I spent the Spring 2008 semester in Spain and I had a chance to travel around some of Europe while I was there. During those few months (which seems like ages ago) I was fortunate in trying out blood oranges. I had never heard of them before but I thought they sounded good. They weren't just good they were FANTASTIC!!!! They're sweeter than regular oranges and their orange-red insides are beautiful.
They were extremely easy to find in Europe but, to my dismay, very hard to find in the U.S. After doing some research, I found out they're really only available in mid to late winter. I live in Wisconsin, the Frozen Tundra, so this complicated the matter since we can't grow oranges here.
One day, shortly after New Year, I was walking through the produce department of the grocery store when something caught my eye. The store had BLOOD ORANGES!!!!! I was so excited I almost lost it there in the store. Needless to say, I bought a few of the delectable treats for my own cosumption.
One of my cheesecake cookbooks has a recipe for Blood Orange Cheesecake and I knew that I had to make this. So, I made it; it turned out HORRIBLY!!!! The batter overflew the pan, the top burned and cracked multiple times, and it was undercooked on the inside. I was beside myself with grief at how much this cheesecake had flopped.
Don't to be deterred from my goal, I found another recipe on Martha Stewart's website. Hoping that her fame made her reliable I decided to give this one a shot. One big difference was that this recipe was a no-bake cheesecake, using unflavored gelatin to firm-up the batter instead of poping it in the oven to cook it.
So, I made the cheesecake and it turned out wonderfully! I nixed the candied orange pieces (the recipe is NOT included here) but the glaze gave it a very nice color. I am now a no-bake cheesecake "believer"!
BLOOD ORANGE CHEESECAKE:
CAKE:
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
6 to 7 graham cracker, crushed into crumbs (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons milk
pinch of salt
grated zest of 1/2 blood orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
BLOOD ORANGE GLAZE:
3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
7 tablespoons blood orange juice, strained (1-2 oranges)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1. Place ricotta in a sieve lined with cheesecloth, place in the refrigerator, and let the ricotta drain for several hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fit a parchment circle in the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan. Make crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Stir in melted butter with a fork until crumbs are moistened. Press into bottom of pan, and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Place lemon juice in a small bowl, and sprinkle gelatin over surface. Set aside for 10 minutes to soften.
4. In a small, heavy saucepan, beat egg yolks until smooth. Whisk in milk. Gradually whisk in remaining 1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons sugar. Add salt. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Transfer to a bowl, and stir.
5. Stir in softened gelatin, orange zest, and vanilla, mixing until gelatin is completely dissolbed. Set cuastrd aside.
6. Place drained ricotta in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add cream cheese and process again until smooth. With machine running, add warm custard and process just long enough to combine. Transfer to a bowl and fold in whipped cream. Pour mixture into the prepared pan, cover, and chill overnight.
7. Pour glaze over top of cake, tipping cake pan to cover completely. Chill for 1 hour, or until glaze is set.
8. To unmold, wrap a warm towel around sides of pan to help release cake, and run a thin knife around the inside of the pan. Carefully remove outside of pan. Slice onto a serving plate, and chill until ready to serve.
9. To make glaze: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons of the juice; let stand until soft, about 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and 4 tablespoons lemon juice to a boil. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir until dissolved; whisk into boiling orange juice. Remove from heat. Stir in softened gelatin. Cool to lukewarm, and pour over cake.
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