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Cook the Book: Honey-Vanilla Cheesecake

Posted by Adam Kuban, January 18, 2008 at 1:00 PM

I've probably gone a little heavy on the mains from this week's Cook the Book selection, and now that the weekend is here and I have some time to devote to dessert, I'm thinking this Honey-Vanilla Cheesecake might do the trick. And who knew cheesecake could be both healthy and delicious?

It's adapted from The Culinary Institute of America's Techniques of Healthy Cooking.

Honey-Vanilla Cheesecake

- yields one 10-inch cake -

Adapted from Techniques for Healthy Cooking, from the Culinary Institute of America.

Ingredients

2 ounces (57 grams) chopped walnuts
4 ounces (115 grams) graham cracker crumbs
3 1/2 fluid ounces (105 mL) fresh orange juice
14 ounces (400 grams) low-fat cottage cheese
7 ounces (200 grams) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 fluid ounces (45 mL) nonfat yogurt, drained
8 ounces (225 grams) honey
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 ounce (30 grams) cornstarch
2 large vanilla beans, scraped

Procedure

1. Put the walnuts in a food processor. Add the graham cracker crumbs, and while the machine is running, slowly add the orange juice until mixture begins to come together.

2. Press the crumb crust evenly over the bottom of a 10-inch (25 centimeter) springform pan. Prebake the crust in a 300°F (150°C) oven until crust has dried and resembles a cookie, about 15 minutes.

3. In a food processor, purée the cottage and ricotta cheeses until smooth. Add the drained yogurt and remaining ingredients. Continue puréeing until smooth again.

4. Pour cheese mixture over crust; bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15 minutes. Place a bowl of water in oven below cheesecake; reduce temperature to 200°F (95°C). Bake until set, about 1 1/2 hours more. Let cheesecake cool completely before slicing.

1 Comment | Tags: cheesecakes, CIA, desserts, Health and Delicious