This baklawa and Lebanese ricotta cheesecake is one of my favorite fusion recipes. The crust is made with the famous Lebanese baklawa andthe filling made with a Lebanese ricotta cheese, soaked in a perfect honeysyrup.
Servings 8slices
Prep Time 30 minutesmins
Cook Time 1 hourhr30 minutesmins
resting time 3 hourshrs
Equipment
22 cm springform pan
Ingredients
For the honey syrup:
1/3cupcaster sugar
1/3cuphoney
¼cupwater
1tbsplemon juice
5mastic grainsgrinded into powder
1leavefresh geranium
For the crust:
10sheets filo pastry250g
50gunsalted butter
1tbspextra virgin oil
150gmixed chopped nutsalmonds, walnuts, pistachio
½tspcinnamon powder
¼tspnutmeg
1tsprose water
1tspflower blossom water
2tbspof the honey syrup
For the ashta filling:
500garisheh cheeseor no salt ricotta cheese, at room temperature (see notes)
300gcream cheeseat room temperature (see notes)
3medium eggsat room temperature
150gcaster sugar
1tsprose water
1tspflower blossom water
60mlfresh lemon juice1 ½ lemon approx.
1tbspcorn flour
2tbspwater
For garnish: optional as in the picture
Extra chopped nuts
Dry rose petals
Geranium leaves
Lebanese cotton candyghazel el banet
Instructions
First, we start with the honey syrup so it has time to cool:
Place all the syrup ingredients in a pan and whisk till combined. Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat. After it start boiling reduce the heat and keep stirring for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the geranium leave and set the syrup aside to cool
Second, we prepare our crust:
Preheat oven on 180 C° and grease a 22 cm springform pan generously with butter.
Make sure your filo pastry sheets are fully defrosted before rolling open. Lay the sheets between two damp clean towels to keep them moist while you are assembling the crust.
Cut your sheets into 20 cm square that fits the diameter of your cheesecake pan. If you are using a bigger pan change the dimensions accordingly.
After brushing your pan and preparing your sheets, start by adding 1 sheet to the pan than brush it with butter. Don’t drench the sheet with butter just make sure it just covered. Lay another sheet of filo on top and brush it again with butter. Spread some of the nuts mixture on top until you fully covered the sheet. Top it with another sheet if filo and repeat the whole process: 1 filo sheet, butter, filo sheet, butter, nut mixture.
Finish off over the last layer of nuts with one layer of filo than butter than one layer of filo to seal the crust.
Trim and clean the edges as you like, I like to keep some of the messy sheets coming out of the pan edges but you can trim as clean as you like.
Bake your crust for 7 minutes to set before adding the filling. Let it cool down while we prepare our filling.
For the arisheh cream filling:
After you baked your crust. Lower the heat in oven for 150 C°.
In a deep mixing bowl, gently whisk together the arisheh cheese cream, cream cheese, eggs and sugar until smooth. add the lemon juice and whisk till combined. Add the rose water and flower blossom water and whisk. Mix aside the water and corn flour and add to your filling mixture.
After the crust has cooled down for a bit. Gently pour your filling on top and smooth the surface with the spatula. Add your cheesecake pan inside a bigger pan and fill the pan with water until it reached the middle of the pan edge. To create a water bath for the cheesecake while baking.
Gently put inside the oven and bake on the low heat for 1 hour. The edges of the cheesecake will look set and the center will look slightly jiggly. Turn off the oven at that point and the cheesecake cool inside the oven with door slightly open for around 15 minutes until it is not to hot to touch. Remove from the oven and pour over the honey syrup in a circle motion focusing on the edge so it can soak better.
Put your cheesecake pan in the fridge and let it rest and set for 3 hours up to overnight.
Assembly and serving:
Prepare some extra honey syrup for serving. Just before serving garnish your cheesecake. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
Lebanese arishee cheese: the arishee cheese is a type of ricotta cheese made from milk and lemon juice. Here in the middle east, it is easy to find in supermarkets. I use this brand. but it can be easily replaced with normal unsalted ricotta cheese. And you can also quickly prepare it at home by adding 1/3 cup of lemon juice to 1 liter of steaming milk. When the milk starts to curdle and develop big lumps remove with a strainer and let it drain in a cheese close for a couple of hours.
Cream cheese: you can use any kind of cream cheese you like, but after many trials, my favorite cheese for this cheesecake is the “KIRI squares” click here to check which one I am using.
Honey syrup: you can use normal sugar syrup instead of honey syrup or what we called in Lebanon water.
Storage: I like to prepare this cheesecake a day before serving and let it soak and sit in the fridge overnight to enhance all the flavors. After cutting you can store any leftovers in a closed container in the fridge for up to 2 days only.
Springform pan: I never tried to prepare this cheesecake with a different kind of pan. So I highly recommend using a 22 cm springform pan, I love the pan that use you can check it out here.