Yogurt Cheesecake

I'm a bit behind-this is our usual Christmas dinner dessert, but it is good enough that I have requested it for other festive occasions. When I say it is our usual, what I mean is that if my dad were to cease cheesecake production, or make any modifications to this recipe, there would be yuletide mutiny. Originally sourced from the now defunct Peninsula Farms Yogurt cookbook, the key delicious components of this non-traditional cheesecake are a tangy yogurt cheese filling and an Oreo-hazelnut crust. It is a bit of a production-at least one day's head start required to make the yogurt cheese. Dad says, "I use 2 layers of J-cloth in a colander for draining full-fat yogurt... drain on the counter till I've got half the starting weight of whey out of it, stirring from time to time. I'll usually start with 3,000 g." Once you've got your yogurt cheese, you can proceed.

Yogurt Cheese Cake with Hazelnut-Chocolate Crust

• 5 oz hazelnuts, grated (yield: about 1 cup /225 ml)
• 1 1/4 cups "Oreo" type chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• Chocolate Lovers' option: ADD 1/4 cup cocoa (best possible) OR 1 square grated chocolate, (1 oz/30 g) unsweetened or semisweet baker's chocolate or other high-percentage cocoa dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup melted butter (unsalted preferred)
• pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
• 3 cups yogurt cheese
• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened (8 oz/225 g)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/3 cups sugar (fruit sugar, see note)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2 packets unflavoured gelatin (so not vegetarian friendly)

The crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
2. Grind the hazelnuts. I use a small rotary hand grinder. The fresher the nuts the better - a half-pound or so of unshelled nuts will provide enough nutmeats.
3. Combine the nuts, Oreo crumbs, sugar, cinnamon (and extra chocolate if used) in a bowl, and mix well.
4. Add the melted butter and stir well until all is evenly moist.
5. Firmly press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch spring-form pan.


6. Bake for ten minutes. Chill thoroughly in fridge. Handle gently.

The filling:
1. Cream together the yogurt cheese, cream cheese, sugar, extracts, and salt. Mix until very smooth.
2. Place the cold water in a very small sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin onto the surface, stirring well. Place over very low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin is dissolved - when the water reaches lukewarm.
3. Stir the gelatin into the yogurt mix by hand, blending very well.
4. Pour this into the cold crust, jiggle gently to level, and put the cake in the fridge overnight to set up.

Run a very thin knife around the sides before opening the spring-form pan.


Dad's notes:

This cheesecake is quite different in texture from the more familiar NY-style cheesecakes - more like a cream pie or lemon meringue pie than a baked cake.
I've been known to add a 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom to the dry crust ingredients, and I think pecans would be a nice alternative to the hazelnuts. Freshly grated lemon rind can replace the lemon extract.
Note on "fruit" sugar - This very finely ground sugar which dissolves much more quickly in unheated liquids, is sometimes available in supermarkets under various trade names. You can easily make it with a blender from regular granulated sugar. Simply blend it at high speed for a minute or so, using a spatula to help all the sugar get to the blades.

Pesto Scallops

This Mark Bittman recipe for sea scallops stuffed with pesto was a huge hit, and took less than 30 minutes (even quicker if you use a store bought pesto, a great option in the dead of winter). Try to buy the freshest scallops possible (they should NOT be packed in water) for best results.

Basil-Stuffed Scallops (this recipe serves 4 very hungry people, scale up or down as needed)

• Approximately 20 basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs large sea scallops (as uniform in size as possible, also I made this for 3 and it was much too much, though delicious. This will yield generous portions for 4)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 4-6 cups mixed greens (optional, makes for nice presentation to serve the scallops on a bed of greens)

Start by preparing your pesto (or opening a jar), cut the scallops almost all the way through their midsection and spread on the pesto and close all the scallops back up.

Heat a large skillet over high heat, add approximately 2 tbsp oil and the scallops. Cook about 2 minutes per side, dependent on how thick your scallops are, until nicely browned. This goes by very quickly, careful not to overcook!

Place scallops on a bed of greens and create a quick pan sauce by adding the lemon sauce to the skillet over low heat for 10 seconds, pouring sauce over the scallops. I served the scallops with some plain pasta and asparagus broiled with lemon zest and salt.