Ricotta cheesecake so good you won't know it lost some cheese

[Food Network Fan]

Ricotta cheesecake so good you won't know it lost some cheese

Mar 4, 2008
Cheesecake is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. But it's hard to be pleased with the amount of fat in many classic versions — usually more than 30 grams per serving. But happily, a delicious lighter cheesecake is possible.
Typical cheesecakes contain as much as 340 grams (three-quarters of a pound) of fat, most of it from the cream cheese and heavy cream or sour cream in the filling. In addition, a traditional graham cracker crust can add an entire stick of butter.
Making a healthier - yet still satisfying - cheesecake is just a matter of choosing the right ingredients.
Nutritionist Ellie Krieger, host of the Food Network show "Healthy Appetite," recommends reduced-fat rather than non-fat ingredients because they significantly cut fat, saturated fat and calories without sacrificing taste and texture.
In most cheesecake recipes you can, at the very least, replace regular cream cheese with Neufchatel (reduced-fat cream cheese) which has fewer calories and about a third of the fat.
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Ricotta Cheesecake With Fresh Raspberries
1 container (425 g/15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) reduced-fat sour cream
125 g (4 oz) Neufchatel (reduced-fat cream cheese), softened
3 large eggs
175 ml (3/4 cup) sugar
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
5 ml (1 tsp) grated orange zest
1 ml ( 1/4 tsp) salt
50 ml ( 1/4 cup) all-fruit seedless raspberry jam
15 ml (1 tbsp) orange liqueur or water
2 pkgs (each 165 g/6 oz) fresh raspberries
Preheat oven to 160 C (325 F). Coat a 23-cm (9-inch) leakproof springform pan with cooking spray.
In a food processor, puree ricotta until smooth and creamy. Add sour cream, Neufchatel, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, orange zest and salt and process until well blended. Pour into prepared pan and bake until centre is just set, 50 to 55 minutes.
Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool, then cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours before removing it from pan. The cheesecake will be about 5 cm (2 inches) high.
In a small saucepan, bring jam and liqueur to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Brush top of cheesecake with jam mixture, then top with raspberries, flat side down. The cake should be stored in refrigerator, where it will keep for 2 to 3 days.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 295 calories, 13 g fat (8 g saturated), 127 mg cholesterol, 36 g carbohydrate, 10 g protein, 3 g fibre, 375 mg sodium.
Source: "The Food You Crave" by Ellie Krieger (Taunton Press, 2008).

[MayQueen]

I eat cheesecake once, maybe twice a year so I'm not going to be looking for any low-fat or low-calorie version. Besides I love the graham cracker crust. I've never made one with a whole stick of butter, that sounds extreme. And most people won't eat the entire cheesecake so why even mention the whole stick of butter? Seems a kind of shock value.

Ellie's version still has almost 300 calories and 36 grams of carbs. Wouldn't someone on a "healthy diet" just skip cheesecake altogether and eat the fresh raspberries? As much as I like Ellie, she lost me on this one.

[BerryBaby]

I agree, MayQueen. I maybe have a couple of bites of cheesecake a year. But then, I don't really have dessert that often. I'd bet, if I really thought about it, maybe less than 6 times a year. Fruit, yes, dessert, no.