New New York Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 9 graham crackers
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 2 cups homemade ricotta cheese, drained for 1 hour or 2 cups commercial ricotta cheese, plus
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, drained for 1 hour
• 2 (8 ounce) packages neufchatel cheese or 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 5 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons vanilla or 1 vanilla bean, scraped and steeped in warmed milk and cooled

Recipe

• 1 crust:.
• 2 place graham crackers, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in food processor. pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. add butter and pulse until loose mixture forms. press into 9 inch springform pan, and bake at 350 degrees of 10 minutes. allow to cool.
• 3 filling:.
• 4 combine ricotta, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, salt and milk (or cooled milk+ vanilla bean, with bean discarded) and mix until smooth.
• 5 spray side of springform pan with cooking spray. pour filling into prepared pan, and smooth with a spatula. bake at 325 degrees, and check after 45 minutes. if knife inserted into center comes out clean, it is cooked through. other wise cook until knife comes out clean, checking every 1o minutes. if top starts to brown, cover with aluminum foil. allow to cool 1 hour a room temperature and at least for hours covered with plastic wrap refrigerated.