Strawberry ricotta cheesecake

Sadly, strawberry season is coming to a close in northern Ontario.  At least for the June bearing crop.  I was on the way to the corner store tonight and I picked up Ella on her way home from working at the berry patch.  She says just a few more days for Becker's Berry Patch.  I live next to a berry farm and our road gets really busy with cars as they head to the patch to pick.  This is my view from my back porch showing the avid pickers next door.

Last year I started my own patch of ever bearing strawberries.  I wanted to see if I could grow an organic crop without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.  Below is my first pick a few weeks ago.  I have a whole new respect for strawberry farmers as it is more difficult than I thought it would be.  A friend told me the crop would be stronger in the third year.  At least that is what she found with her ever-bearing strawberries.

The recipe below was first posted a year ago but it is my favourite "light" baked cheesecake.  This year I tested it with gluten free ingredients and the substitutions worked fine.  Top it with any sliced fresh fruit. During the winter I have even used home-made melted jam instead of fresh fruit with good success.  Some cheesecake recipes include a layer of fresh fruit on top and then they pour over melted jam and leave it to set in the fridge.  I usually use organic low fat ricotta made by L'Ancestre in Quebec.  If you don't have organic, you can buy ricotta in 500 ml tubs in the dairy section (e.g., Tre Stelle or Silani).  You can also use the equivalent amount of light cream cheese but it will be denser - not as light.

Guppy Granola, an earlier post from April 2009, is used as the base for the cheesecake.  I use large flake oats but you can also use part, or all, quinoa flakes.  Any granola works as a good base for cheesecake!  Healthier than graham wafer crumbs and butter.  I used my own berries, local organic eggs and all other organic ingredients.

		Ingredients:
1 cup	250 ml	Guppy Granola (crock pot - see link above)
1 lb	450 g	ricotta cheese, light
4		eggs, medium
1/2 cup	125 ml	cane sugar
1/2 cup	125 ml	yogurt, plain
1/4 cup	60 ml	lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tsp	10 ml	lemon zest
2 Tbsp	30 ml	brown rice flour (or other)
1 tsp	5 ml	vanilla
1/2 cup	125 ml	sour cream
2 cups	500 ml	strawberries, fresh (or frozen)
1/4 cup	60 ml	cane sugar
2 Tbsp	30 ml	lemon juice, fresh squeezed

 1 Tbsp                 15 ml                  cornstarch

METHOD:
1. Oil bottom of spring form pan. Spread granola evenly over bottom.

2. In food processor combine ricotta cheese with eggs, sugar, plain yogurt, lemon juice, lemon peel, flour of your choice and vanilla. Process until smooth. Pour cheesecake batter over granola and bake in 375'F oven for 55 minutes or until centre of cake is firm to touch. Pierce centre with a sharp knife and if it comes out clean it is done.  Let cool.

3. Spread cake evenly with sour cream and refrigerate.  This is a tasty little step I learned from Bonnie Stern....really adds to the cake.

4. Make strawberry sauce by combining fresh or frozen berries with sugar, corn starch and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Sauce will thicken as it cools. 

5.  To serve, remove cake from spring form mold and place on large plate.  Pour over cheesecake or serve sauce on the side.  Garnish with some seasonal garden flowers.  In the top picture I used fresh flox.

Nutrition Facts (per 1/8th cheesecake with sauce):

NUTRITION FACTS (per 1/8th cheesecake):

Calories	290
Total Fat (g)	10
Saturated Fat (g)	4.5
Cholesterol (mg)	95
Carbohydrate (g)	38
Fibre (g)	3
Cholesterol (mg)	110
Sugar (g)	20
Protein (g)	12
%Daily Values
Sodium	15
Calcium	20
Iron	15
Vitamin A	6
Vitamin C	40

		2000 Calories	2500 Calories
Total Fat (g)	Less than	65 g	80 g
Saturated fat (g)	Less than	20 g	25 g
Cholesterol	Less than	300 mg	300 mg
Sodium	Less than	2400 mg Preferably 1500	2400 mg Preferably 1500
Total carbohydrate (g)		300 g	375 g
Fibre	At least	25 g	30 g

%Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.  Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Calories per gram       Fat 9    Carbohydrate 4          Protein 4

Tastefully yours,
© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
Chapman's Landing Cooking Studio

Our next cooking class coming up at Chapman's Landing is "Tikka and Tandoori (Indian)" on Saturday July 10th. Please see my menu and register online at http://www.chapmanslanding.com