Low Fat Praline Cheesecake

Low fat cheesecake round two...I'm determined to perfect this for MY oven. All the trial and error is fun to eat, though. LOL Just need to get S to stop cutting slabs o' cheesecake and actual regular portion size slices. *snort*  Oh yeah!  I told him I made praline cheesecake.  "What's that?"

Me: * quizzical look*  "You don't know what pralines are?"
S: "No.  What is it?"
Me: "It's essentially pecans with caramel."
S: "I'm not sure if I'll like it, but I'll try it."
Me: "Seriously?"
S: "I don't know if I like pecans."
Me: *thinking how in the world you could grow up and NOT know if you like pecans...*  Some days I'm truly dumbfounded at what he hasn't tried.  It's not like pecans are an exotic food...

I preheated the oven to 325 and covered the bottom of the spring form pan with aluminum foil. The crust is low fat cinnamon graham cracker crust combined with ground pecans. I started out with 1/2 cup of ground pecans and 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs. As the processor was running, I added 2 tablespoons of melted margarine until the crumbs resembled coarse meal. I pressed this into the bottom of an 8 inch spring form pan. I baked the crust for 8 minutes and carefully removed it from the oven.

I preheat the oven to 500 and followed the same basic procedure for this one as I did the cranberry one.  I drained 16 ounces of nonfat yogurt to create 1 cup of yogurt cheese.  I drained 16 ounces of low fat cottage cheese and then processed these two until smooth.  The yogurt cheese was a little drier this time, so I added 1 tablespoon of fat free caramel ice cream topping to allow it to process better.

I creamed the low fat cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar until smooth.  I then added 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.  Then I added the remaining cottage cheese mixture to the cream cheese mixture along with 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

Spray the sides of the spring form pan, being careful not to disturb the crust.  Pour the batter into the pan and carefully place on a cookie sheet.  This is where I got a little stupid creative and poured some fat free caramel sauce on the cheesecake and attempted to swirl it.  *snort*

Place the cheesecake in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Without opening the door, lower the temperature to 200 and bake 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on your oven.  Rotate the pan and check the temperature after 20-30 minutes.  The cheesecake is finished when the temperature is 150 and there is 3 inches of jiggle in the center of the cheesecake.
My attempt at swirling the caramel didn't come out so well, but I think it looks cool!  Cracked as all hell, but it's still neat looking.  Top with additional chopped pecans and fat free caramel sauce.

Again, we devoured the cheesecake before I could get a good slice photo.  Maybe next time?  I'm going for a chocolate one now.  I'm getting close!  This one wasn't curdled, but the edges were a little on the dry side. I'm thinking less time in the 500 or lowering it to 450 for 15 minutes.  I'll test on the chocolate and see what happens!

Low Fat Pecan Praline Cheesecake

Recipe by Christie Williamson

Yield: 16
Ingredients

• For the Crust:
• 1/2 c pecans, finely chopped
• 1 c graham crackers, low fat cinnamon
• 2 T margarine, melted


• For the Filling:
• 16 oz yogurt, nonfat
• 16 oz cottage cheese, low fat
• 16 oz cream cheese, low fat (Neufchatel)
• 1 T caramel sauce, fat free
• 4 eggs, large
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 c pecans, finely ground

Cooking Directions

1. For the yogurt cheese:
2. Spoon the yogurt into a strainer lined with several layers of cheese cloth or paper towels. Allow to drain at least 10 hours; making a thick cheese.
3. For the Crust:
4. Preheat oven to 325.
5. Process the pecans and the graham crackers in a food processor until they are a fine, even crumbs. Add the margarine and process until a the crumbs resemble coarse meal..
6. Press the crumb mixture into an 8 inch spring form pan coated with aluminum foil making sure to press crumbs 1/4 of an inch up the sides. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the crust becomes fragrant.
7. For the filling:
8. Preheat oven to 500.
9. Place the cottage cheese into a strainer lined with paper towels and allow to drain 30 minutes. Combine 1 cup of the prepare yogurt cheese with the drained cottage cheese into a bowl of a food processor; add 1 tablespoon of fat free caramel sauce and process until smooth and no lumps appear.
10. Cream the cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Add 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture until well blended. Add remaining cottage cheese mixture and continue to blend until smooth.
11. Add the eggs, one at a time; beating between each addition. Add the extract and blend until combined.
12. Carefully spray the sides of the spring form pan with cooking spray, being careful not to disturb the crust. Pour the filling into the spring form pan.
13. Place the cheesecake in the oven for 15 minutes.
14. Without opening the door, turn the oven down to 200. Rotate halfway through the cooking time; somewhere between 20 and 45 minutes depending on your oven temperature. The cake should register 150 when it's finished.
15. Remove from the oven and run a paring knife around the rim. Place the spring form pan on a wire rack and allow to cool, running a paring knife around the edges every hour or so for approximately 2-3 hours.
16. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to chill complete in the fridge, approximately 3 hours. Before serving, top with chopped pecans and fat free caramel sauce.

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