The Last Bite...Food Porn Inspired by Gaga

Each soft, luscious mouthful of the silken Vanilla Lemon Flan played across  the tongue; it's appeal only made stronger by the intoxicating scent of the lilac honey that dripped lanquidly over it's soft sides.

Alejandro's lips quivered expectantly as the spoon drew nearer, all the senses heightened in anticipation of the next sweetly sinful bite.  He must wait; savor the tantilizing aromas of the sensual vanilla, the light playfulness of the lemon zest and the exotic, delicate nuance of the lilac honey. 

She knows...senses his anticipation and lightly brushes the spoon across his slightly parted lips then draws it away with a sweep of her slender wrist.  "I know that we are young....and I know that you may love me.  But I just can't be with you like this anymore...Alejandro."

She laid down the spoon and put both her hands in her pockets.  She won't look at him...can't look at him.  She hides true love, en su bolsillo.  She's got a dollop of custard on her finger around him.  Slowly and deliberately she licks the sweet confection, a golden drop of honey left on the tip of her tongue...Alejandro wasnts to share it.

"You know that I love you boy...hot like Mexico, rejoice.  But at this point I have to choose...got nothing to lose."  And with that she picked up the spoon and slid the last velvety bite slowly into her mouth...letting it melt a bit before swirling her tongue around to embrace it's sweetness.

He opens his mouth and speaks her name in a tortured, longing moan... "babe" he breaths...

"Please...don't call my name, don't call my name Alejandro.  I'm not your
babe, not your babe.  Don't wanna kiss, don't wanna touch." 

She pulls the cigarette from a sterling silver case and lights it with a soft flick of her monogramed lighter.  "Here," she sighs, "just smoke this cigarette and hush but don't call my name...don't call my name. I cannot share with you Alejandro."

"Oh Alejandro...Alejandro.  Ale Ale jandro...."

She leaves him standing there, alone and half naked with the stub of a cigarette in his mouth.  One last drag and as he reaches for the ashtray to extinguish it, he notices the traces of her lipstick left behind on the filter...taunting him.

He turns his gaze to the empty dessert plate; sticky with the residue of lilac honey.  He trails his finger through a small puddle and licks it ...just as she walks out the door.

"She's not broken," he thinks.  "She's just a baby.  But her boyfriends are  like a dad...just like a dad.  All those flames that came before me, gotta do some firefighting...cool the bad..."

One tiny fleck of the custard remains on the spoon.  He cannot resist.  The taste is exquisite.  The cell phone in his pocket feels warm.  He must call...try to bring her back.  Try to convince her to make another custard.  It rings...

When she answers he holds his breath, every nerve ending in his sleek muscular body tensed.  "You know that I love you boy, hot like Mexico.  But at this point I had to chose...the flan or you...and you lose."

"Please, don't call my name, don't call my name Alejandro.  I'm not your babe, not your babe or your pastry chef Alejandro!  I don't want to cook, don't want to touch...just smoke a cigarette and hush.  Don't bother me Alejandro...

Fernando...Roberto or whatever the hell your name is.....just let me go."

All he has left is the memory of the Vanilla Lemon flan's delicate taste, the empty custard cup in his sink and one precious drop of lilac honey on his bare chest.  He shivers...remembering...

Alejandro's dark eyes fill with tears.  It cannot end this way, he thinks.  His fingers ache to punch her number one more time but he knows there is no use...she is gone.  He begins to despair, thinking he will never know that feeling upon his lips again.  He will hunger...he will wither away from unrequieted desire...

Then he sees it; just the tip of a small green card sticking out of a partially open kitchen drawer.  Curiosity and a glimmer of hope quicken him.  With an unsteady hand he reaches out and glides the pad of his thumb over the drawer pull.  Can it be, he wonders?  Could she have left behind........

the recipe?

Alejandro's breath catches in his throat as he reads.  The swirls and loops of her distinctive, seductive handwriting are unmistakable...they curve to form each letter, each word...enveloping you, mesmerizing you, leaving your body aching for... STOP IT STOP IT his brain cries!  He must think only of the custard...

He must preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Then he must set out 4 individual custard ramekins, dip a pastry brush in warm, soft butter and brush it in each mold.  As he spreads the warm butter over the insides of the ramekins, a memory overtakes him.  It is a scarf draped over the night stand lamp, silk cords on the bed posts, rubber sheets, the current of the ceiling fan raising goose bumps on his bare flesh and her...hands, body..covered in butter...undulating...STOP STOP STOP...he MUST cook!

