Three posts in less than a week? I’M ON A ROLL!
Actually I sprained my wrist at work and as a result I’ve had to take off time, so really I can’t be too proud that I’m finally catching up on blogging. I missed you guys!
So besides wearing this very fashionable bracelet, aka wrist guard, life is pretty swell. November is my favorite month of the year since the holidays are on everyone’s mind and there’s pretty fall leaves all over social media (I can pretend they filter down to Miami that way). Oh yeah- and the coming of Thanksgiving is always something to be excited about. So much food. So much gratitude.
Today I’m grateful for:
- Early morning tea, meditation, and prayer.
- Remembering to take it slow and allow my body to heal (rather than push push push and fret about missing out at the gym).
- My support group of women, including my sister, who I allow myself to be vulnerable and honest with. Yay growth.
Speaking of my sister, she personally requested that I make her this cheesecake for her birthday in October. The first time I made it was for Easter (yes that’s how far behind I am on posting recipes) and everyone kept raving about it then. Cheesecakes should be reserved for special occasions I think. It’s because of the whole mixing process, along with fearing the dreaded cheesecake “crack,” you know? Actually this was the first successful, crack-less cheesecake I’ve ever made. So naturally I had to boast about it on Instagram:
Culinary Lavender is one of my new favorite things to cook with. My sister even got me a pack of four different spices/rubs with lavender in it. So yum. Prepare to get an overload of lavender recipes from me in the future. I’ve got plenty left to work with!
Oh, and by the way… If your cheesecake cracks, it’s really not the end of the world. It will still taste perfectly delicious and no one will stone you for it.
Ingredients
- 4 (8 oz) bricks of organic cream cheese, room temperature
- 7 oz Greek yogurt
- 1-1 1/4 cup granulated honey or maple sugar
- 3/4 tbsp Earl Grey tea
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp culinary lavender, finely ground
- 5 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Check your 9 inch springform pan by placing it in a larger baking dish and then adding water about halfway up the sides. Make sure the springform pan doesn't leak. If it does, then dry off the pan and tightly foil the outer bottom. Grease the insides and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat each brick of cream cheese with a handheld mixer until smooth before adding another brick.
- Add the yogurt and granulated honey. Beat until smooth and the granules are dissolved.
- Next add the tea, vanilla, and lavender. Beat until completely smooth.
- Add one egg at a time, beating until fully incorporated, for at least 15 seconds each before adding another egg. There should be no lumps in this cheesecake batter (as lumps can cause air bubbles which equals cracking!)
- Boil a pot of water and then place the greased springform pan into the larger baking dish again. Pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan. Then, very slowly, pour the boiling water into the baking dish so that the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan. This will help the cheesecake bake more evenly.
- Carefully transfer to the oven and immediately drop the temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the center still has a 2 inch wide jiggle. You don't want to overbake a cheesecake!
- Turn off the oven and prop open the door with a wooden spoon (leaving the oven door ajar about 2 inches). Leave the cheesecake in the oven to slowly cool for at least an hour. Cold drafts of air and sudden temperature changes leads to cracking. You should have a perfectly un-cracked cheesecake when the hour is up.
- Cover and chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving, even better if it's overnight so that the lavender and earl grey flavors can deepen.
Notes
I like to grind the lavender using a mortar and pestle, that way it doesn't impede on the smooth texture of the cheesecake. For this same reason, I also prefer to use fine Earl Grey tea (rather than loose tea.)
The post Lavender Earl Grey Cheesecake appeared first on South Beach Primal.
