Amaretto-amaretti Chocolate Cheesecake

This is adapted from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts,
(Knopf 1980). It won me a blue ribbon at the Martha’s Vineyard
Agricultural Exhibition and Fair in 1983. If you ever find yourself
in front of a firing squad, this makes an unbeatable last request.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 16)

CRUST
7 oz Amaretti (see note)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar 1 oz unsweetened chocolate (1 square)
5 Tbsp sweet butter

FILLING
6 oz semisweet chocolate
7 oz Amaretti
4 oz almond paste
1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur 1 1/2 lb cream cheese at room
temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs (large or extra-large)
1/2 cup heavy cream

PROCEDURE (CRUST)

Butter the sides only (not the bottom) of a 9-inch spring-form pan (2
1/2-3 inches deep). Grind the Amaretti very fine in a food processor
or blender. Mix with sugar in a mixing bowl.

Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler, stirring
occasionally. Add the melted mixture to the Amaretti crumbs and sugar
and mix thoroughly. (Don’t wash the double boiler; you’ll be using it
again in a minute.)

Turn the mixture into the prepared pan. With your fingers, distribute
it evenly over the bottom and press it down into a very firm, compact
layer. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

PROCEDURE (FILLING)

Adjust rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 350
deg. F. Partially melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler, then
uncover and stir until completely melted. Remove the top of the
double boiler and set aside to cool. Break the Amaretti coarsely into
a bowl and set aside.

Cut the almond paste into small pieces, and beat on low speed with an
electric mixer, while gradually adding the Amaretto liqueur. Beat
until thoroughly mixed, and set aside.

Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the
sugar and beat until smooth again. Add the almond paste-Amaretto
mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add the melted chocolate and
beat well again. Add the eggs one at a time, beating at low speed
until they are incorporated after each addition. Add the heavy cream
and beat until smooth. Add the coarsely broken Amaretti and stir
gently only to mix.

Turn into the prepared pan, pouring the mixture over the bottom crust.
Rotate the pan gently to level the batter. (Don’t worry if the mixture
comes almost to the top; it won’t run over.)

Bake 45 minutes. It will seem soft and not done, but don’t bake any
more; it will become firm when chilled. The top of the cake is
supposed to look bumpy because of the large chunks of Amaretti.

Let cool completely at room temperature, then carefully remove the
sides of the pan and refrigerate the cake (still on the bottom of the
pan) for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.

NOTES Amaretti are Italian almond-flavored wafer cookies. They are
usually sold in metal tins with the wafers wrapped in packages of two
inside the tin. You can also buy Amarettini, which are the same
flavor but much smaller and not individually wrapped. Since you’re
going to grind some of the wafers and break the others into chunks,
it doesn’t matter which size you start with. One brand is Amaretti di
Saronna, Lazzaroni & Co. This is an expensive cake, both in terms of
the cost of the ingredients ($15-$20) and the number of calories.

RATING Difficulty: moderate to hard. Time: 30 minutes preparation,
45minutes baking, overnight cooling. Precision: measure ingredients
carefully.