In a medium bowl he must combine...

1 cup of organic non-fat dry milk powder

3 tablespoons of Xylitol natural sweetener

2 packets individual packets of Stevia natural sweetener (a heaping teaspoons if using loose powder)

1/4 cup organic liquid whole egg substitute

organic liquid egg whites (Nature Valley) equivalent to 3 large egg whites

1 2/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (may sub 1 teaspoon of extract)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure lemon extract

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel

Lilac or Heather Honey for the top

lemon wheels for garnish.

He must whisk all the ingredients together until the dry milk powder and the xylitol have dissolved.  Then Alejandro divides the custard evenly between the four buttered ramekins.  

He places them in a 9x13 baking pan and sets them on the center rack in his oven.  Then he pours hot tap water around them until the water comes halfway up the sides, taking care not to pour any water into the ramekins.

He closes the oven door to wait; 55 minutes.  It is torture.  The water bath has set his mind adrift again.  This time to a hot tub, her wearing a dress made out of bubble wrap, stiletto heels...her HUGE eyes with their unnaturally large pupils and two sets of false eyelashes...making her look like a cupie doll.  The nurses come and force her to drink her own bath water...and he waits on a big white bed.  He is pretty certain he died that night...he remembers her coming toward the bed wrapped in a huge polar bear throw.  She drops it to reveal a bra that spits fire..and he awakens from a strange dream in which she is lying beside his charred remains smoking a cigarette from the sterling silver case...and laughing.   

The timer on the oven brings him out of his reverie.  His head still feels a little full of cobwebs so he must be extremely careful when he removes the pan full of hot water from the oven.  He must exercise caution...don't want another third degree burn ( like the time she wanted to play with hot wax and bengay). 

Alejandro lets the custards cool to room temperature and them puts them into the refrigerator to chill for several hours.  When at last it is time...he takes them out and runs a little knife around the edges of each, dips them briefly in some warm tap water and inverts them onto dessert plates. 

The exotic lilac honey waits...he warms it gently in the microwave and then ever so slowly, drizzles two teaspoons over the tops of the custards.  It runs over the sides and pools on the plates.  He garnishes each with a lemon wheel and then stands back to admire his work.

They are lovely to be sure but will they taste like hers?  Will they taunt and tease his tastebuds?  Will they beckon him from sleep in the middle of the night to come and rescue them from the cold, dark confines of the fridge?  Will he stand there naked in his kitchen, honey running down his chin?  Probably...

Will he miss her?  Not anymore.....

Baking Again..........

It is certainly good to be home!  I've been traveling for the last few weeks...living out of a suitcase...eating nasty food that I am NOT used to eating.  Don't worry...I didn't go completely crazy and eat at Taco Bell or anything like that but I usually do not eat out at all.   In general, I find restraunt food over salted yet under seasoned (unless you count all the msg thats hidden in marinades, sauces and dressings), too high in both calories and fat, under-inspired and over-priced.  But then again, I'm probably much more critical than most diners.

Of note, we did find this cool little diner off the beaten path in Franfort Indiana.  Shaggy's Diner...tres retro in an old store front, exposed brick walls, stone chess set (game in progress) at a table in the front window and guitar, chair and mike in the other front window niche.  Local art all over the walls of course.  The food was simple fare but very tasty.  The prices were definately retro...great deals.  I'd go again if only for the ambiance but the food was actually good.  Why do I feel like Guy Fieri all of a sudden?  Lord, I hope my mouth isn't that big.....

Greyhound Tavern in Fort Thomas, Kentucky...save your money.  Highly over-rated.  Old decor, old menu, old customers, old...old...old.  I was waiting for the aging servers with the lipstick lines all the way to the nostrils to come marching out of the kitchen bearing trays of iceberg wedges frosted with thousand island dressing and those nasty little jello salad squares with mini marshmallows and canned pineapple nesting on wads of wilted leaf lettuce.  It had the feel of a church pot-luck where everyone made the recipes on the Campbell's soup can labels and the vanilla wafer boxes.  And the service was abysmal at best...if I were that unhappy being a 65 year old waitress, I believe I'd hang up my orthopedic panty hose and QUIT!

In Columbus, Ohio we did enjoy a walk through the "Victorian sector" and dinner at Moody's...a trendy (and VERY BUSY) Italian resturant that had just the right mix of traditional and trendy cuisine.  We started with a cheese board sampler that came on a paper lined board with little accoutremonts such as salted honey and white truffle oil.  The bread was a little ordinary and would have been much better served warm but the olive oil and aged balsamic in which to dip it was stupendous...fruity and bold at the same time. 

