Amaretto Cheesecake

Crust:

1½ cups crushed plain chocolate wafer cookies

1/3 cup ground almonds

¼ cup Amaretto

2-3 Tbls melted butter

Combine ingredients. Mix well.

Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform

Filling:

1 lb ricotta cheese (2 cups)

8oz. softened cream cheese (1 cup)

4 eggs

1/3 cup Amaretto

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly grated orange rind

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat for at least 5 minutes with an electric mixer at high speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl often.

Pour the batter into the crust-lined paned. Bake in the center of a 325F oven for 1 hr. Then, turn off the oven, open the door, and leave the cake in there for another 15 minutes. Remove, let it cool, then cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hrs before serving.