Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

This rustic dessert is lighter than traditional cheesecake, since it uses cottage cheese in place of cream cheese. This cheesecake is open to a variety of flavoring ideas - citrus fruit zests, flavored extracts, and liqueurs, like Frangelico.

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for buttering pan
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 pounds whole milk cottage cheese
• Zest of 1 lemon and zest of 1 orange
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Tap out excess flour. Place springform pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and sugar.
4. In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, lemon and orange zest. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Add flour and sugar mixture and stir to combine. 
5. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and stir gently after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and salt. 
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake is a light golden color. The center of the cheesecake should be fairly firm; test firmness by inserting the tip of a sharp knife into the center of the cake (it should come out clean). 
7. Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool in the springform pan on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator until the cheesecake is chilled, about 2-3 hours.