Spiced Rum N Pumpk’in Up Cheesecake-A Dieter’s Delight!!

I confess! I have a sweet tooth...unfortunately my weighing scale also knows it! The constant tug of war between the stubborn never move an inch weighing scale and my jealous sweet craving makes me constantly scroll through Google. Oh...so tough not to give in and just indulgent but then conscious bites hard and so my quest for low calories, dieter friendly dessert that is not the run of the mill Indian rice pudding or custard etc but one that satisfies not only the experimental cook in me but the creative side as well!:)

So, in my search for that nutritional yet delicious dessert, I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake. It was basic, easy to make and not the usual thing you would find on the shelves of your favourite bakery. All the more reason to make it yourself so that you feel proud of contributing towards the welfare of weightwatchers...and well those who are lucky {read slim and blessed with high metabolism} can enjoy it as it doesn’t taste or look like ...yes, the cursed word...DIET FOOD!!;-)

Well, the recipe calls for Pumpkin..Yes! Yes! PUMPKIN...that poor undermined vegetable that is highly nutritional, versatile in usage-from savoury dishes to halwas to Halloween lanterns! It doesn’t have much smell or taste of its own and can therefore absorb any flavour you want it to...makes for a perfect low calorie cheesecake. So, Lets PUMPK’IN UP!!:-)

The only time consuming part was the puree preparation. The canned puree doesn’t work as its high on sodium and half of the nutrients are dead in it!

The recipe needs 2 cups of pure, unadulterated pumpkin puree. For the same, the steps are-

1.      One kilo of yellow pumpkin, cut into wedges that can be fitted into a roasting pan, washed and dried.

2.      Place the pieces in the pan skin side up, pouring one cup water so that the flesh can absorb some of the water during roasting and gets tenderized.

3.      Roast at 200° C for 30-35 minutes or until tender.

4.      Once cooked, let it cool a little, remove the flesh, blend it in the food processor and sieve it through a cheesecloth or fine strainer.

You have your homemade puree ready for use!!

Spiced Rum n Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Preparation Time: 1.5 hours

Difficulty Level: Moderately Easy

INGREDIENTS-

Pastry Crust

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup almonds

6-8 dates

Dash of salt

PROCEDURE-

1.      Grind all ingredients in a food processor until crumbly and sticky.

2.      Press in the bottom and sides of a flan dish.

3.      Bake at 180° C for 5-7 minutes to set the crust.

Cheesecake Filling

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup Greek yogurt or hung curd

1/4 to 1/2 cup honey

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon spiced rum

3-4 tablespoon of dark melted chocolate for marbling effect [optional]

PROCEDURE-

1.      Mix ingredients together in a food processor and pour into crust.

2.      Carefully spoon the chocolate sauce on top of the filling and with a toothpick, make swirling design to give a marbling effect. [You can leave this out as some people would find it strange to combine chocolate and pumpkin!!]

3.      Bake at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes until it’s set in the middle.

4.      Remove from oven and let it rest at room temperature till it’s cooled down.

5.      Refrigerate it for 2-3 hours till set.

Serve and Enjoy without any guilt!!! :-)