ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Ingredients....750 gm of ricotta cheese, 1 cup of castor sugar, 4 egg yolks ( lightly beaten ), 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1/4 cup of cream, 4 egg whites, grated rind of 1 lemon, grated rind of 1 orange, 2 tbs of raisins soaked in 2 tbs of lemon juice, 2 tbs of melted butter/ marg, 4 plain sweet biscuits ( finely crushed), icing sugar for dusting, fresh cherries and mascarpone to serve. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Grease a 20cm round springform pan with the melted butter/ marg and sprinkle the sides and base of the pan with the biscuit crumb and set aside. Place the ricotta and castor sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Add the lightly beaten egg yolks and vanilla essence and continue to mix until smooth. Now stir in the cream . Whip the egg whites in a separate clean and dry bowl until stiff peaks form, then gently fold into the ricotta mixture along with the raisins and lemon juice ,lemon and orange rind. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and gently smooth the surface with a spatula. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes on 220 deg C for 10 minutes,then reduce the heat to 180 deg C and continue to bake for 50 minutes or until the cheesecake is golden on top and set. Now this is the secret !! Turn off the oven with the oven door open leaving the cheesecake to cool completely in the oven. This prevents the cake from collapsing. When the cheesecake is cold, carefully remove to a serving dish, dust with icing sugar and decorate with fresh cherries/ berries and serve with a good dollop of mascarpone. This is delicious, simple to prepare and welcomingly received . Merry Xmas...