Triple cheesecake with Amaretti crust and Caramelized Blood Oranges ––a glimpse into confinement
Have you noticed something different in this post? Okay, you will have to scroll all the way down to the recipe. Which by the way, you’re going to love. It’s a triple cheesecake with amaretti crust and caramelized blood oranges. What a combination of flavors! One bite and you’ll realize how they were made to be together. For the amaretti crust —or almond cookie crust—, you’ll be able to use the recipe of my previous post. Those almond cookies are good on their own and they are outstanding for this crust.
But I’m digressing. Let’s go back to my first sentence: if you scroll down, you will see the look of the recipe has changed. I’ve incorporated a new format that will make it easier for you to print and save each recipe, all for the sake of this blog to be as useful as possible to you, my reader and hopefully subscriber. I’ve tried to keep with the look and feel of Mama Ía blog, but adding the (I hope) more practical feature. I’ve also included a section where I list some of the special utensils used, with links so you can acquire what you might need, just as I’ve been doing with the ingredients. This is one of the projects I’ve been working on during the last two months. What you think? I’m excited about the change and would love your feedback.
Plotting the vegetable garden
After online school, David composes
Fridays at 8:00PM he performs LIVE on Instagram @davidanderson.music
So many projects I wanted to tackle, though, that are still in the works! This period of confinement seems to have been very productive for a lot of people, and that’s fantastic. In my case, I have mixed feelings. Being confined with most of the members of my family has been wonderful; having Ethan home from college, an unexpected blessing —I don’t know what he thinks about it, I’m sure he’s been missing his college life! I’ve tried to make it up to him with delicious meals.
One of our first neighborhood “waves”
A birthday car parade
Even a float paraded!
Brothers
But productively and creatively it hasn’t been for me what many other creatives claim it has been for them. I’ll blame it on the mundane: more house cleaning; cumbersome and long grocery shopping trips, which included new tasks like wiping down all packages; more mouths to feed and therefore more cooking (not a complaint, just an objective fact of a task that takes time from other creative endeavors, much as it is a labor of love); many hours (way more than I would have liked) canceling trips and “fighting” for refunds (goodbye Springbreak and summer travel plans), as airlines and travel agencies were reluctant to offer more than travel credit; finding new nooks and corners around the house to concentrate without interruptions… I’m sure you get it, and I’m sure that, at least in part, this has been the situation for you too.
Last day of college! Architecture year 2, DONE
Mrs Jump and Mrs Brough, 8th grade teachers, paid each student a visit
Our neighborhood meet-up gets busier! (watch the family unit social distance)
Meanwhile, seeds are growing
So as we slowly and carefully get out of confinement, I’ll share with you some of the moments that reflect what I did and what we did as a family. These included what is probably the main and most time consuming project we undertook, which was the new vegetable garden (in progress), as part of the larger project that was creating a more inviting and comfortable garden and patio setting where we will spend most of our summer.
During this confinement, school was canceled and University moved to the confinements of the house. Ethan completed the second semester and finished his second year of architecture in his bedroom, and has started a summer internship with a local architecture firm. David graduated from middle school without the fanfare he would have otherwise had. Confirmation was canceled. His 14th birthday party was replaced by a neighborhood parade that was a real highlight. Sunday church moved to our dining room, with our computer screen as the makeshift “altar” —we still dressed appropriately and attended in real time. And every day at 7 PM we came out in front of our house on what started being a wave to the neighbors to what has now become a one-hour-long get-together of not just our street but other neighbors that come by from other streets.
Fortunately we have been all healthy, although I had to say goodbye to two uncles and an aunt that were all very close to my heart and very much a part of my childhood and life. With no funerals, only three close relatives were allowed by their graveside. What a sad time to die.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve cooked a lot, baked more, tried new recipes, and made each meal as special as I could, as a small highlight of our confined days. This triple cheesecake with amaretti crust and caramelizad blood oranges was a favorite, and I made it more than once. Now it’s your turn. No-bake (except for the almond cookies if you choose to make them), I’m sure you will like it as much as we do. Feel free to replace the blood oranges with regular oranges. The flavor will be a bit different, but it will not make a difference in how good this cake is.
Keep well!
TRIPLE CHEESECAKE WITH AMARETTI CRUST AND CARAMELIZED BLOOD ORANGES Tarta de tres quesos con base de amaretti y naranjas sanguinas caramelizadas
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 4 oz almond cookies (amaretti or click here for recipe) about 20 1-inch cookies
- 2 oz graham crakers coarsely chopped (about 4 whole crackers)
- 5 Tbs unsalted butter melted
- Pinch of salt
For the cheesecake:
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 2 8- oz packages cream cheese
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 3 Tbs goat cheese
- 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- Pich of salt
For the caramelized oranges:
- 2 oranges
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Pulse the almond cookies with the graham crackers and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and mix in the melted butter. Press this mixture over the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 8-inch springform pan. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes (check at the 8 minute mark).
- Let cool on a rack.
Make the cheesecake:
- Place the gelatin in small bowl with 2 Tbs cold water until the gelatin softens.
- Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Refrigerate.
- With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone, goat cheese, sugar and salt until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Last, beat in the lemon juice.
- Microwave the gelatin until melted, about 5 seconds, and beat into the cream cheese mixture.
- With a spatula, fold in the cream cheese.
- Pour the cream cheese over the cool crust and smooth flat with an offset spatula. Regrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
Make the caramalized oranges:
- Slice the oranges into thin slices (thinner than 1/4 inch-thick if possible; I used a mandoline) and discard the ends.
- In a small saucepan, make a simple syrup: add the water and sugar, cook on medium heat, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove form the heat.
- Place the orange slices in a single layer on a wide pan. Pour the syrup over the slices and cook on medium-low heat, turning the slices occasionally, until the liquid becomes thicker and sticky (much of the water will have evaporated).
- Set aside and let cool.
- Before serving the cake, arrange the slices of caramalized orange over the surface of the cake.
June 5, 2020 @ 3:08 pm
Se ve deliciosa pero intentando perder peso, así que ni la intentaré, pero quería comentarte que me encanta el nuevo formato para imprimir las recetas y la calculadora de raciones. ¡Buen trabajo!
June 5, 2020 @ 8:52 pm
¡Gracias, Gema! Me alegro de que te guste el nuevo formato. Una manera más fácil de poder archivar las recetas 😉 ¡Espero que intentes hacerla! Está riquísima.
Natacha xx