Cherry and Lemon Cheesecake (152)

6 Desserts
To make the topping, you really need to stone the cherries, a difficult job without a cherry stoner.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE:

125g (4 1/2 oz) amaretti biscuits
75g (2 3/4 oz) butter
250g (9oz) ricotta
125g (4 1/2 oz) creme fraiche
2 lemons
15ml (1 tbsp) powdered gelatine, or 5 leaves of gelatine
3 egg whites
50g (13/4oz) icing sugar
FOR THE TOPPING:
50g (1 3/4oz) light brown caster sugar
half a cinnamon stick
500g (1lb 2oz) cherries
3ml (1/2 tsp) powdered gelatine or 1 leaf of gelatine

Grease the base and sides of a 20cm (8in) spring-release tin with a buttered paper.
Coarsely crush the amaretti biscuits either with a rolling-pin or using the pulse
button of a food processor. Melt the butter and mix it with the crushed biscuits, then
spread them across the tin's base, tamping them down into an even layer.
Whisk together the ricotta and the creme fraiche in a bowl. Finely grate in the lemon
zest. Squeeze the lemon juice into a measuring jug, adding enough water to make it
up to 150ml (5fl oz). Pour this mixture into a heatproof bowl and add the gelatine.
Leave to stand for ten minutes, then warm gently over a pan of simmering water
until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Allowto cool slightly.
Whisk the egg whites (preferably with an electric whisk), gradually adding half the
sifted icing sugar until they form stiff peaks. Fold in the remaining sugar. Stir
together the lemon and gelatine and the ricotta and creme fraiche mixtures. Then,
gently but thoroughly, fold in the egg whites. Pour into the tin and level the surface
with a palette knife. Chill for at least four hours.
To make the topping, combine 500ml (18fl oz) of water with the sugar and cinnamon
stick, bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Drop in the stoned cherries. If
the cherries are ripe, cover the pan and remove from the heat. If they are a little more
obdurate, poach gently for five minutes at a mere hint of a simmer, then remove from
the heat.
Once cool, lift the cherries out on to a piece of kitchen paper and chill very well.
Jettison the cinnamon but return thejuice to the heat and reduce vigorously to a
small cupful, say 100ml (3 1/2 fl oz). Pour the juice into a little heatproof bowl and
allow to cool. Once tepid, add the gelatine and let stand again for ten minutes. Warm
this mixture gently until the gelatine is dissolved, then cool again.
Pile the cherries on top of the cheesecake. Once the syrup is gloopy and close to
setting, spoon it over the cherries on top of the cheesecake. Chill again for half an
hour before serving.