Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe

1 1/2 c graham cracker crushed
1/2 Stick butter, melted
15 oz Ricotta cheese
8 oz Cream cheese
4 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c Sugar
1/3 c Amaretto liquor
1 ts Vanilla
1/4 ts Salt
Great topped with strawberry jam. Combine crumbs of graham crackers and butter; press over bottom and sides of greased 9 inch spring- form pan. Chill. Preheat oven to 325. Beat together ricotta and cream cheese until smooth. Pour mixture into pan; bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until firm in middle. Cool 30 minutes in pan before removing. Cool completely (preferrably in refrigerator overnight) before serving. Top with fresh fruit, or jam.

Amaretto Hazelnut Macaroon Cheesecake

Hazelnut Crust
1 c Hazelnuts, roast 10 min at 350
3 Egg whites
2 ts Vanilla
2 c Powdered sugar
1/2 c Sugar
1/8 ts Salt
Filling:
1/2 c Amaretto
3 ts Gelatin, unflavored
2 ts Vanilla
1 1/2 lb Cream cheese
3/4 c Sugar
2 tb Lemon juice
1 ts Lemon zest
2 c Cream
Hazelnut macaroon: heat oven to 350. grease 10 inch springform pan. line with parchment. Grease parchment. Line a cookie sheet with greased parchment.
Whisk together eggs and vanilla. Remove as much skin from the hazelnuts as is convenient. Chop the nuts in a food processor with one cup of the powdered sugar for 30 sec. Add both powdered and regular sugar. Pulse a few times to combine. With processer running, pour in egg mixture. process for 15 sec until smooth
Reserve 1/2 - 1/3 cup batter. Pour remaining into springform, smooth with spatula. Pour reserved batter onto cookie sheet, spread in a 7-8 inch disk
Bake crust 25-30 min., disk 20-25 min. cool on wire rack
Chop up the disk into 1/8 inch pieces and soak in 1/4 amaretto.
Carefully remove crust. Replace bottom of springform with foil wrapped cardboard circle. Replace crust.
Amaretto cheesecake filling: sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cp amaretto, let stand 5 min. Heat in sauce pan with hot (not boiling) water stirring for 4 min., leave in hot water to stay warm Beat cream cheese in mixer for 1 min. Add lemon juice and zest, mix. Beat cream to soft peaks. Fold 1/3 cream into cream cheese. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Fold in soaked macaroon disk bits Scrape into prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hrs. (preferably overnight)