A very much Greek-style cheesecake with Anthotyro cheese and grape molasses

A delicious and very seasonal dessert for the whole family and friends! Three ingredients that are very much part of the Greek cuisine, Anthotyro cheese, grape must flavoured cookies (moustokouloura) and grape molasses (petimezi), make the difference in this refreshing cheesecake! If you'd like to try the recipe out using these tasty cookies you can find various versions of the recipe in the Internet, otherwise use the biscuits of your choice

Recipe of Vassilis Kallides,

a prominent Head Cook and food author

"Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 6 people)
500 gr. of fresh Anthotyro cheese (or ricotta)

½ a cup of icing sugar

1 vanilla pod 

8 stale Moustokouloura cookies (or other)

2 tbsp of unsalted butter

4 tbsp of dark raisins 

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1 cup of grape molasses

1 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped

Method:
Put the butter in a small bowl, cover with cling film and put in the microwave (the lowest setting) until it is softened.

Crush the cookies into small pieces.

Put in a bowl the crushed cookies, the softened butter, the raisins and the ground cinnamon and mix thoroughly with your hands until the mixture is well moistened.

Spread the cookie mixture into a medium size spring form pressing with your hands making sure it covers the bottom equally (or divide in individual glasses).

In the bowl of a standing mixer put the Anthotyro cheese, the icing sugar and the vanilla seeds. Mix the ingredients at low speed for 2-3 minutes. Continue beating the mixture for another 3 minutes at medium speed.

Empty the creamy mixture over the cookie base in the form and smooth with a spatula. Cover the dessert with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours or, even better, overnight so to set properly.

Serve the cheesecake cutting into pieces and drizzle on the top with the grape molasses and the walnuts.