Cheesecake with Fresh Blueberries and Clementine Syrup

Two words to describe the perfect slice of cheesecake: pure decadence. I'm talking about the type from your neighborhood bakery or your favorite restaurant. Made with rich, creamy, delicious cream cheese. I do allow myself that indulgence once in a while but I have created the perfect recipe for when these cravings happen at home. Actually, I had not initially set out to create a healthy cheesecake recipe; I was looking for a way to incorporate tofu in dessert. Tofu is so versatile but up until recently, I shamefully had only ventured to use it savory dishes. All that has changed.

I can imagine some people will gag at the thought of a tofu cheesecake and I want you to know I understand these reservations. At first, some things seem not to go too well together. For example, chocolate and chili, basil and ice cream, honey and mustard, Minnesota and summer (just kidding!) However, the result of these odd couples are very distinct and pleasing taste sensations.

Once you have tasted this cheesecake, you will notice two things: (1) it doesn't taste as though it contains tofu, and (2) the texture is both light and creamy. Besides being a great dessert, this recipe is a good way to get more protein in your diet. Protein from dessert? Who would've thought?

Ingredients

Crust:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup crumbled graham crackers
1 egg white ( save yolk for filling)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp orange extract (optional)

Filling:
8 oz fat free cream cheese (or low fat if you prefer)
12 oz silken tofu
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (saved from crust)

2 tsp corn starch

1 tsp orange extract

Topping:

1 1/2 cups blueberries
juice of four clementines (or oranges)
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp orange extract

To prepare crust:
In a food processor, grind pecans and graham crackers. Empty into a mixing bowl and add vegetable oil, egg white and orange extract. Mix well. Press unto the base of a well greased 8" spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.

To prepare filling:
Using a blender (see note below), blend together all of the filling ingredients until a smooth, silky consistency takes shape. Pour onto crust in spring form pan, and bake at 325 degrees F for one hour.
Remove from oven and immediately pass a knife along around the sides. Place cake in pan on a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Chill overnight in refrigerator. Remove sides of pan.

To prepare the topping:
In a heavy saucepan, heat clementine juice, water, honey, corn starch, and orange extract. Whisk rigorously and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly. Once syrup has cooled, evenly spread two tablespoons onto top of chilled cheesecake. Toss the blueberries in the remaining syrup and arrange them in a decorative pattern on top of cake. Any remaining syrup should be drizzled over finished product.

Note: I strongly recommend using a blender to make the filling as opposed to using an electric hand or stand up mixer. The mixers do not produce the smooth, silky quality necessary for the filling. What they do produce, however, is a filling with a lumpy, unattractive texture. I hope this serves to deter you from using your handy dandy mixer, just this once.

Good Mornings

There is no question about it: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We have heard this said time and again. Breakfast not only provides fuel to begin the day but it also kick starts our metabolism. By eating breakfast,we tell our bodies to start burning calories. Many scientists believe that this mechanism helps maintain a healthy weight. Yet, so many people do not have the time to eat on mornings. Others simply don't eat because they are incorrectly convinced that, by skipping meals, they will consume less calories. A complete myth. Researchers have found that breakfast skippers do in fact consume more calories throughout the day than those of us who eat breakfast.
There are some mornings when I am also crunched for time. So to get around this, I make these hearty muffins. Make them ahead of time, make two or three batches for the week, have one as desert. These muffins are packed with energy, fiber and antioxidants. A good way to begin the day.



Breakfast Muffins
Makes 1 dozen

1 cup bran cereal
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg whites
12 oz plain fat free yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup apple sauce or 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup whole oats

1. Set oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 2 muffins tins set aside.
2. Grind cereal in food processor until a fine, flour-like texture.
3. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in ground cereal.
4. Blend together egg whites, yogurt, oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla extract.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients with about 10 to 12 strokes. The batter might not appear to be fully incorporated; that's ok. You do not want to over-mix any muffin batter otherwise the muffins will turn out too chewy.
6. Sprinkle reserved 2 tbsp cake flour over blueberries and walnuts, mix to coat, then fold into batter folding gently two or three times.
7. Divide batter equally between two muffins tins.
7. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, apple sauce and oats.
8. Crumble oat mixture over muffin batter.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack before serving.

Note: If blueberries are unavailable, use raisins or dried cranberries instead.

From Bland to Blueberries

During my freshman year of college, I had an 8 am biology class. Sounds simple, not so. For me, having to wake up at 7 am to catch the 7:30 bus from my campus to the other campus (There were two campuses: one for men and one for women but the classes were on both campuses. Most of the science classes were on the men's campus.) was annoying, especially so during the winter. Not very enticing for a Caribbean girl. The biology class I looked forward to, not the morning commute. Until one day, my friend and I stopped off at the cafe for coffee before walking across the frozen tundra to the science building. "You should try the scones," she said. That was the beginning of a year long "addiction." Addiction and the onset of "the freshman 15," or more accurately, the freshman 20. Buttery,crumbly, sweet blueberry scones. Simple triangles of pure heaven. The fact that I still had to catch the 7:30 bus didn't change neither did the fact that I still had to get to class for 8 am, sometimes in sub zero degree temperatures. What did change, however, was the blandness of that morning routine.

My Blueberry Cappuccino Scones have no butter so, to provide the crumbly texture characteristic of scones, I used whole grain pastry flour which has a little less protein content than all-purpose flour. If you do not have pastry flour available, by all means do use all-purpose flour but expect that the texture will be a little more on the chewy side. Also, whether you use pastry or all-purpose flour, do not over-mix the dough. Over-mixing will cause it to become more elastic.

Blueberries and cappuccino are an unusual combination but I think you will be pleasantly surprised; the cappuccino provides an extra layer of flavor.

You should try these scones.

Blueberry Cappuccino Scones

2 cups whole grain pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup blueberries
1/4 walnuts finely chopped
1/2 cup prepared cappuccino OR 1/4 cup cooled brewed coffee plus 1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp yogurt
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp honey
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Set oven 400 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, blueberries and walnuts. Mix well.
3. Combine liquid ingredients
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Using a spatula, mix until just combined, DO NOT over-mix. Mixture will be wet and appear sticky. This is good.
5. Flour your fingers well and, on lightly floured surface, work mixture into circular disk about 1 to 1 1/2" thick. Cut into eight triangles as you would a pizza or into rounds using large circular cookie cutter.
6. Gently transfer to a well greased baking sheet, placing equal distances apart.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
8. Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler or in the microwave.
9. Drizzle melted chocolate unto scones. Enjoy warm or cooled.