Goat Cheesecake with a Pistachio Crust

Everyday I try to change one small thing about my routine, just to force myself into some new conditions. It’s an exercise in reconditioning my brain to adapt to, and integrate, new experience.

The filling of this cheesecake is a rich, tangy goat cheese, augmented with fat free cream cheese, so it isn’t too filling. The crust is a coarse crumble of toasted pistachio.

Goat Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust

Crust- Ingredients

2 cups pistachios, unsalted

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp almond extract

5 tb unsalted butter, cubed

Pulse pistachios in food processor until crumby but with some larger pieces intact. Add in sugar and almond extract, and give a few quick pulses. Add in cubed butter, all at once, and pulse until combined.

Press crust into springform pan, using the base of a measuring cup to flatten and press against sides. Poke a few holes in crust bottom, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before filling.

Filling-Ingredients

(adapted from Dash of East)

12 ounces goat cheese

12 ounces fat free cream cheese*

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

Combine goat cheese and cream cheese in food processor, and mix until smooth and creamy. Add in lemon juice, vanilla, and sugar, and pulse until combined. Last add eggs, one at a time, pulsing between additions until fully incorporated.

Pour filling into cooled crust. Place springform in pan with 1 inch of water, reaching about halfway up the side of the springform. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. When done, turn off oven with the door cracked a few inches to cool evenly and prevent top from cracking. When cheesecake is room temperature, let cool in fridge for at least two hours. Drizzle with honey before serving.

*You could certainly use regular cream cheese, though I think that would make this already dense cheesecake heavy.

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