I had the most amazing salad of baby arugula, sunchokes, marcona almonds, dried cranberries and shaved pecorino with a lemon olive oil vinaigrette.  We also shared a pot of mixed olives (there were 12 of us ok...I didn't eat this all by myself).  My pescitarian daughter and her boyfriend shared a roasted shrimp and pesto flatbread.  My oldest daughter and her boyfriend shared the enourmous stuffed veal meatballs with marinara and capellini.  My mother and I shared the most amazing flatbread pizza of caramelized onions, tellegio and crisped panchetta that was topped with paper thin strips of crisped potates and baby arugula. 

Afterwards we had to walk off dinner and check out the shops.  My oldest daughter, who lives in Columbus proclaimed that we MUST try the ice cream shop.  I can't remember the name...I'll have to ask her because if you are ever in Columbus you MUST go there!  I don't even LIKE ice cream and I was amazed.  I had a cup of Roasted Cherry Goat Cheese Ice Cream and it was truely one of the best tasting things I've ever eaten.  I paid for all that dairy later but for once it was worth it!

Other than those few eating establishments, the rest were a parade of chain joints....Cheesecake factory (which I personally find highly over rated), the ever present (and gut wrenching) Cracker Barrell to which I was dragged kicking and screaming, Ruby Tuesdays etc etc.  I had to come home and do a juice detox for 3 days.....

I did cook a couple of meals while at my brother's house but only because they live so far out in the boonies that there are no restaraunts.  I NEVER mind doing the cooking but my traveling companion (mom) feels that vacation means a vacation from cooking and gets downright offended if anyone suggests eating at home!  I have left her in Indiana...stuck off in BFE at my brother's place for the entire month of July.  I'll go back and retrieve after the wedding in Kentucky (my best friend's son) that I am helping to cater.

My poor kitchen!  I had to make SOMETHING today and I had some fresh medjool dates that were...well...they had become DRIED medjool dates.  I decided to cook them down in some orange juice and turn that into a date puree.  I knew I wanted to make some sort of bar so I just decided to wing it....my Whole Wheat Date Yogurt Bars are the result.  Sweet dates, tangy greek yogurt over a crust of oats, whole wheat flour, butter and a few other tasty ingredients become a wonderful dense and delicious bar cookie.

Whole Wheat Date Yogurt Bars

1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup organic rolled oats

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted organic butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups pitted medjool dates

1 cup orange juice

2 T orange zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup plain Greek Yogurt (fat free is fine)

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/4 cup unbleached cane sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large cage free organic egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1.  Combine both flours, oats, almond meal, wheat germ, brown sugar and salt in container of food processor.  Add cubes of cold butter and pulse mixture until combined.  Mixture will hold together when pressed or squeezed.

2.  Grease and flour an 9x9x2 inch baking pan.  Set aside 1/3 of crust mixture and press remaining crust into pan.  Set aside while filling are prepared.

3.  Place pitted dated and orange juice in a small sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until dates are tender and most of the juice is gone.  Remove from heat and scrape into food processor.  Add orange zest and lemon juice; pulse until smooth.  Spread this mixture over the prepared crust.

4.  In a small bowl, combine greek yogurt, flour, sugar, vanilla and beaten egg.  Spread this mixture evenly over date mixture.  Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the yogurt.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Cool before cutting.

Servings will depend on how large you cut the bars.  Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

These bars are chewy in the middle with a nice firm bottom crust and the yummy, tangy yogurt topped with buttery crumbs.

(c) copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Second Contest Entry - Avocado Fudge Brownies with Feta Cheesecake Swirl

No...you did NOT read that title wrong!  I really DID make an avocado brownie that's marbled with feta cheesecake.  This is my second entry for Denise and Lazaro's challenge.  (See details at http://lazarocooks.blogspot.com/ or http://quickiesonthedinnertable.yolasite.com/ 

While you are there, be sure to check out Denise's book......

Before everyone becomes convinced that I have taken leave of my senses (again), let me explain the reasoning behind the avocado brownie.  I have played around for years with different ingredients and methods in the quest to create truely scrumptuous vegan baked goods that are just as good if not better than their dairy/egg laden counterparts.

