Easy cheesecake takes the long way, to Canada and back

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, March 7, 2006

A better mousetrap? You betcha. But it’s a long story to get there, so stay with me.

In the July 20 Forum column, Marie Little of Lynnwood shared a recipe called dieter’s cheesecake, telling us it was something her Canadian daughter had recently requested.

“She lives in Prince Rupert, B.C., and sings in a choir, which has a fund-raising event each year, for which members of the group make elegant desserts,” she explained.

Since her daughter needed the recipe right away, to serve the very next day, Marie e-mailed it to her, because the list of ingredients and directions seemed too long and complicated to read over the phone.

“As I typed the recipe into the computer,’ Marie said, “I thought to myself that it really needed to be updated. But there was no time, so this recipe for dieter’s cheesecake is just as it appears in a book printed in 1958.’

Daughter sent a return e-mail late that same night, reading, “Thanks, Mom. This will be great … As I remember, I really liked this recipe because it is so nice and light!”

A second e-mail followed late the next night: “The cheesecake was a big hit. It is a bit of a pain to make, though. Sieving cottage cheese is sure not my idea of a fun time, nor is whipping skim milk powder, which seemed to take forever.”

Now then, getting back to the culinary building of a better mousetrap, we hear from Marysville cook Dianne Berst, “Way back in July, I clipped your column regarding the dieter’s cheesecake with the good intention of sending an updated version from ‘Unbelievable Desserts With Splenda,’ by Marlene Koch.

“It’s a very nice cookbook given to me by my cousin and faithful Forum reader Doris McElroy of Everett.

“Now that I have wised up and learned my computer printer is also a copier, I have copied the recipes for luscious lemon cheesecake and the cheesecake crumb crust that Marie Little and her daughter in Canada should find less daunting than having to sieve cottage cheese!”

Winding up, Dianne mentions, “My family enjoyed this recipe and didn’t think it tasted like a ‘diet’ recipe.”

19-inch, baked cheesecake crumb crust (recipe follows)

1cup lowfat cottage cheese

1tub (8 ounces) light cream cheese

1package (8 ounces) nonfat cream cheese, at room temperature

1cup Splenda Granular

2tablespoons all-purpose flour

2teaspoons cornstarch

2teaspoons lemon juice

1tablespoon lemon zest

1carton (8 ounces) nonfat (not light) lemon yogurt

2eggs

2egg whites

Boiling water for baking

Prepare crust. When crust has cooled thoroughly, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the 9-inch springform pan with crust tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil to make waterproof.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor or blender. Puree until completely smooth. Spoon into a large mixing bowl and add nonfat and light cream cheeses. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar substitute, flour and cornstarch, and beat on low until smooth. Blend in the lemon juice, zest and yogurt. Add whole eggs and then egg whites, beating briefly after each addition to incorporate. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth top.

Place the foil-wrapped pan in a large, deep baking pan and pour boiling water into pan until it reaches halfway up the outside of the cheesecake pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until sides of cake appear firm and center jiggles slightly. Turn off the heat, open oven door and let cheesecake cool down in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from water bath and finish cooling on rack. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

3/4cup graham cracker crumbs (about 12 squares)

2tablespoons Splenda Granular

1tablespoon margarine or butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

If starting with whole graham crackers, place them in a blender or food processor and pulse to make fine crumbs. Place the crumbs in a bowl and add sugar substitute and melted margarine or butter. Stir to mix. Pour the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. With your fingers, the back of a spoon, or a sheet of plastic wrap, press down on the crumbs to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool. (Be sure the crust is completely cool if using recipe for unbaked cheesecakes.)

Variation: For a chocolate crumb crust, substitute chocolate graham crackers for the regular grahams. Add 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder along with the sweetener and margarine or butter to the crumbs.

The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.