Amaretto chocolate cheesecake

 
                       AMARETTO CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
 
 Recipe By     : 
 Serving Size  : 16   Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Cheesecakes
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
                         -----CRUST-----
    7       oz           Amaretti (see note)
    2       tb           Granulated sugar
    5       tb           Sweet butter
    1       oz           Chocolate, unsweetened
                         -(1 square)
                         -----FILLING-----
    6       oz           Chocolate, semisweet
    7       oz           Amaretti
    4       oz           Almond paste
      1/3   c            Amaretto liqueur
      1/4   c            Sugar, granulated
    1 1/2   lb           Cream cheese
                         -(room temperature)
    4       lg           Eggs
      1/2   c            Heavy cream
 
   MAKE CRUST:  Butter the sides only (not the bottom) of
   a 9-inch spring-form pan (about 2 1/2 to 3 inches
   deep).  Grind the Amaretti very fine in a food
   processor or blender.  Mix with sugar in a mixing bowl.
   
   Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double
   boiler, stirring occasionally.  Add the melted mixture
   to the Amaretti crumbs and sugar and mix thoroughly.
   (Don't wash the double boiler; you'll be using it
   again in a minute.)
   
   Turn the mixture into the prepared pan.  With your
   fingers, distribute it evenly over the bottom and
   press it down into a very firm, compact layer.
   Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
   
   MAKE FILLING:  Adjust rack 1/3 up from the bottom of
   the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Partially melt
   chocolate in the top of a double boiler, then uncover
   and stir until completely melted. Remove the top of
   the double boiler and set aside to cool.
   
   Break the Amaretti coarsely into a bowl and set aside.
   Cut the almond paste into small pieces, and beat on
   low speed with an electric mixer, while gradually
   adding the Amaretto liqueur. Beat until thoroughly
   mixed and set aside.
   
   Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until
   smooth.  Add the sugar and beat until smooth again.
   Add the almond paste-Amaretto mixture and beat until
   thoroughly mixed. Add the melted chocolate and beat
   well again. Add the eggs one at a time, beating at low
   speed until they are incorporated after each addition.
   Add the heavy cream and beat until smooth. Add the
   coarsely broken Amaretti and stir gently only to mix.
   
   Turn into the prepared pan, pouring the mixture over
   the bottom crust. Rotate the pan gently to level the
   batter. (Don't worry if the mixture comes almost to
   the top; it won't run over.)
   
   Bake 45 minutes.  It will seem soft and not done, but
   don't bake any more; it will become firm when chilled.
   The top of the cake is supposed to look bumpy because
   of the large chunks of Amaretti. Let cool completely
   at room temperature, then carefully remove the sides
   of the pan and refrigerate the cake (still on the
   bottom of the pan) for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.
   
   NOTES:
   
   *  This is adapted from Maida Heatter's "Book of Great
   Chocolate Desserts," (Knopf 1980).  It won me a blue
   ribbon at the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural
   Exhibition and Fair in 1983. If you ever find yourself
   in front of a firing squad, this makes an unbeatable
   last request.
   
   *  Amaretti are Italian almond-flavored wafer cookies.
   They are usually sold in metal tins with the wafers
   wrapped in packages of two inside the tin. You can
   also buy Amarettini, which are the same flavor but
   much smaller and not individually wrapped. Since
   you're going to grind some of the wafers and break the
   others into chunks, it doesn't matter which size you
   start with. One brand is Amaretti di Saronna,
   Lazzaroni & Co.
   
   *  This is an expensive cake, both in terms of the
   cost of the ingredients ($15-$20) and the number of
   calories.
   
   : Difficulty:  moderate to hard.
   : Time:  30 minutes preparation, 45 minutes baking,
   overnight cooling. : Precision:  measure ingredients
   carefully.
   
   : Jan Wolitzky
   : AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA
   : ihnp4!mhuxd!wolit
   
   : Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
  
 
 
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