Not My Mom's Cheesecake

So I grew up with two parents that cooked fairly frequently. Typically my dad cooked dinner, where my mom was the baker, making a set group of dishes per holiday. Some of my mom's recipes are impossible to replicate, like her pie crust, she has made it so many times that she doesn't use a recipe anymore. She claims it's simple...well it isn't.  Although I can't replicate her pie crust, this cheesecake recipe puts hers to shame.

This recipe is not my mom's cheesecake.  It is annoyingly more complicated, but there is a giant payoff. The foundation comes from Williams-Sonoma, but I decided that truck-loads of saturated fat and early onset diabetes were not really worth it, so we switched some things up.  I played around a bit, used reduced fat cream cheese, cut the amount of sugar, and swapped out the sour cream with greek yogurt.  While I still hesitate to call this "healthy", it sure is healthier than it was before.  Eat in moderation.

Not My Mom's Cheesecake

• 1 cup honey graham cracker crumbs
  (pulse in food processor or crush with rolling pin)
• 4 tbs butter, melted (I used smart balance)
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup walnuts, pulsed in food processor
• 4 bricks reduced fat cream cheese
  (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Juice of 1 lemon, strained
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup fat free greek togurt
• 1/4 cup reduced fat milk
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, nutmeg and walnuts in a bowl, press mixture into the pan.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes, it should become a slightly darker brown.  Allow to cool completely.
3. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed, mix the cream cheese.  Remember the goal is to mix everything without adding air, so keep the mixer on the slowest speed possible.  Add the sugar and mix slowly until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary.  
4. Using a small knife, scrape the inside of each vanilla bean, add to cream cheese mixture along with lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Mix until just combined.
5. Place the cooled crust on a sheet pan, pour the batter into the crust.  Cover the spring form pan with a pot lid or another sheet pan to insulate the cake.  Bake until the center jiggles very lightly when the pan is shaken, about 55 minutes.  If the center doesn't look done, recover and let bake for a few more minutes.
6. While the cake is cooking, make the topping.  Combine the greek yogurt, sugar, milk.   Once again scrape the inside of the vanilla bean.  Add to yogurt mixture.  Allow to sit out at room temperature.
7. When the cheesecake is done, remove from oven and pour yogurt topping over the top of the cheesecake.  Gently spread the topping over the the cheesecake, careful not to press it into the cake.  Recover and put back in the oven for about 5 minutes until the topping sets.
8. Remove the cake from oven and allow to cool, covered, until at room temperature (about two hours).
9. Refrigerate overnight, serve chilled.   

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