I must admit, I've made some real messes along the way.  But I've made some breakthroughs as well.  One of those was my Vegan Avocado Fudge Cupcake which we sold at Central Florida Veg Fest two years in a row...by the HUNDREDS.  The avocado serves a dual purpose here...both as an egg replacement/emulsifier and a healthy fat source.  It works amazingly well too.  Granted the brownies are not vegan but I thought...why not give it a whirl and see what happens.

The results were astounding.  My ridiculously rich recipe for Fleur De Sel Caramel Triple Chocolate Brownies uses a Deen-like amount of butter.  I replaced one of the eggs and half of the butter with pureed avocado and the result is a dense, moist, fudge-like brownie that probably breaks the law in some states.  To encorporate the feta, I made a feta cheesecake batter to swirl into the brownies.  There is so much anti-oxident rich dark chocolate in these brownies that they actually look BLACK!  The feta cheesecake swirl is a nice contrast.

Avocado Fudge Brownies with Feta Cheesecake Swirl

• 
  
  10 ounces dark (70% cacao) chocolate, chips or broken chunks
• 
  
  1/2 stick unsalted organic butter
• 
  
  1 ripe Haas avocado, pitted and peeled
• 
  
  2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 
  
  1/4 cup buttermilk
• 
  
  1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 
  
  3 large organic eggs (1 for cheesecake swirl)
• 
  
  3/4 cup packed dark brown organic sugar
• 
  
  1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour (organic preferred)
• 
  
  1 teaspoon baking powder
• 
  
  1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 
  
  1 cup chopped walnuts
• 
  
  4 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• 
  
  3 ounces feta cheese
• 
  
  1/3 cup organic cane sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan; set aside.

1. 
   
   Place chocolate chunks and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.  Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.  Stir until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.
2. 
   
   While chocolate melts, combine avocado, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, salt, buttermilk, espresso powder, 2 of the whole eggs and the brown sugar in blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add avocado mixture to semi cooled chocolate gradually until encorporated.
3. 
   
   In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with baking powder and cocoa.  Pour chocolate avocado mixture into flour mixture and stir until no dry spots remain.  Coat nuts in 1 of the remaining tablespoons of flour.  Fold into batter.  Do not overmix.  Batter will be very thick and fudge like.  Smooth batter into prepared pan.
4. 
   
   Prepare the Feta Cheesecake Swirl:  Place remaining egg, vanilla extract, softened cream cheese and feta in blender.  Add granulated sugar and last tablespoon of flour.  Process until thick and smooth.  If you need a couple drops of buttermilk to facilitate blending that is ok but try blending without it first.  This mixture should be thick but pourable.
5. 
   
   Using a butter knife, cut through the brownie batter in a swirl pattern.  The batter is thick enough to stay put.  Pour Feta Cheesecake mixture into the indentions in brownie.  If additional swirling is necessary, just drag knife through until desired swirling is achieved.
6. 
   
   Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.  The center may still seem wet when pricked with a cake tester and that is fine.  Do not overbake.  Cool brownies completely before removing from pan.  Cut into desired shapes.  Number of servings will vary depending on how they are cut. 

Check out the beautiful swirled tops...

Very dark and moist...but they cut beautifully.

a little creative plating with a ripe, juicy strawberry, a dusting of cocoa and powdered sugar and some bon bon candles.  I stood one brownie on it's side for visual impact and also to show the color and texture. 

Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Mango Swirl Yogurt Cheesecake

This is NOT your mama's cheesecake!  Unbelievably, there isn't any cream cheese in it at all.  It is made entirely of yogurt.  I have played around with cheesecake recipes over the years.  Any cook that's worth their salt (or sugar) has tried to make the perfect guiltless cheesecake right?  Give up because its never going to happen.  There is just no way to create something that looks and tastes like a decadant dessert and stay within my 200 calorie or less dessert rule! I came pretty close though.

Now I don't know about you but I really dislike fat free cream cheese.  Its got a wierd texture, waxy look and funky flavor.  When I looked at the label, I understood why.  It has a list of JUNK thats been added to emulsify, texturize and simulate regular cream cheese.  Like most highly processed foods, when they take something out...something nasty usually goes back in!  I know, you're saying "but some of that stuff is natural."  Ok, well so are beetle larvae that are used for their red color enhancement in MANY "natural" products but that doesn't mean I want to eat them! 

So that left me with light cream cheese.  It might be a little more "natural' than the fat free stuff...but not much and it still has more fat than you want when you are talking about the amount that you need for a cheesecake.  That is typically 3-5 eight ounce packages depending on the recipe you use.  Most recipes that I've read call for combining full fat cream cheese with either the light or the fat free variety but when you read the nutritonal info, you're still talking about four to five grams of fat PER OUNCE.  We all know nobody eats one ounce of cheesecake!  The typical serving is 6 ounces.  Do the math.

