And now for something completely different ...

Experimenting in the kitchen is one of my favorite things to do. Two ripe avocados have been hanging out on the counter all week waiting to be sliced and eaten with the chicken salad I never made. Two packages of low fat cream cheese, a box of almond crisp cookies and lemon yogurt two days from the best used by date -- necessity is the mother of invention.

What the heck. Turns out that avocado puree, lemon yogurt and cream cheese make a subtle interesting blend of flavors. The pale slightly greenish yellow color might take some getting used to visually. But the taste? Yummy. And yeah, those are homemade candied lemon peels hiding behind the cheesecake, ready and waiting to be used as garnish after dinner tonight. Happy Mother's Day!

AVOCADO LEMON CHEESECAKE
Crust
1 cup finely ground almond crisp cookies
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Thoroughly moisten the cookies crumbs with the butter. Press the crumbs in the bottom of an ungreased 8-inch X 3-inch spring form pan. Set the pan in the refrigerator until filling is mixed.

Filling
2 medium ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and cut in chunks
2 eight ounce packages of low fat cream cheese
4 whole eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup lemon low fat yogurt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend thoroughly on medium speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan with crust from the refrigerator and pour batter into pan. Place spring form pan on a baking sheet to prevent messy spills. Bake at 325 degrees F for approximately 1 hour or until center of the cake jiggles only slightly.

Shut off the oven and open its door, leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for another hour. Run hot tap water over a butter knife, then carefully run the knife around the edge of the cheesecake to make removing the cake from the pan easier. Place uncovered cake on a plate in the refrigerator to chill for no less than 4 hours before serving. Garnish with a small dollop of fresh whipped cream or creme fraiche (Silver Palate Cookbook, page 339) and a thin slice of candied lemon peel. Loosely cover leftovers with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for 2-3 days. Serves eight.

As for the calories? I have no idea so be reasonable! LOL

Comments

  1. Best Wishes, MarieMay 10, 2010 at 12:02 AM

    this sounds awesome. you may or may not be aware, in south american, they drink avacados in smoothies, sweetened with honey or apples.

    the variety is not a hass, it is larger. people who have them in their yards use them for many many, some sweet dishes.

    this cake looks and sounds moist.

    ReplyDelete

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