Part 46 (1/2)

Make the Crisp Chocolate Crust first, only this time make it in a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan. You won't be able to build it all the way up the sides, but be sure you cover the seam around the bottom of the pan and press the crust mixture firmly in place. Prebake crust for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool a bit while you make the filling.

In a big mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the Neufchatel cheese and white chocolate syrup together until very smooth and creamy- sc.r.a.pe down the sides of the bowl often during this process.

Now beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the light sour cream. Turn off the mixer for the next step.

With a knife or using the S-blade in your food processor, chop the sugar-free dark chocolate into little chunks about the size of mini-chips. Add to the cheese mixture and beat in. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

Put a pan of water on the floor of the oven. Now place the cake on the rack above it and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool and then chill before slicing.

Yield: 12 servings 12 servings Each with 13 g protein; 7 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs. a.n.a.lysis includes crust.

b.u.t.ter-Pecan Cheesecake All you b.u.t.terscotch fans are going to love this one.

FOR THE PECAN COOKIE CRUST:.

cup (115 g) b.u.t.ter, softened cup (12 g) Splenda cups (90 g) vanilla whey protein powder cups (90 g) chopped pecans teaspoon salt FOR THE b.u.t.tERSCOTCH FILLING:.

3 packages (8 ounces [225 g] each) cream cheese, softened cup (18 g) Splenda cup (98 g) sour cream 2 teaspoons b.u.t.ter flavoring 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract 1 tablespoon (15 ml) blackstrap mola.s.ses 4 eggs Preheat the oven to 325F (170C, or gas mark 3).

To make the crust: Beat the b.u.t.ter and Splenda together until light and creamy. Then beat in the protein powder, pecans, and salt. Spray a springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and press the crust evenly and firmly into the bottom of the pan, plus just far enough up the sides to cover the seam at the bottom. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth, sc.r.a.ping down the sides of the bowl often. Next, beat in the Splenda and the sour cream and mix well. Beat in the b.u.t.ter flavoring, vanilla, and mola.s.ses; add the eggs one by one, beating until very smooth and creamy.

Pour the mixture into the crust. Place the cake in the oven and place a pie pan of water on the oven rack below it or on the floor of the oven. Bake for 1 hour.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Chill well before serving.

Yield: 12 servings 12 servings Each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 8 grams of usable carbs and 18 grams of protein. (a.n.a.lysis includes crust.) For a nice touch, decorate this with some pretty pecan halves.

Gra.s.shopper Cheesecake If you're a mint chocolate chip ice cream fan, this is your cheesecake! Chocolate extract can be a little hard to find, but it's worth it for this. If you can only find ”flavoring,” not extract (you'll know because flavorings are in teeny little bottles), keep in mind that these are far more concentrated, so taste as you go.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER:.

3 sugar-free dark chocolate bars (about 1.5 ounces [42 g] each) cup (60 ml) heavy cream 1 Simple Almond Crust (page 522) or Hazelnut Crust (page 522), prebaked in a springform pan FOR THE GRa.s.sHOPPER FILLING:.

3 packages (8 ounces [225 g] each) cream cheese, softened cup (18 g) Splenda cup (90 g) sour cream teaspoon peppermint extract 1 tablespoons (23 ml) chocolate extract 1 or 2 drops green food coloring (optional, but pretty) 4 eggs Preheat oven to 325F (170C, or gas mark 3).

To make the chocolate layer: In the top of a double boiler over hot water (or in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over the lowest possible heat), melt the chocolate and whisk in the cream until smooth. Spread this mixture evenly over the crust and set aside.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth, sc.r.a.ping down the sides of the bowl often. Beat in the Splenda and the sour cream and mix well. Beat in the peppermint and chocolate extracts, food coloring (if using), and eggs, one by one, beating until very smooth and creamy.

Pour the mixture into the chocolate-coated crust. Place the cake in the oven and place a pie pan of water on the oven rack below it or on the oven floor. Bake for 1 hour.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Chill well before serving.

