So my love for Organic cake recipes does not stop at Red Velvet Cake. I enjoy Cheese Cake, perhaps more than Red Velvet. The mixture of cheese and cream adds so much delight to a dessert. I love it so much, I went off finding a recipe that is organic, and still delicious. At leasts its healthier, right?
REMEMBER:: You can substitute all ingredients for organic ingredients, or you can only substitute a few. It is completly up to you and your budget. The creativity makes it your own personal recipe. Plus some ingredients are difficult to find as organic.
So to start with you need::
Ingredients:
For the Crust
1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, melted
For the Filling
1 pound cream cheese organic softened to room temperature
1 cup organic sugar
6 large organic egg yolks3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups organic sour cream
Directions::
1.) Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 x 2 1/2-inch pan or a circular pan, whichever you prefer.
2.) In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Press this mixture into the base of the prepared pan and partway up the sides, using your fingers or the back of a spoon. Use a flat-bottomed glass to press the crumbs smoothly and firmly into place. Wrap the outside of the pan in a double layer of heavy aluminum foil to prevent leaking.
3.) Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until very smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the egg yolks, beating until the batter is smooth and scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and beat until mixed well. Beat in the sour cream just until blended.
4.) Pour the batter into the prepare pan. Set the pan inside a larger pan (a 12- x 12-inch cake pan, for example) and surround it with 1 inch of very hot water. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.
5.) Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cake cool for 1 hour inside. Transfer the cheesecake to a rack (the center will still be jiggly) and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least six hours or overnight.
6.) After you set it out on a platter, you can use organic strawberries, blueberries, zest of lemon, or drizzles of chocolate to make your cheesecake have even more flavor and to ehance to the looks of your cheescake. Your guests will be in awe of your baking skills, and it makes it so much more unique, than plain cheesecake. Remember this is your recipe, and whatever you like on top of cheesecake, follow your heart and do it!
Serves 12.
Adapted from Comfort Food, from The Best of Fine Cooking (Taunton Press, 2004).
greenlif3 