Lighter than a traditional cheesecake – this recipe was originally served at the May 2010 Vintner’s Dinner.  An excellent pairing would be either Maize Valley Raspberry or Maize Valley Blackberry wine.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 8 oz pkg cream cheese softened
• 1 x 16 oz container ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tbl Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 Tbl cornstarch
• 3 Tbl flour
• 1/2 cup butter melted & cooled
• 1 pint sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a spring form pan.

Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in a mixing bowl until well combined.  Stir in the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, flour, and butter.  Add the sour cream last and stir.  Pour the mixture into the prepared spring form pan.  Place spring form pan into a larger pan and fill the larger pan with hot water so that the water is at least ½ ways up the side of the spring form.

Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour, turn oven off and leave in oven 1 hour more.  Chill completely in refrigerator before serving.