A Few Substitutions Trim Fat From Cheesecake

My grandmother made New York-style cheesecake that really lived up to its name.

It was heavy with calories and rich with flavor. Many packages of cream cheese and several pints of sour cream went into every cheesecake that she proudly produced. At 8 years old, I copied the directions from her stained recipe card into my notebook, sure that I would make her cheesecake forever.

But low-fat cooking and my grandmother’s cheesecake did not marry well. As my eating slimmed down, my challenge became creating a healthier cheesecake that still tasted as great as grandma’s.

The main fat-rich ingredients in cheesecake are cream cheese, sour cream and eggs. To substitute for any of these means a reduction in creamy texture and firmness and determines how well the cake holds together.

Gelatin or agar-agar flakes (a tasteless dried seaweed that acts as a setting agent and is available at Asian markets and health-food stores) can fill in for eggs, reduced-calorie cream cheese for regular cream cheese, and plain nonfat yogurt for sour cream. I discovered only a tiny loss of creaminess with these substitutions.

To make up for any reduction in flavor, I add fruit: lemon in the first recipe here, berries in the cheesecake pudding at the end.

Graham cracker crusts taste just as good when held together with apple juice instead of melted butter. A little butter can be added for flavor, if desired, but you don’t need the regulation stick of butter that grandma used.

Lemon Lower-Calorie Cheesecake

One of my best success stories is this lemonflavored, lower-calorie cheesecake.

Crust:

1 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon safflower oil

Apple juice as needed

Filling:

2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Grated peel from 2 small lemons

1 envelope unflavored gelatin or cup agar-agar flakes

8 ounces reduced-calorie cream cheese

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/3 cup honey

3 egg whites

Twists of lemon peel and fresh mint leaves, for garnish

To prepare crust, place graham cracker crumbs in large bowl. Combine honey and oil in small saucepan and heat until honey liquefies. Pour over graham cracker crumbs and mix well. Add enough apple juice to form crumbly dough. Press into sides and bottom of 9- or 10-inch pie or springform pan. Refrigerate while you make filling.

To prepare filling, mix together lemon juice, grated peel and gelatin in small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat, stirring, until gelatin dissolves completely. Let cool slightly. Pour into blender container. Add cream cheese, yogurt and honey and process until well combined.

Beat egg whites in separate bowl until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Cover and chill cheesecake until firm, about 5 hours. Serve chilled, garnished with twists of lemon peel and mint leaves.

Yield: 8 servings.

Untraditional Paris Cheesecake

In this baked lower-calorie cheesecake, unsweetened cocoa or carob powder lends a rich color without the fat. It was created one afternoon in Paris by an American friend who was homesick for New York cheesecake.

Crust:

1 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs

1 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon safflower oil

Apple juice as needed

Filling:

8 ounces reduced-calorie cream cheese or ricotta cheese

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

3 eggs or equivalent egg substitute

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa or carob powder

Place graham cracker crumbs in large bowl. Combine honey and oil in small saucepan and heat until honey liquefies. Pour over graham cracker crumbs and mix well. Add enough apple juice to form crumbly dough. Press into sides and bottom of 9- to 10-inch pie or springform pan. Refrigerate while you make filling.

To prepare filling, place cream cheese, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, honey and cocoa powder in blender or food processor. Process until mixture is very smooth and well combined. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 350 degrees 40 minutes. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight before serving.

Yield: 10 servings.

Berry Cheesecake Pudding

This is my fastest cheesecake recipe, since it has no crust. It’s also the most colorful - it turns a delicate rose from the pureed berries.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin or cup agar-agar flakes

6 tablespoons apple juice

1-1/2 cups nonfat plain yogurt

4 ounces reduced-calorie cream cheese

1/4 cup sliced strawberries

1/4 cup blueberries or raspberries

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together gelatin and apple juice in saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and simmer, stirring, until gelatin completely dissolves. Pour mixture into blender container. Add yogurt, cream cheese, strawberries, blueberries, cinnamon and vanilla. Puree until smooth and silky.

Pour into lightly oiled 1-quart souffle or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Spoon into chilled dessert dishes and serve.

Yield: 8 servings.