Ricotta Cheesecake
This was inspired by the ricotta cheesecake I ate at Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn. It's light yet rich, with a hint of acidity to balance things out. If you're interested in making your own ricotta, click here.

For the crust:
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Grated rind of 1 lemon

For the cake:
Butter, for greasing pan
1 pound whole-milk fresh ricotta cheese (refrigerated for several hours in a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl, covered with plastic and weighted down with a heavy dish)
1 pound cream cheese
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
5 large eggs, separated
Salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Grated rind of 1 orange

1. Make the crust: Set oven to 325°F. In a food processor, pulverize the almonds, flour, sugar and a pinch salt. Add the butter and pulse to the texture of coarse meal. Add the yolk, vanilla and rind and process until a dough forms. With your hands or an off-set spatula, spread the dough on the bottom of a 9-inch spring form or removable-bottomed round pan with 3-inch walls. Prick all over with a fork, and bake for 25 minutes. (The dough will be soft and will pull away from the edges.) Cool on a wire rack.
2. Prepare the cake: Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Grease the sides of the cooled pan with butter. Remove the weights and plastic from the ricotta and all the liquid from the bowl. Force the ricotta through the sieve set over the bowl. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the ricotta and cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Turn the mixer to medium-low and drizzle in 3/4 cup sugar. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, waiting until one is fully incorporated before adding the next. When the last yolk has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes. The batter should be light and fluffy. Transfer to a large, wide mixing bowl and fold in the citrus rinds.
3. In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the whites and a pinch of salt. When the whites start to foam, drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Beat on medium speed to soft peaks. (Do not over-mix to stiff peaks.) Mix 1/5 of the whites into the cheese mixture, then fold in the remaining whites in as few strokes as possible. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until the cake is puffed and dark golden brown, about 1 hour. Run a knife around the top edge of the cake to loosen and cool completely on a wire rack. (The cake will deflate a little.) Remove sides of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Chill for a few hours. Serve at room temperature. Makes 1 (9-inch) cake. –Jill Santopietro for The Boston Globe.