If you needed any further enlightenment; regular New York style cheesecake (with no added topping) weighs in at around 90 calories, 6-8 grams of fat, 7.2 grams carbohydrates, 1.6 grams protein, 0 fiber, and 75-100 mg of sodium PER OUNCE my friends!  I got out my calculator.  One piece of (shall remain nameless famous cheesecake joint) plain New York style comes in at 600 calories, 38 grams fat, 65 grams carboydrates, 8 grams protein, 0 fiber and 500 mg sodium.  Holy cow!

I've never been the kind of gal that plays inside the box.  So I got out my thinking cap and my apron.  Six flopped attempts and 16 quarts of Stoneyfield's finest later...I had myself an honest to goodness 100% yogurt cheesecake.  

Getting the refined sugar out was my next dilema.  That one resolved itself fairly easily with the addition of organic Agave nectar.  I just had to figure out how to compensate for the added liquid.  For the crust, I took the same concept that I use for my raw fruit pies with the addition of and egg and some unsalted organic butter.  The result is a sweet, delicious crust that doesn't have one grain of refined sugar and no gluten either!  As with many of my recipes, you'll find this one relies on organic coconut products as well.  What can I say?  I love them!

I am lactose intolerant so I know you are saying to yourself, "well yogurt is made from milk."  This is true BUT...yogurt can actually help with lactose intollerance.  The enzymes in yogurt (as a fermented food) start feasting on those lactic acid sugars and sort of pre-digesting them for you.  Stomach acids break down the cell walls of the bacteria in the yogurt and release an enzyme called beta-galactosidase which enhances lactose digestion.  It is generally thought that only yogurts with live bacteria cultures can perform this function however the jury is still out on that one.  Uhm...ALL yogurt by nature of what it IS...is bacteria!  I'm not ripping on any particular yogurt advertisement mind you...just saying.  Somebody has always got a "new and improved" version of something but there are reasons that yogurt is a super-food that supercede any trendy "live bacteria culture" commercials. 

Whether I'm just having a snack or using yogurt in a recipe, there are several things that I look for.  Number one...is it organic?  For me that is a must with dairy.  I'll save the RBST (recumbinant bovine sominotrophen) lecture for another article.  Number two...flavor and I do NOT mean a bunch of sugary fruity junk in the bottom.  I mean how does the yogurt taste?  How pleasing is the texture?  Is it very tangy or mild?  My personal favorite for snacking is Greek style (sometimes called strained) yogurt.  I buy my yogurt straight up though...that is plain.  Even organic yogurts can have too much sugar when you buy the pre-sweetened stuff.  I generally sweeten mine with a little Stevia or just some seasonal fruit puree with no sweetener.  Last but not least is fat content.  With organic products at least you don't have to worry about what they stuck in there in place of the fat.  I use full fat, low fat and fat free all.  It just depends on what I'm using it for. 

So you are saying to yourself, "ENOUGH already...we came here for cheesecake."  Indeed, and this cheesecake will not dissappoint.  Like any other cheesecake, you can't just throw this together half an hour before your company arrives.  A good, perfectly baked, moist cheesecake takes PATIENCE and a little bit of skill.  Although if you follow the steps and don't rush you can squeak by on the skill part.

Most people make cheesecake a day ahead of when they plan to serve it.  With yogurt cheesecake you actually need to start TWO days before.  The first step is to make yogurt cheese.  Don't get excited, its not a difficult process...except for the waiting that is! 

Make yourself a simple set up of a colander lined with unbleached coffee filters placed over a large bowl.  Make sure that the colander will balance on the rim of the bowl.  If the bottom of the colander is touching the bottom of the bowl you are defeating the purpose.  You will need 2 quarts of organic low fat plain or vanilla yogurt.  If you use vanilla, your cheesecake will be marginally sweeter than if you had used plain.  Don't go with fat free on this recipe.  You need a little fat.  Stir the yogurt and pour both containers into the lined colander.  Flatten another filter and cover the top of the yogurt.  Place a small plate or some plastic wrap over the bowl to protect the yogurt from picking up fridge odors.  Stash the bowl in your refrigerator 12-24 hours.  You should get 3 heaping cups of yogurt cheese from 2 quarts of yogurt. The longer the better because you want your cheese to be thick.  You may need to pour some of the whey out of the bowl halfway through the process so the bottom isnt touching the liquid.  You can save that whey for smoothies by the way!

