Baking for easter

If America is a melting pot of cultures, then cheesecake could be its signature dessert. There are nearly as many styles of these creamy cakes as there are ethnic groups: New York or Jewish-style cheesecake, Chicago-style, French-style, German, Greek, Italian, Brazilian, Japanese, and others.

I grew up eating both classic American cheesecake and the Italian Easter dessert pastiera, a ricotta cheesecake made with hulled, whole-wheat berries or rice. The American style was too heavy and the Italian was a glorified rice pudding cake. I decided early on that I disliked both -- until I tasted ricotta cake at Frankies Spuntino in New York. Theirs is the perfect combination of the Italian ricotta and American cream-cheese cakes.

Frank Castronovo, one of the two Frankies, would not disclose his grandmother's recipe because it will be featured in an upcoming book. But after a long conversation, he revealed secrets to his ethereal dessert, one of which is equal parts cream cheese and ricotta. Beaten egg whites make the batter light as air, and grated orange and lemon rind offer a citrus kick. The batter bakes in a nutty, buttery crust.

After a little experimentation, I came up with a cake that's surprisingly close to the one that changed my mind about cheesecakes. If my Nonna were alive, she would be disappointed that this cake will replace her pastiera on my Easter table. But some recipes are destined for change.-- JILL SANTOPIETRO