New York takes pride in having the best cheesecake in the world. This smooth and decadent dessert is as much a part of the city’s culture as bagels, pastrami, and the Empire State Building. Iconic establishments like Junior’s and Eileen are popular touristy spots, and ship their delicacies nationwide.
Cheesecake for Italians, known as torta alla ricotta, might not be as notorious on this side of the Atlantic but is an excellent lighter alternative to the popular dessert. Using ricotta cheese instead of than the New York-style cheesecake rich ingredients such as heavy cream and cream cheese, torta alla ricotta is dryer and more cake-like, but still wonderfully smooth and delicious.
Torta alla ricotta can be found in many bakeries and restaurants in New York, and is a must try even for hardcore New Yorkers.
Rafele
Raffaele Ronca, a winner of Food Network’s Chopped hit show, is a co-owner and chef of Neapolitan restaurants Rafele in the West Village and in Rye, Westchester. While he created the most expensive cheesecake in 2017, made with Alba white truffles and 200 year old cognac, he offers a more affordable version at his restaurants. His cheesecake uses vanilla beans and buffalo milk ricotta for a light and silky texture and a pie dough crust. Instead of a classic lemon taste, he infuses it with an orange blossom simple syrup, tops it occasionally with seasonal fruits such as caramelized figs or pears.
Rafele's Torta alla Ricotta
Veniero’s Pasticceria and Caffe
Veniero’s serves over 150 desserts from traditional butter cookies, to cannoli, to their signature traditional Italian cheesecake made with ricotta and whole eggs, and a shortcrust pastry base. This iconic East Village outpost, that celebrated its 125th year anniversary in September, is run by the 4th generation descendants of Antonio Veniero, an Italian who immigrated to the United States in 1885 when he was just 15 years old.
Veniero's Italian Cheesecake
La Masseria
La Masseria is Theatre District restaurant specializing in cuisine from Puglia with rustic interiors similar to a traditional farmhouse of the region’s countryside. A highlight in their vast menu, is a vanilla flavored ricotta cheesecake dessert with cut strawberries and a scoop of whipped cream on the side. It is the perfect ending to an authentic Italian meal prepared by chef Pino Coladonato, a Puglia native, before heading to catch a Broadway show.
La Masseria's Ricotta Cheesecake
Other New York spots serving torta alla ricotta include Ferrara, a fifth generation family-owned bakery in Little Italy that offers traditional Italian cheesecake filled with ricotta and candied fruit, and Serafina, a beloved Italian food restaurant and pizzeria with several locations that includes a mini cheese cake with Italian ricotta and orange zest in their dessert menus.