When your yogurt cheese is done, you can easily scrape it off the coffee filters into a large bowl.  Either refrigerate in a covered container or use right away to make your  cheesecake.  If you store the cheese, extra water will still accumulate on the top.  Just make sure you pour that off before making the cheesecake.

You can make your cheesecake any flavor you like by adding different extracts, citrus juice, zest, fruit purees, chocolate or even coffee.  I've chosen mango for this one because I had a nice ripe organic mango in the fruit bowl and it needed a home.  Yes, this does take a little time but I promise...it is definately worth the wait.

Mango Swirl Yogurt Cheesecake

(with grainless date, apricot, almond and coconut crust)

3 cups prepared yogurt cheese (see instructions in above text)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic Agave Nectar (color doesn't matter)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons organic coconut flour

2 Tablespoons organic tapioca or potato starch

3 extra large cage free organic eggs

1/3 cup oranic unsweetened coconut milk

zest and juice of one organic lemon (about 3 tablespoons lemon juice)

1 large ripe mango

1 batch  Date Apricot Shortbread Crust (recipe follows)

1- Preheat oven to 325.  Prepare crust.  Press half the crust mixture into the bottom of a greased  9" springform pan.  Bake 15 minutes; cool completely.  Place cooled bottom back into the springform ring.  Using the remainder of the crust mixture; press evenly up the sides of pan.  Chill crust while preparing filling.

2- Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.  Place yogurt cheese in a large mixing bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat in 1/2 cup of the agave and vanilla till well blended.  Add coconut flour and tapioca starch; mix well.  Beat in eggs one at a time until blended. 

3-  Combine coconut milk and lemon juice.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  It will look curdled.  Beat into yogurt mixture.  Stir in lemon zest.

4- Remove crust from refrigerator and wrap the outside with foil (just in case of leaks).  Pour cheesecake batter into prepared crust.

5- Peel and cube the mango and place in blender with the remaining 2 tablespoons agave.  Blend until you have a smooth puree.  Drizzle half the mango puree over the top of the cheesecake and swirl with a butter knife.  Store remaining puree in fridge to serve with cheesecake.

6- Place cheesecake on center rack in 300 degree oven.  Bake 1 hour; reduce heat to 275 and bake additional 35-40 minutes.  Center should still be slightly jiggly when you gently tap the side of the pan.  Insert a cake tester in the center and it should come out clean.  Do not overbake.

7- Turn off heat and open oven door.  Let the cheesecake sit undisturbed for another hour.  Remove from oven and cool on counter top until room temperature.   Remove the side ring once cake is cooled. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight.

*It is important to follow the steps to achieve the best results.  Also, the cheesecake is best served the next day.  Even after baking, yogurt can still leach out a little water. 

Gluten Free Date and Apricot Shortbread

8-10 fresh (not dried) organic Medjool dates, pitted

8 organic dried apricots

1 cup Almond Meal

1 cup organic unsweetened dried coconut flakes

1/4 cup organic coconut flour

1/4 cup organic quinoa flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

3 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, slightly cool

1 extra large cage free organic egg, slightly beaten

1-  Place dates, apricots, almond meal and coconut flakes in food processor.  Pulse until fruit is completely chopped and mixture is crumbly but sticky.  Add the two flours, salt and baking powder; pulse until well blended. 

2- Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle around on the top of crumb mixture in processor.  Pulse until you cannot see any chunks of butter.  In a small bowl, beat egg to blend.  Add to processor and pulse until mixture is completely blended and forms a ball. 

3- Moisten fingers with a little water and press into pan as instructed above.  Bake per instructions.

*Note:  Humidity can affect how sticky your dough is.  If it seems to sticky you may add extra coconut flour. 

**Quinoa flour is available at most healthfood stores and is a gluten free product.

Decorate your cheesecake with fresh fruits and enjoy!

16 Servings

Per Serving:  300 calories, 10 grams fat, 45 grams Carbs, 9 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 82 mg sodium

I've decorated mine with Carambola blackberries and Strawberries

The lovely little "hearts" in the mango puree are droplets of coconut milk which I dragged a toothpick through to create the shape.

Yes...it does taste like cheesecake and it IS as luscious as it looks!

Close up detail of mango swirl top and crust

Now when your mother tells you to eat your yogurt...you got it covered!

(c) copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet