Bill Yosses' Cheesecake

Let Chef Bill Yosses guide you through the process of making the perfect, diabetic-friendly cheesecake.

Recipe Ingredients:

Crust:
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups cookie crumbs - divided use

Cheesecake:
8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/4 cup Splenda® Sugar Blend
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest

Glaze:
1 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup Splenda® Sugar Blend
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions:

1. Grease the inside of a 9-inch springform pan, using soft butter. Press 1 cup of cookie crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
2. Place cream cheese and Splenda® Sugar Blend into a mixer (preferably with a paddle attachment). Run for a few minutes, scraping down the sides and beaters frequently.
3. Add Ricotta; then add eggs, one by one. Wait for egg to be incorporated into the mix and scrape down the bowl before adding another egg to insure that everything is smoothly blended. Finally add sour cream, lemon juice and zest, and mix to uniform consistency.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and place on a cookie sheet.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (160°C) for 50 to 55 minutes, or until almost fully set and the center jiggles slightly. Allow to cool completely.
6. To Make Glaze: Mix the ingredients in a bowl and use an offset spatula to cover the outside of the un-molded cheesecake.
7. Cover the top of the cake with a one eighth of an inch layer of the sour cream glaze and lightly coat the sides, use the spatula to stick the remaining 1/4 cup cookie crumbs onto the sides.

Makes 12 servings.

Note: Cheesecake is really a "flan" or baked custard and for it to remain creamy and soft it must not be baked too rapidly or too long. The center of the cheesecake should be slightly wobbly, like gelatin, but it should move as a mass when gently shaken. This means that the eggs have set or coagulated with the liquids and cheese and when cooled will be smooth and creamy. To achieve that texture it is important that the cream cheese and sugar be well beaten and smooth before adding any other ingredients.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12 of recipe): Calories 240 | Calories from Fat 120 | Fat 13g (sat 8g) | Cholesterol 90mg | Sodium 180mg | Carbohydrates 20g | Fiber 0g | Sugars 12g | Protein 7g.

Recipe courtesy of Splenda, Inc. Splenda® is a no-calorie sweetener made from sugar that is suitable for diabetics. For more information regarding this product, please call 1-800-777-5363 or visit their website at www.splenda.com.