Add to favorites

Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This year for my New Year’s Resolutions I think I’m up for setting up some more FIRSTS. Maybe my first trip to Brussels.  That would be fun. Or a first dip in a lake I’ve never swam in. Or a first time to try a certain beer. Or a first time to shop in a particular store. I don’t know. I just sounds like “firsts” could be a fun way to set some goals that help me break out of my normal routine. But first….

For your FIRST recipe of the year I’m offering up a cheesecake that you can eat while on Plan Z during the ZReboot phase. It’s yummy and feeds 12 if you are having a party.  Everyone at our party cleaned their plates.

Servings: Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of macadamia nuts crushed (you can use other nuts too, like walnuts or pecans)
• 3 (8oz) packages of full fat cream cheese (room temperature)
• 3 whole eggs
• 17 packets of stevia (natural sweetener that subs for sugar)
• 1 Tbl of vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of almond extract

For the topping:

• 3 half pints of raspberries
• 1 half pint of blackberries
• 1 packets of stevia

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When you crush your macadamia nuts be careful not to turn them into “nut butter.” You can use a food processor but do it with gentle pulses. You can even have a few bigger bits for texture if you want.

Spread the crushed nuts in the bottom of a 10” springform pan. No oiling necessary.

In a mixer add the cream cheese and the eggs. Blend until good and mixed. Add the stevia and the two extracts. Whip this on med- high until the whole mixture is very smooth. Pour it over the nuts.

Bake at 350 for 35 – 45 minutes. You’ll look for the edges to get a nice golden color. The cheesecake can still have a bit of a jiggle to it but it should not be sloppy. Turn off the oven. Leave the door cracked a bit and let the cheesecake cool for 15 – 20 minutes before removing completely.

The trick with cheesecakes is cracking. Don’t worry if this one cracks on top because you are going to cover the cracks with a mound of berries so no one will know. Some theories say cool the cheesecake completely in the oven to prevent cracks. Doesn’t always work. Some say after the open oven door cooling method, take it out and let it finish cooling to room temp before putting it in the refrigerator. Sometimes this works. Sometimes, not so much.

I try to do both but then sometimes it cracks in the refrigerator cuz it got too cold too fast. So I always have a plan for covering cracks. This time it’s the berries.

Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

About 30 minutes before serving, take it out of the refrigerator to take the big cold out of it. You’ll taste your cheesecake MORE if it’s not so cold. Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and unmold and place on a large platter or cake stand. At the same time put your berries in a big bowl. Sprinkle the two packets of stevia on top and gently stir to mix the berries and stevia. This will mascerate them so they will give up juice and become shiny. Let the berries sit at room temperature to do their magic while the cheesecake is warming up a bit on the counter.

When ready to show off your cheesecake, mound the berry mixture on top. The berries look best piled high in the center. The berries can sit like that for awhile before serving. If you leave it too long they will get all juicy and sink more into the cheesecake or juice will run down the side, but that’s not all bad either!

Enjoy!

Cheers,