Recipe Talk

I am looking for a cheese cake recipe that uses cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese. I saw this in the last 2 weeks on the Foodnetwork program The Secret Life Of...but they did not supply the actual recipe. Thanks.

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

1 lb. cream cheese
1 lb. ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 med. eggs
3 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. melted butter, cooled
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sour cream

Mix together both cheeses. Gradually add sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add flour and cornstarch, mixing well. Add vanilla and melted butter. Fold in sour cream. Pour into ungreased 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes. Turn off oven but leave in oven for an additional 2 hours. Serve with preferred topping.

Ricotta vs. Cottage Cheese

Although I usually have cottage cheese in my refrigerator, I purchase ricotta cheese when I'm making lasagna. Are they interchangeable? Is one better for you than the other?

When a cheese maker separates milk or cream into curds and whey, the curds are used to make cottage cheese and the whey to make ricotta. That's why both cheeses, although similarly soft and mild in flavor, have such different textures. And that's also why your lasagna or stuffed shells will be runnier if you use cottage cheese instead of the smoother and drier ricotta. Still, that sort of substitution is fine. On the other hand, substituting one for the other in a dessert in which texture is crucial (think cheesecake) can be problematic, unless the recipe says it's okay.

Both cottage and ricotta cheeses are sold in varieties ranging from full-fat to fat-free. Full-fat ricotta can have three times as many fat grams as cottage cheese. But ricotta also contains about five times as much calcium. Why? During the production of cottage cheese, 50 percent to 75 percent of the calcium is lost in the drained-off whey. Many companies now add milk protein to their cottage cheese to increase the calcium content.