Yogurt-cheese Honey Cheesecake

Chick flicks.  The bane of any male's existence.  If you spot a male accompanying his female companion to such an event, then chances are that it is under due protest or as punishment for crimes previously committed.

Unless, it is true love.  You know, true love.  The kind of love that Westley waxed poetic about for his Princess Buttercup.  The kind where if her love were a grain of sand, his would be a universe of beaches.  (That's ok, she didn't get it either.  Good thing she was of unsurpassed beauty!)  The kind of love that brought him back from the brink of death (well, technically he was mostly dead, but still). 

I'm sure The Monarch's love for me is so true.  After all, he did sit through both Bridget Jones movies with me.  Oi.  And Hitch.  And 27 Dresses.  And Love, Actually (although come to think of it, that one may have been for crimes committed).  And SATC2.  And Eat, Pray, Love....  Whoa there.  Those last few were actually girls night out movies.  Hmmm.  I'm sensing a pattern here.  All the former movies were watched together while we were courting.  Now, chick flicks have been relegated to, well, chicks.  Hmmph.

That's ok.  I have a DVD copy of P.S. I Love You on stand-by.  In case he forgets a birthday or anniversary or something like that....

So, in the spirit of this post, here's a recipe that I think is decidely chick-y.  It's a sort-of-cheesecake, made with a yogurt-cheese, to keep the calories svelte.  Just like we chicks like to be.  Svelte.

Here goes.......

First the crust.....

Don't forget to make the yogurt-cheese.....

Quite the filling filling.....

And here she comes.....

Yogurt-cheese Honey Cheesecake (adapted from "Fresh"/Anna Olson)

Yogurt Cheese

2 cups 3.5% yogurt

2 cups creamy ricotta cheese

Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 recipe Yogurt-cheese

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

raspberries

Directions

1. Prepare the yogurt-cheese the day before.  Stir the yogurt and ricotta together and place in a cheesecloth set inside a strainer.  Place the strainer over a bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and chill for 24 hours.  Discard the whey (liquid in the bowl) and refrigerate the yogurt-cheese until ready to use.

2. Preheat the oven to 325F.

3. For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, lemon zest, salt and melted butter and press the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie plate.  Bake for 10 minutes, then cool while preparing the filling.

4. For the filling, stir the yogurt-cheese with the honey, egg, lemon zest and vanilla.  Spoon this into the cooled crust and bake for 30 minutes.  Cool to room temperature then chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

5. Top with fresh fruit.