Name: Ricotta Phyllo Cheesecake
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 90g butter; 200g fillo pastry sheets; 500g ricotta; 3 eggs; 3 egg yolks; 2 Tbsp honey; A pinch of ground cinnamon; 50g granulated sugar; 75g candied citrus peel; 75g golden raisins; Finely grated zest of a lemon; Finely grated zest of an orange; 2 level Tbsp all-purpose flour; Vanilla extract; 70g ground almonds; 3 Tbsp honey; 3 Tbsp chopped candied citrus peel; Confectioners' sugar; You will also need a 20cm (8-inch) tart tin with a removable base.

Irregular ribbons of baked filo tangled in a cake pan dusted with confectioners' sugar and scattered with candied orange...

Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Ravishing, like a fairy in a vast taffeta ball gown. Give the cheesecake time to cool down before you slice it. The pastry will shatter, which is rather lovely, offering wisps of crispness with the soft, creamy cheesecake. This is lighter and less rich than most.

Recipe information

Yield
6 servings

Ingredients

90g butter

200g fillo pastry sheets

500g ricotta

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

2 Tbsp honey

A pinch of ground cinnamon

50g granulated sugar

75g candied citrus peel

75g golden raisins

Finely grated zest of a lemon

Finely grated zest of an orange

2 level Tbsp all-purpose flour

Vanilla extract

70g ground almonds

To finish:

3 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp chopped candied citrus peel

Confectioners' sugar

Special Equipment

You will also need a 20cm (8-inch) tart tin with a removable base.

Preparation

Step 1
Set the oven at 350°F/180°C/Gas 4. Melt the butter in a small pan. Place a baking sheet in the oven. Line the tart tin with a double sheet of filo, letting it fall over the edges. Brush with some of the butter, then continue with all the sheets of filo, letting the pastry overhang the tin where necessary and generously brushing them with butter as you go.
Step 2
Put the ricotta, eggs, egg yolks, honey, cinnamon and granulated sugar into the bowl of a food mixer and combine to a smooth cream. Fold in the candied peel, raisins, finely grated citrus zest, flour, a capful of vanilla extract and, lastly, the ground almonds. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into the lined tin, smooth flat, then gently fold the overhanging pastry sheets to the middle, curling them over as you go to make loose rosettes of pastry. Bake for forty to fifty minutes, until the pastry is crisp and the filling lightly firm to the touch.
To finish:
Step 3
Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Melt the honey in a small saucepan, stir in the candied peel, then spoon over the pastry. Dust with icing sugar and leave to cool before slicing.

The book cover with a slate grey background and a foreground graphic of ombré copper birch trees.

From The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, Stories & 100 Essential Recipes for Winter © 2018 by Nigel Slater. Reprinted by permission of Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.