's actually pretty easy to make and needless to say, absolutely heavenly to taste.

Blueberry Ricotta Cheesecake

1 pound of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
1 pound of smooth ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
grated lemon zest from one small lemon
2 teaspoons of vanilla
wee bit of salt
4 eggs
1/3 cup of unbleached white flour
1 cup of blueberries

Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer set to medium until smooth. Add the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Blend until well mixed. Add two of the eggs, beat for a minute and then add the remaining two eggs and beat for another minute. Add the flour, and beat on low speed until well mixed. Fold in the blueberries and transfer to the prepared pan. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for about 80 minutes, or until the the cake is set and golden. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and let the cake sit for another 20 minutes.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely before removing the sides of the spring form pan.

Blueberry Sauce

2 cups of blueberries
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon of corn starch

Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and corn starch in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, gently bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat, let cool for about 15 minutes. Spoon the blueberry sauce over the top of the cheesecake.