Yield: 10 to 12 servings.
Crust:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small (½-inch) cubes
1 large egg, at room temperature
Blueberry topping:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Filling:
16 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1¼ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted
¾ cup all-purpose flour
For the crust: Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder to a food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times, just until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and continue mixing until it forms a dough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the topping: Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a pot and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
For the filling: Place the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat together until smooth. Add the butter and flour and mix on low until well incorporated.
Preheat oven to 325°. To assemble the cheesecake, place the dough into a 9-inch springform pan and, using your hands, spread it out and up the sides of the pan. The dough will be crumbly. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust.
Wrap foil around the outside of the springform pan and place pan in a water bath of about 2 inches. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes until the top is set or jiggles slightly in the center. Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool thoroughly before removing from the pan. Add the blueberry topping just before serving.
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
