Image by Daremoshiranai via Flickr
For Thanksgiving this year, my family had a potluck dinner. My family is the only one that is gluten free on purpose, so I wanted to make a dessert that used traditional foods but was also gluten free. I decided to make a pumpkin cheesecake.
The cheesecake part is really easy to make gluten free as most cheesecakes don't use gluten, but the crust was a challenge. The perfect compliment to a cheesecake is a graham cracker crust. This obviously wouldn't work for us. I looked on the internet for a gluten free crust and sifted through many recipes. I finally came up one that I thought would work out nicely. I found it at Karina's Kitchen. It worked out well.
The Pumpkin cheesecake recipe I used originated at Celiac.com . I used my homemade yogurt which was not non-fat( made with organic whole milk) and pumpkin puree from pumpkins out of my garden. The problem that arose from using my puree is that is was too wet. I should have let it sit in a strainer for a while to drain off some of the juice. The cheesecake was delicious, but the pumpkin juices made the crust caramelize and leak all over the counter. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, including those who are not gluten free. Even a few who don't like pumpkin gave it two thumbs up.
Almond Pie Crust
2 cups (heaping) almond meal
1/2 cup butter/vegan stick margarine, melted, or 1/2 cup light olive oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
Dash of pie spice or cinnamon, if desired
Combine all of the ingredients to form a sticky dough. With moist fingertips, press the dough into a greased 9x12-inch baking pan or 2 8-inch glass pie plates. Bake the crust at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling.
I've done the same with pecans; I've processed them into meal - pecans make a wonderful nut crust. Some cooks add a little rice flour to the mix. Experiment.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
2/3 cup non-fat plain yogurt
2 (8 oz) packages light cream cheese softened
1 ¾ cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups nonfat evaporated milk
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium bowl, beat yogurt and cream cheese until creamy. In a separate bowl, combine remaining filling ingredients and beat until creamy. Stir into cream cheese mixture and beat until well mixed and creamy. Pour filling into crust and bake for 2 hours, or until middle slightly jiggles when tapped.
Cool on rack, and then cool in refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)
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