Espresso Cheesecake

A simple recipe to make, about 20 minutes of prep time, and not too sweet with a subtle coffee background. I don't eat desserts often, so when I make them, I go all out. If you want to try skim-milk ricotta or low-fat cream cheese, let me know how it works (but I still won't make it that way!)

• 4-5oz honey graham crackers (typically, one sleeve from a standard retail box)
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp instant espresso
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 15oz whole milk ricotta cheese
• 12oz cream cheese
• 1 14oz can sweetened, condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 9" nonstick spring-form pan

  Preheat oven to 325. Place ricotta in a fine sieve over a bowl or in the sink to drain (if you have a cat as I do, and that cat thinks she's your sous chef, cover the ricotta as it drains or you might hear that familiar "lap-lap" sound, and now you have 14oz of ricotta).
  Crush graham crackers and place in small bowl. Melt butter, mix into cracker crumbs. Pour into spring-form pan and press out evenly across bottom and slightly up the sides. Even though my spring-form claims to be nonstick, I spray a little olive oil around the inside edge of the pan to help ease the cheesecake out of it later.
  Mix espresso with hot water in a small cup and set aside.
  Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl, and with a handheld mixer set on low, mix it for about 30 seconds (I strongly recommend mixing at a low speed or you could be cleaning cream cheese off your kitchen walls. Also, I happen to share my kitchen with someone who will remain anonymous. Why is it she always stores the body of the mixer and the paddles in two different locations?). Add drained ricotta and blend together. Add sweetened condensed milk and blend together (beginning to see a trend, here?). Add 3 eggs and blend together. Add vanilla extract and espresso and blend one more time.
  Pour mixture into spring-form pan. Place in oven and cook 50 minutes (if you have a classic, two-oven Aga stove as I have, place the pan on the rack on the bottom of the roasting oven, place the cold sheet on the top rungs, and leave the door slightly ajar while cooking. If you have a more conventional oven, I think you just set it to 325 degrees). After 50 minutes, remove from oven, place on rack, and let cool at room temperature for at least one hour. Do your best to gently remove it from spring-form pan and move to a serving plate, and let chill in refrigerator at least one more hour. I hope you enjoy!