FOR CRUST
12 Graham cracker squares
-(2 1/2″; 16 for 10″ plate)
1/3 c Grape Nuts cereal
-(1/2 cup for 10″ plate)
2 tb Granulated sugar
1 tb Hazelnut, walnut or canola
-oil
1 ts Unsalted butter, melted
(2 t for 10″ place)
1/2 lg Egg white (1 tb for 10″
-plate)
2 tb Fruit juice or water, or as
-needed (1 tb for 10″ plate)
-FOR FILLING-
1 1/4 c Non-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cn Crushed pineapple,
-unsweetened or in light
-syrup (20 oz)
3/4 c Non-fat cottage cheese
3/4 c Low-fat cream cheese, at
-room temperature
3/4 c Granulated sugar
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 1/2 ts Pineapple extract
3 tb Lemon juice
3 1/2 ts Unflavored gelatin
To make crust: Position rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to
350’F. Crumble the graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor
and process until crumbs form. Add the cereal, sugar, oil, butter,
egg white and 1 teaspoon juice or water. Pulse until the crumbs are
evenly moistened. Pinch a spoonful of crumbs together, and test
whether they are moist enough to hold the print of your finger. If
necessary, add a few more drops of juice or water and pulse once or
twice. Turn the crumbs into an 8″ springform pan or a 10″ pie plate
and use your hand or the back of a metal spoon to press an even layer
around the sides of the pan. Spread the remaining crumbs evenly over
the pan bottom. Top with a piece of wax paper, and press to form an
even layer, taking care not to build up the crumbs in the corner.
Bake the shell for 7 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before
filling. The crust firms and crisps as it cools. To make filling:
Place the yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and set
aside to drain for at least 20 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, and
discard the whey. Drain the crushed pineapple in a strainer set over
a bowl. Press the fruit lightly with the back of a large spoon to
release all the juice. Transfer the pineapple to a small bowl, and
reserve 1/2 cup of the juice. Place the cottage cheese in a strainer
set over a bowl. cover it with a piece of plastic wrap, and press
down firmly on the cheese to force excess liquid from the curds.
Place the cottage cheese and cream cheese in a blender or a food
processor. Process for at least 3 minutes, or until absolutely
smooth, with no trace of graininess, stopping once to scrape down the
sides with a rubber spatula. Add the sugar, vanilla, pineapple
extract and drained yogurt. Pulse until well blended. Scrape down the
sides with a rubber spatula, and pulse several times. Add 1 1/2 cups
of the drained crushed pineapple and pulse just to blend. In a small
saucepan, combine the reserved 1/2 cup pineapple juice and the lemon
juice. Sprinkle on the gelatin and allow to sit about 3 minutes to
soften. Then stir the mixture over low heat just until the gelatin is
dissolved; do not boil. With the blender or food processor running,
add the gelatin mixture and pulse to blend. Pour the filling into the
crust and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
Once the top is firm, cover it with plastic wrap.
Yields
1 Cheesecake