March 10, 2008...8:58 am
More Birthdays and Cheesecake
Spring is on it’s way. The sun is out and there is just this feeling in the air. It was only 27 degrees here yesterday. Today it’s not as cold, maybe in the 30’s. But there something in the way the sky looks and the way the air smells. Maybe it’s daylight savings time messing with my head.
Twenty two years ago today, (and it was a Sunday also) it was a beautiful day. It was one of the first warm days we had for while. How do I remember this? I was in labor. I was two weeks over due. I was so ready to have that baby but kind of bummed I didn’t get to be outside on that beautiful day! But I got a wonderful son!
He is not a member of the gluti club. Yet anyway. I still have my doubts. His blood test was negative. A lifetime picky eater, always in the lowest weight percentile as a child and still extremely thin. To top it all off, he has an autoimmune thyroid condition and takes thyroid pills. All of which is common with celiac disease. But for now, he’s not a member yet.
He wanted a cheese cake for his birthday cake. A lime cheese cake. So with some modifications of my last cheese cake recipe I came up with this.
Bryan’s Cheesecake
Crust
1/3 cup whole almonds
2/3 cup gluten free ginger snap crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
3 8-oz. packaged of Philadelphia brand cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
Zest of one whole lime
Juice of one whole lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
For crust: Finely grind almonds in processor. Add cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter; process until clumps form. Press into bottom of a 9 inch diameter spring-form pan with 2 3/4 inch sides. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
For Filling: Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Blend cream cheese and next 5 ingredients in mixer or processor just until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl several times.
Pour filling over crust. Bake until edges of cheesecake are puffed and center is just set, about 50 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen. Refrigerate cake uncovered overnight.
Blueberry lime topping
2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of one whole lime
zest of one whole lime
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Mix together berries, water, sugar, zest and lime juice. Boil for about 1 minute. Mix cornstarch with about a tablespoon of water to it and mix till the lumps are gone. Add it to the berries mixture and cook till thick. Cool and serve over cheesecake.
10 Comments
March 10, 2008 at 11:41 am
Happy Birthday to your son Melanie!! My birthday is this week too! That cheesecake sounds SOOO yummy!! I haven’t had a cheesecake in ages!!
March 10, 2008 at 3:25 pm
blueberry lime sounds interesting - two great flavors individually….combine them…sounds goood!
March 10, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Tell him we said happy birthday. The cheesecake sounds delish. Hope Steve’s still on the mend. Can he lift his arm up yet?
March 10, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Carrie, thanks! Hope you have a happy birthday too!
Steve, When he asked me for a lime cheesecake I wasn’t sure what kind of sauce to make. Then I thought of blueberries. I didn’t want a really sweet or rich sauce. I did not add a lot of sugar to it either. The lime and blueberry flavor taste really light and fresh together.
Ginger, Thanks for the birthday wishes. Steve is doing super well. He could raise his arm all the way up last week already. I think he is going to come out of this really well!
March 10, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Sounds delicious! I have been that overdue before too. March is a lovely month to have a baby though. Maybe one day I will have a Spring baby too.
Happy Birthday to your son!
March 10, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Thanks Natalie, And it’s no fun being that over due! I was two weeks with both of them. But spring babies are nice
March 12, 2008 at 9:27 pm
That cheesecake sounds fabulous! I am sure your son will love it.
I understand why you have doubts re: your son’s symptoms. Your son probably has gluten issues. He may never develop full-blown celiac disease, but he still may have symptoms and related conditions just as serious. There are more and more physicians seeing the full gluten “spectrum,” like Dr. Scott Lewey. http://ezinearticles.com/?Diagnosing-Celiac-Disease-and-Gluten-Sensitivity&id=239028
BTW, my son is 20. He just went through all the celiac testing and it all came out negative. He tested positive for gluten sensitivity at age 17. When he developed a dermatitis herpetiformis rash all over his torso and couldn’t go shirtless at the pool, he decided to go gluten free. His symptoms were gone in three weeks. He continually returns to gluten, but then quits again when his symptoms get too bad. I hate to see him go through his issues, but know he has to eventually find his way on his own. I do feed him GF food whenever he is home. Oh, and he was born 10 days late. It’s makes me smile to think back on that time.
March 12, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Shirley, That is really interesting. My daughter does the whole rash thing. I really wish your son the best of luck. I think it’s really hard for young people to follow this diet.
March 15, 2008 at 4:41 pm
This sounds so good. I have a grandson with Celiac and have a suspicion that I also have it, even though my test was negative, but on the borderline.
I have a question about the cheesecake recipe. Can you use GF Almond flour instead of grinding the almonds yourself, or would it change the desired effect?
I just found your blog, and look forward to visiting often!
March 16, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Pat, You know my mom had the blood test and it was negative. But she eats a gluten free diet. It makes her feel better.
As far as the cheesecake crust, I think you could try the almond flour. It’s really just a finer grind so it would still be the same flavor. I would think it would work fine. Yes, check back often. Especially if you like cheese cake. I love to try different recipes for it so you never know when I’ll have a new one to try!
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