Creamy Ricotta Orange Tart

Ingredients:

15-oz. container whole-milk ricotta
(about 1-1/2 cups)
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. table salt
3 large egg yolks
1 Tbs. finely grated orange zest
1 Tbs. orange-flavored liquer (such as Grand
Marnier or Cointreau) or orange juice
1 Press-in Cookie Crust, baked and cooled
(I like vanilla or chocolate wafers for this tart)
Strips of orange zest or segments of blood orange,
for garnish (optional)

Tart Instructions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and
heat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl,
combine the ricotta and cream cheese. Using
an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until
well blended and no lumps remain, about 3 min.
Add the sugar, flour, and salt and continue
beating until well blended, about 1 min. Add
the egg yolks, orange zest, and orange liqueur.
Beat until just incorporated. Use a rubber spatula
to scrape the filling into the crust and spread the
filling evenly.

Bake the tart until the filling just barely jiggles
when the pan is nudged, 30 to 35 minutes. Let
cool completely on a rack. Refrigerate the tart
in the pan until chilled and firm, 2 to 3 hours.
Serve garnished with strips of orange zest or
blood orange segments, if you like.

Press-In Cookie Crust Ingredients:
1 cup finely ground cookies (ground in a food
processor); choose from one of the following:
about 25 chocolate wafers, 8 whole graham
crackers, or 35 vanilla wafers
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted

How to make crust:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and
heat the oven to 350°F. Have ready an ungreased
9-1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

In a medium bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and
sugar with a fork until well blended. Drizzle the
melted butter over the crumbs and mix with the
fork or your fingers until the crumbs are evenly
moistened. Put the crumbs in the tart pan and
use your hands to spread the crumbs so that
they coat the bottom of the pan and start to
climb the sides. Use your fingers to pinch and
press some of the crumbs around the inside
edge of the pan to cover the sides evenly and
create a wall a scant 1/4 inch thick. Redistribute
the remaining crumbs evenly over the bottom of
the pan and press firmly to make a compact layer.
(I like to use a metal measuring cup with straight
sides and a flat base for this task.)

Bake the crust until it smells nutty and fragrant
(crusts made with lighter-colored cookies will
brown slightly), about 10 min. Set the baked crust
on a rack and let cool. The crust can be made up
to one day ahead of filling, and stored at room tem-
perature, wrapped well in plastic.