Yield: 12 servings 12 servings Each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 18 grams of protein. (a.n.a.lysis includes crust, but omits the polyols in the sugar-free chocolate.) Mochaccino Cheesecake This cheesecake is extraordinary, as good as any dessert I ever had in a restaurant. This alone is a good enough reason to go buy a large, round slow cooker and an 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan to fit into it! It's also a good excuse to make some Mockahlua, but who needs an excuse to do that?

16 ounces (455 g) light cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened 1 egg cup (60 ml) heavy cream cup plus 2 tablespoons (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder cup (12 g) Splenda cup (60 ml) Mockahlua (page 46) 2 tablespoons (30 ml) brewed coffee Crisp Chocolate Crust (page 521), prebaked into an 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg, and cream until quite smooth. (You'll need to sc.r.a.pe down the sides of the bowl several times.) Now beat in the cocoa powder, Splenda, Mockahlua, and coffee. When it's all well blended and very smooth, pour into the crust. Cover the springform pan tightly with foil, squeezing it in around the rim.

Take a big sheet of foil, at least 18 inches (46 cm) long, and roll it into a loose cylinder. Bend it into a circle and place it in the bottom of a slow cooker. (You're making a rack to put the pan on.) Pour inch (6 mm) of water in the bottom of the slow cooker and then put the pan on the donut of foil. Cover the slow cooker, set it to high, and let it cook for 3 to 4 hours.

Turn off the slow cooker, uncover, and let cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes before you try to remove the pan from the slow cooker. Chill well before serving.

It's nice to make the Whipped Topping (page 552), with a little Mockahlua in it, to serve on top of this, but it's hardly essential.

Yield: 12 servings 12 servings Each with 11 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 6 g usable carbs. (a.n.a.lysis includes Crisp Chocolate Crust. You could cut this into eight, more generous servings if you'd like.) New YorkStyle Cheesecake You can top this with fruit if you like, but it's mighty good just as it is.

”Graham” Crust (page 524) 1 pound (455 g) light cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened cup (115 g) light sour cream 2 eggs cup (12 g) Splenda 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 pinch salt Prepare the ”Graham” Crust and let it cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cheese, sour cream, and eggs until they're very smooth. (You'll need to sc.r.a.pe down the sides of the bowl at least a few times.) Now beat in the Splenda, vanilla extract, and salt. Pour into the waiting crust. Cover the pan tightly with foil, squeezing it in around the rim.

Take a big sheet of foil, at least 18 inches (45 cm) long, and roll it into a loose cylinder. Bend it into a circle and place it in the bottom of a slow cooker. (You're making a rack to put the pan on.) Pour inch (6 mm) of water into the slow cooker and then put the pan on the donut of foil. Cover the slow cooker, set it to high, and let it cook for 3 to 4 hours.

Turn off the slow cooker, uncover, and let cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes before you try to remove the pan from the slow cooker. Chill well before serving.

Yield: 12 servings 12 servings Each with 8 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 4 g usable carbs. (a.n.a.lysis includes graham crust. You could cut this into eight, more generous servings if you'd like.) Peanut b.u.t.ter Cheesecake You can certainly eat this plain, but I'd likely top it with some sugar-free chocolate sauce. Sorbee makes one that's available in my grocery store, or you could order some from a low-carb online retailer. Or you could make some from the recipe on page 551. Or for that matter, you could melt 6 to 8 ounces (170 to 225 g) of your favorite sugar-free chocolate bars and swirl them into the peanut b.u.t.ter batter before baking. The possibilities are endless!

Crisp Chocolate Crust (page 521) or ”Graham” Crust (page 524) 16 ounces (455 g) light cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened cup (115 g) light sour cream 1 egg cup (200 g) natural peanut b.u.t.ter (Salted is better than no-salt-added, here.) [image]cup (16 g) Splenda teaspoons blackstrap mola.s.ses Have the crust made and standing by.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese or Neufchatel, sour cream, and egg until they're very smooth. (You'll want to sc.r.a.pe down the sides of the bowl several times.) Now beat in the peanut b.u.t.ter, Splenda, and mola.s.ses. When the mixture is very smooth and well blended, pour it into the crust. Cover the pan tightly with foil, squeezing it in around the rim.

