However, the last couple of months we have been trying to eat not only gluten free, but entirely grain free, which, while it has been good for our health and waistlines, has been somewhat of hardship in that it eliminated nearly every dessert known to mankind. Unwilling to give up dessert entirely, I started exploring some grain free dessert alternatives. One dessert that stuck out as an obvious choice was cheesecake, since it's only grains are contained within the crust. I developed a new crust out of almond meal, which is basically just whole almonds ground very finely until they are almost flour-like, and tried it with my cheesecake, and oh my! Heavenly! I don't miss old cheesecake crust at all...in fact, I think I prefer it this way!
Unfortunately this recipe isn't COMPLETELY grain free, because the cheesecake batter itself calls for 2 tablespoons of gluten free flour, and I haven't yet figured out a good substitute that will bind it together. But spread through the whole cheesecake, that seems a fairly negligible amount. If I ever get around to doing some research, perhaps I can find a substitute that will render the recipe truly grain free, and then I will share it with y'all.
Cheesecake it not hard at all to make, but it does take a long time from start to finish, mostly waiting for things to warm or cool. If you are having company and want to serve cheesecake for dessert, I'd advise making it a day in advance (and hiding it deep in the recesses of your fridge so your kids don't get into it)!
Amazing Gluten Free Cheesecake
**First, leave cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs on counter to come to room temperature, about 1 hour. The softer the cream cheese is, the smoother the cheesecake will be. If it's too cold, your cheesecake will still taste good but it'll be lumpy or grainy.
Crust:
1 cup ground almond meal*
1/4 raw cane sugar
2 T melted butter
Mix the almond meal and the sugar together. (The 1/4 makes for a fairly sweet crust, so if you want it just a little sweet, reduce sugar to about 2 T). Add melted butter and stir until sticking together and crumbly. Press (I think clean fingers work best) into the bottom of a 9 inch springform cheesecake pan, making sure the whole bottom is covered. The 1 cup of almond meal makes enough to cover just the bottom, so if you want the crust to come up the sides, too, I'd recommend doubling the crust recipe.
Bake crust at 350 F for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Depending on your oven, you may want to turn once halfway through to have it brown evenly. Cool crust for about 10 minutes. Increase oven temp to 375.
Filling:
2 packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups (1 16 oz carton) sour cream, room temp
1 c sugar (again, can use less for a mildly sweet cake)
2 T gluten free flour blend (I use Pamela's gluten free bread mix)
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract**
3 egss, room temp
1 t finely grated lemon peel
Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, gluten free flour, vanilla, and almond extract until well combined. Add eggs and lemon peel and beat until smooth.
Pour filling into pan on top of cooled crust. Put on the second to lowest rack of your oven. Underneath, on the lowest rack, Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned, the edges feel firm and springy when lightly touched, and a knife or toothpick comes out clean from the center. Cool on the counter for about 2 hours before attempting to open the spring on the pan. Chill in the refridgerator another 4 hours, at least.
*You can buy almond meal at Vitamin Cottage or probably other health food stores such as Whole Foods. However, if you can't find it, you can also make your own from whole almonds. Follow this link for directions: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreeingredient1/ht/makealmondmeal.htm
**If you don't want an almond flavored cheesecake, omit this flavoring or use some other kind of flavoring such a lemon, orange, etc. Robert and I really like almond flavored things, so I use a lot of the extract, but you can also use less, about 1/4 teaspoon, for a less strong flavor. The same goes for the lemon peel; I really like the combination of almond extract and lemon, but if you don't care for lemon, you can reduce or omit the lemon peel, or substitute orange or lime peel for a really exotic cheesecake!
You can serve your cheesecake plain or with whipped cream and strawberries...or cherries...or raspberries...the possibilities are endless. Honestly, the hardest part of this recipe is waiting until the silly thing is cool enough to slice.
As you can see, I couldn't even wait long enough to take a picture first... ;-)
Oh, oh, oh......I have 100 lbs of organic almonds that say they want to be turned into a crust for cheesecake. Who am I to deny them their last wish?! Thank you for sharing your recipe, and for the record, I loved that you had cheesecake for your wedding. Very original and very you!!
ReplyDeleteIf I liked cheesecake, I'd be all over this.
ReplyDeleteNumitty num! I want some. I need to invite somebody over just to have a "reason" to make this! or could we just consider it a healthy make-ahead breakfast food? You should see what they call cheesecake in Korea....it LOOKS exactly like the real thing, but tastes like...a gluten thing. (Oops, by the way, this is MOM, not Lydia. I don't know why it says Lydia.)
ReplyDeleteAwww, now it feels too hot for cheesecake. I'm going to have to wait for fall. But the GF Nectarine Torte turned out to be pretty good, no? I'm going to make another one for Sophie's birthday if she doesn't insist on chocolate!
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