PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

If you love pistachio, then you’ll flip over this cheesecake!


PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE: HEAVEN IN A BITE

I have to admit it was love at first sight with this pistachio cheesecake.

The first time I saw it was on my friend Lisa’s popular Incredible Recipes page. My mouth started to water.

The original recipe comes from Lady Behind the Curtain. Not only is Sheryl a fantastic cook, but I absolutely love her blog for ideas for themed parties. She is a talented lady and I wish l lived close to her so I could get invited to one of her parties!

SUPER RICH BUT WORTH IT

I’ve been making cheesecakes for many years, but this is the richest cheesecake recipe I ever saw.

This cheesecake is big on cream cheese, and I mean really big. It uses six large bars.

I wouldn’t recommend making any substitutions for low-fat products here as it may not work. Non-fat products definitely will not work–I’ve tried it in other cheesecakes I make and each time I ended up with a gloppy, clotted mess. That was for baked cheesecakes, but non-fat probably would work in a no-bake cake.

CRUST IS EXCELLENT

The crust in this cheesecake is more than just a “shelf.” It’s a great-tasting nutty shortbread!

Sheryl gave the choice of using almonds or pistachios. I used almonds but next time, I’m going with pistachios!

Just as an aside, you can substitute any flavor pudding you want and you will have an entirely different cake. That’s the beauty of this recipe.

A WORD ABOUT THE WHIPPED CREAM GARNISH

This was the first time I tried the stabilized whipped cream that uses cream cheese. So many swear by this recipe, so I knew it must’ve been my error instead of the recipe when it wouldn’t set up.

My friend Deb S. makes this all the time to pipe on cakes and she set me straight–she said to use regular sugar and whip everything at the same time and together. No whipping the cream to soft peaks, then separately whipping the cheese. Nope–all together.

However, I found a method that works every.single.time. That secret is a product called “Instant Clear Gel.” This product is used in commercial bakeries to stabilize whipped cream frosting, but it can be used for many other purposes. The instant variety needs no heat or cooking and will begin to swell the minute it hits liquid.  You mix it with the sugar. I use 1 tablespoon of Instant Clear Gel to 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar for one pint of cream. Whip the cream to soft peaks then add the sugar/Instant Clear Gel mixture gradually then keep beating to the desired consistency.

THE RECIPE

PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

PREP TIME  40 mins          COOK TIME  65 mins           TOTAL TIME   1 hour 45 mins

Author: Judith Hannemann
Serves: 12


INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup ground pistachios or almonds
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp almond extract

Cheesecake:

• 6 bars (8 oz each) softened cream cheese
• 2 pkgs instant pistachio pudding mix
• 5 eggs
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lightly spray a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
2. For the crust, place the flour, ground nuts and sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
3. Cut up the butter and add it to the flour mixture already in the food processor along with the almond extract. Pulse until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes.

Read Full Recipe Here :  PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

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