Take a big sheet of foil, at least 18 inches (45 cm) long, and roll it into a loose cylinder. Bend it into a circle and place it in the bottom of a slow cooker. (You're making a rack to put the pan on.) Pour inch (6 mm) of water into the slow cooker and then put the pan on the donut of foil. Cover the slow cooker, set it to high, and let it cook for 3 to 4 hours.

Turn off the slow cooker, uncover, and let cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes before you try to remove the pan from the slow cooker. Chill well before serving.

Yield: 12 servings 12 servings Each with 13 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 6 g usable carbs. (a.n.a.lysis includes Crisp Chocolate Crust. a.n.a.lysis does not include any chocolate sauce or melted chocolate you might add! You could cut this into eight, more generous servings if you'd like.) Pie Crust Because rolling this pie crust out doesn't work well, you'll have to settle for one-crust pies. But that's lots better than no-crust pies! I'm very pleased with how the texture of this crust worked out; it's brittle and flaky, just like a pie crust should be.

cup (60 g) almond meal [image]cup (40 g) rice protein powder cup (25 g) wheat gluten 1 pinch baking powder teaspoon salt [image]cup (80 ml) coconut oil, chilled 1 tablespoon (14 g) b.u.t.ter, chilled 3 tablespoons (45 ml) ice water Put the almond meal, rice protein powder, gluten, baking powder, and salt in a food processor with the S-blade in place. Add the coconut oil and the b.u.t.ter and pulse the food processor until the shortening is cut into the dry ingredients-it should be sort of mealy in texture.

Do use ice water, not just cold water (I put an ice cube in a cup, cover it with water, and let the water sit for a minute). Now add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of this water to the dough, pulse the food processor briefly and then repeat 2 more times with the other 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water.

I find that pressing this crust into place works better than rolling it out. Dump out the dough into a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate and press it into place evenly across the bottom and up the sides; then crimp the top rim, if you want to be spiffy about it.

You can now bake the pie sh.e.l.l empty and use it for any recipe that calls for a prebaked pie sh.e.l.l or you can fill and bake it according to any recipe that calls for an unbaked pie sh.e.l.l. If you want to prebake the pie sh.e.l.l, preheat your oven to 450F (230C, or gas mark 8). p.r.i.c.k the bottom of the pie sh.e.l.l all over with a fork and then add a layer of dried beans, marbles, or clean, round pebbles-this is to keep the pie sh.e.l.l from buckling. Bake for 10 minutes, take it out of the oven, and remove the beans, marbles, or pebbles, dealing gingerly with any that may have embedded themselves a bit. Return the crust to the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes and then cool and fill.

Yield: 8 servings 8 servings Each with 15 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 2 g usable carbs.

Crisp Chocolate Crust 1 cups (225 g) almonds cup (6 g) Splenda 2 squares bitter chocolate, melted 3 tablespoons (42 g) b.u.t.ter, melted 2 tablespoons (15 g) vanilla whey protein powder Preheat oven to 325F (170C, or gas mark 3).

Using the S-blade of a food processor, grind the almonds until they're the texture of corn meal. Add the Splenda and pulse to combine. Pour in the melted chocolate, then the melted b.u.t.ter, and run the processor until they're evenly distributed- you may need to stop the processor and run the tip of a knife blade around the outer edge to get everything to combine properly. Then add the protein powder and pulse again to combine.

Pour out into a 10-inch (25-cm) pie plate you've coated with nonstick cooking spray. Press firmly and evenly into place. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool before filling.

Yield: 10 servings 10 servings Each with 7 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 3 g usable carbs.

Chocolate Cookie Crust 1 cups (225 g) almonds 5 tablespoons (70 g) b.u.t.ter, melted [image]cup (40 g) vanilla whey protein powder cup (60 ml) Splenda cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water Preheat oven to 325F (170C, or gas mark 3).

Put the almonds in a food processor with the S-blade in place. Run the processor until the almonds are finely ground. Add the b.u.t.ter, protein powder, Splenda, and cocoa and pulse the food processor until everything is well mixed.

Add the water and pulse until you have a soft, sort of sticky ma.s.s.