Blueberry Cheesecake

Ever since my daughter Carly posted this picture of my blueberry cheesecake on facebook, I have been inundated with requests for the recipe. Or at least for a slice of it. But that sucker was gone the very next day, so you'll all have to be satisfied with the recipe! This was another instance when I left Carly completely unsettled by telling her that the dessert she was proclaiming to be "one of the best things I've ever tasted" was actually made with healthy ingredients. No matter how many times I prove it to her, she just doesn't want to admit that healthy desserts can be delicious. So after stammering a bit she says, "Now all I can think about is how much BETTER it would be be with sugar and full fat cream cheese!" Ok, Carly.

---

I didn't actually invent this one from scratch. I started with my recipe for agave vanilla bean cheesecake that I posted on my blog in April, 2011. With just a few changes- omitting the vanilla bean, adding lemon, and inventing a new topping, I ended up with an improved version of the original. It has a light crust made with almond flour that Carly called "unassuming." She meant it as a compliment compared with cakes or pies with a heavy, sugary crust that distracts the palate from the flavors of the actual dessert. The topping turned out surprisingly well considering that I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew that I was not satisfied with the thick, floury strawberry topping I had made with the original cheesecake last year. For the blueberry topping, I found a jar of organic all-fruit preserves that I melted on the stove and miixed with fresh blueberries. I just needed a little agave nectar to sweeten it up and it was perfect.

---

Looking forward to making this one again. Although I may have to make two as I have promised a slice to several people who didn't get to try it the first time!

---

Blueberry Agave Cheesecake

---

1 1/2 cups almond flour 2 Tablespoons melted butter 1 Tablespoon agave nectar Crust: Mix above ingredients together in a bowl and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake at 375 degrees until set and crust is a light brown. Set aside. Raise temperature of oven to 400 degrees. 3 (8 oz.)pkg. reduced fat cream cheese at room temperature (I used 2 pkg low-fat, and 1 pkg full fat) 3 eggs (preferably organic), at room temperature 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Grated rind of one lemon 1 cup agave nectar 1/4 cup sour cream. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl often. Open vanilla beans with a knife and scrape the insides into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth, scraping bowl. Pour batter onto crust. Place in a water bath in the center of oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 200 degrees. Bake an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes, until temperature in center reaches 155 degrees. Cool completely. Blueberry Topping: Heat 2/3 cup of all fruit preserves on stove over low heat until liquified. (I used Crofter's organic wild blueberry spread). Whisk in 1-2 Tablespoons of agave nectar to taste. Toss with 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries while still warm. Spread over cooled cheesecake. Refrigerate.