LIMONCELLO LIQUEUR PLUS CHEESECAKE SQUARES

Limoncello Liqueur Plus Cheesecake Squares image

Recipe courtesy - Giada De Laurentiis - Everday Italian. This caught my eye mainly for the limoncello liqueur recipe. The cheesecake is a bonus round ;-) The limoncello takes at least 4 days to create so plan ahead!

Provided by SusieQusie

Time 1h45m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

nonstick cooking spray
8 ounces purchased biscotti
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 (12 ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, drained, at room temperature
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup limoncello (see recipe below)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
10 lemons
1 (750 ml) bottle vodka
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.
Blend the ricotta until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, often scraping down the sides of bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold).
Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.
LIMONCELLO:.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 1311.4, Fat 49.1, SaturatedFat 29.7, Cholesterol 283.6, Sodium 329.3, Carbohydrate 148.9, Fiber 8.8, Sugar 125.8, Protein 18.6