Cheesecake

New York-Style Cheesecake

Crust: 1-1/4 cups finely ground almonds OR other nuts
Sweetener equal to 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Topping: 2 cups sour cream (16 oz. container)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sweetener equal to 1 tablespoon sugar

Filling: 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
Sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, combine the almonds, 1 tablespoon sweetener and melted butter until combined.  Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  Chill in the refrigerator at least 15  minutes.  In a bowl, mix the sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon sweetener until well combined.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1 cup sweetener until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Blend in the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Pour the cream cheese mixture into the springform pan, and bake at 350 degree for 50> minutes, or until a knife inserted halfway between the edge and center comes clean.  With a spatula, spread the sour cream mixture over the top, making sure you reach to the edges of the pan.  Return cake to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes.   Remove cake from oven, allow to cool to room> temperature (cake will settle in
the pan).   Slide a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it, then remove the springform ring.  Keep chilled in the refrigerator. Makes 16 servings, about 5 grams of carbs per serving if made with almonds.

Pumpkin-Mousse Cheesecake

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup solid pack canned pumpkin
6 eggs
1 cup Splenda (or a heat-stable sugar sub of your choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin and eggs, one at a time. Beat in Splenda, vanilla and cinnamon until mixture is smooth. Pour into a springform pan. Place shallow pan of water on rack below cheesecake. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 1 hour longer. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. One hour before serving, stir sour cream until it has a silky smooth texture and spread on top.