Cranberry Beach Plum Cheesecake Recipe

Cranberry Beach Plum Cheesecake Recipe

by Susan Simon from the Nantucket holiday Table

Ingredients:

FOR THE TOPPING
4 cups cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 cup beach-plum jelly or red currant jelly
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 1/2 cups sugar

FOR THE CRUST
2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
1pound whole-milk ricotta
1 1/2 cup sour cream
10 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Sometime in June of every year, Nantucket Island is trimmed with a lacy border of white beach-plum blossoms - and if the birds don't get there first, sometime at the end of August or the beginning of September, the ripened, musty, intensely flavored beach plums will be ready to harvest. Then you'll see the island bordered with people, baskets over their arms, gathering the fruit to take home and make tangy, sweet beach-plum jelly. It's this jelly, also available commercially, that gives the topping for this cheesecake its unique dimension.

1. Make the topping: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, beach-plum jelly, zest and juice of orange, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, then refrigerate until cake is served.

2. Make the crust: In a bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Stir to combine. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Set aside.

3. Make the filling: Preheat an oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract and stir vigorously. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is slightly brown and the edges are beginning to pull away from the side of the pan. Refrigerate the cake for at least 12 hours before serving. To serve, release the cake from the pan. Place on a platter and cover the top with half of the cranberries. Let the juice drip down the sides. Use the remaining cranberries to top individual servings.

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in
Susan Simon's the Nantucket Holiday Table from Chronicle Books