Cooking for Alan – Dinner #3 – Dessert

Just like Ina Garten, I’m a huge fan of lemons.  It’s also safe to say that I am a huge fan of cheese.  All kinds of cheese.  Ina’s Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake is the perfect blend of the two.

I chose this dessert to end our Cooking for Alan dinner because it’s light, bright and kept with the theme of the evening…staring out with Limoncello cocktails and ending with a Limoncello dessert.

I remember studying Social Psychology in college and learning about the primacy-recency effect.  Our brains are wired to remember experiences based on their beginning and ending.   So when your guests arrive for dinner how you greet them and what they have as a first taste is as important as what they enjoy at the end of the meal.  I call this, “The Psychology of Menu Planning”.  Haha.

Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake

I followed Ina’s original recipe to the letter.  It turned out very well. I love the addition of ricotta.  It makes it cook evenly and helps it not be too sweet.   CAUTION: you need to plan ahead.  This needs to set up overnight in your fridge.  So save yourself from too much work on the day of your dinner party and make this the night before.  Do not skip her suggestion for a “water bath”.  It is essential in helping custards and cheesecakes cook evenly and to avoid the dreaded cracked top.  Click here to learn how to make this for your friends and family.