Basil Cheesecake

4-5 cherry tomatoes + a few more for decoration
90 g salted crackers, ground in a blender
70 g butter
250 g ricotta cheese
1 bundle of fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried)
3 eggs
50 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
30 g chopped almonds
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
olive oil
salt
ground black pepper

Mix crackers, butter, 1 egg, salt and pepper. Line a 18 cm diameter spring form pan with baking paper and press the crackers mass onto bottom of it. transfer into the fridge.

Mix the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano with almonds and bread crumbs. Beat 2 egg whites stiff with a pinch of salt. In another bowl, mix ricotta with chopped basil, 2 egg yolks, 40 g of Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper. Fold in the egg whites. Pour this cream over the crackers base. Place diced tomatoes over, press it to sink into the ricotta cream a little, and then sprinkle the almond mixture on top. Sprinkle some olive oil.

Cover the cake with the baking paper and bake in a preheated oven on 180°C for 50 minutes. Remove the baking paper and bake for another 20 minutes. It may happen that cheesecake will start dripping from your pan. To prevent that, put the spring form pan on your large oven pan and bake like that. Serve slightly chilled.

Note: I made this cheese cake as a member of Sale and Peppe Serbia tasting team, for April 2009 issue and am submitting it to the Weekend Herb Blogging event, hosted this week by Ivy of Kopiaste.