MADE-IN-NY CHEESECAKE

Greenmarket Fruit-Topped Cream Cheese Cake

Makes 8 servings: 1 wedge each

I live in New York. That means rich, creamy, decadent New York-style cheesecake is (too) easily within reach. Any way you slice it, this light and fluffy version of it takes the cake for its greenness. It’s baked in less than 20 minutes … in a toaster oven. Then the delicious cake is topped with fresh fruits of the season. That’s the way to take a bite out of the Big Apple, for sure.

• 1 large organic egg
• 2 large organic egg whites
• 1/4 cup turbinado or Demerara sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 10 ounces organic cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (9-inch) ready-to-use graham cracker piecrust (with no trans fat)
• 3 cups bite-sized fresh seasonal fruit of choice, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, nectarines, or pears
• 1 tablespoon mild floral honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Whisk together the egg and egg whites in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in the sugar, both extracts, lemon zest (if using), and salt until well combined. Stir in the cream cheese until combined and just tiny lumps remain. (This may take a couple of minutes.) Then beat with an electric mixer on low speed until velvety smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Pour into the piecrust.
2. Place the filled crust on a toaster oven tray, then place in the toaster oven* (do not preheat). Turn the heat to 400°F and bake until the crust rim is brown, about 7 minutes. Turn the heat down to 325°F and continue to bake until the cheesecake is nearly set and very slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Turn off the toaster oven. Let the cheesecake cook with residual heat in the off toaster oven until fully set, about 8 minutes.
3. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Then chill in the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 1 1/2 hours.
4. Add the fruit to a medium bowl. Drizzle with the honey and lemon juice. Very gently stir to combine.
5. Slice the cheesecake into 8 wedges. Top with the fruit.

Per serving: 300 calories, 19g total fat, 9g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 65mg cholesterol, 280mg sodium, 29g total carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 6g protein

*Toaster oven sizes and cooking times will vary. See page 39 in BIG GREEN COOKBOOK.

Note: Made-in-NY Cheesecake recipe reprinted with permission from BIG GREEN COOKBOOK by Jackie Newgent, RD (Wiley).

EASY CLASSIC CHEESECAKEE

(Original recipe before I developed it into my eco-friendlier version, MADE-IN-NY CHEESECAKE, for Big Green Cookbook, pg 356.)

Makes 6 servings: 1 wedge each

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (6 ounce) graham cracker pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest (if using) and blend well. Add eggs one at a time; mix just until blended.
2. Pour cheesecake mixture into crust.
3. Bake 50 minutes or until center is nearly set. Cool at room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight.

• Go organic instead of saying “no” to cream cheese, sour cream, or other dairy foods. It means recombinant bovine growth hormone, antibiotics, or harmful pesticides were not used in milk production.
• Aim to decrease total amounts of the ingredients in a baked recipe. You’ll save cooking energy since there’s less to cook.
• “Green-size” the served portion of dairy-based desserts. It will help you be an eco-savvy consumer instead of an over-consumer. That can help with weight management, too.
• Glamorize your petite-sized portion by adding seasonal fruit to make it planet-pleasing—and more palate-pleasing. And pick local produce to help keep food miles minimal.
• Bake in a toaster oven instead of conventional oven. The toaster oven works just like a regular oven, but more efficiently—using only about half of the energy of a conventional one.
• Keep pie crusts free of trans fat. For instance, traditional shortening that’s used in some pie crusts contains trans fat–otherwise chemically-altered fat. The more natural our food, the better for the environment—and for us.
• Choose honey or a less processed sugar, such as turbinado or Demerara sugar, instead of granulated “white” sugar. Less processing means less of our earth’s valuable resources are used.