The Steaks Are High

Luscious Lemon Cheesecake

Luscious Lemon Cheesecake

I made this recipe by combining some awesome ideas from the Sweet Treats section at the Active Low Carber Forums. The base is a standard low-carb cheesecake crust, the cake is a slightly tweaked version of the incredibly Bawdy's Cheesecake, and the topping is a higher-fat version of NancyLC's Lemon Curd.

Here goes:

Preheat the oven to 350*F.

First make the base by combining:

1.5 cups almond flour (if you have other nuts you like, feel free to throw a few crushed ones in - macadamias are great for this)
5 tbsp melted butter
5 tbsp granular Splenda

Line an 8x8 cake pan with greaseproof paper. The easiest way to get the paper to "stick" to the pan is to smear a little butter from the butter wrapper around the pan and press the paper into place.

Press the cheesecake crust mixture into the bottom of the pan, and pop in the oven for 10-15 mins, until the edges start turning golden brown. I find the pre-baking stops the base soaking up the cake batter and becoming soggy.

While the crust is baking, combine the following in a large food processor or mixing bowl:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
Juice of one lemon
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar-free vanilla syrup (or 1/2 cup of Splenda or equivalent sweetener)

Blend until combined. Then add:

16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese (it's easier if the cream cheese is softened beforehand, and cut up into pieces before you add it)
2 tbsp melted butter

I usually let the crust cool a while before pouring the batter on top. Then, I bake the cheesecake in my own improvised water bath. I plop the cake tin into a wok half-filled with water and then put the whole ensemble in the oven to cook. The water prevents the top of the cake from cracking. Alternative methods: a pan of water placed below the oven shelf you use for the cheesecake. This isn't absolutely necessary, so if you feel intimidated by it or don't have the pans, don't worry about it - it just makes for a prettier overall result.

Turn the oven down to 325* and bake for 35-40 minutes. IMPORTANT: After the cooking time finishes, don't open the oven door. Just turn it off, otherwise the whoosh of cool air will crack your cake. Leave the cake in the turned-off oven for an hour (more if you can), before letting it cool at room temperature, and then moving to the refrigerator.

While the cheesecake is baking, it's time to make the topping.

Grate the zest of two lemons into a bowl. (When you hit white, stop grating and move to the next section.)
Add the juice of both lemons
Stir in 3/4 cup of Splenda (or other granular sweetener)

Now, add two whole eggs, plus two egg yolks, and stir everything up.

The next part is to slowly, slowly cook the mixture so it turns to curd. Place your mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and keep the heat low-med. If you cook it too fast, you'll get lemony scrambled eggs. (I always found this double-pan method intimidating, but give it a try, it's not as hard as it seems.) It should take around 10-15 mins to cook. Keep stirring so the heat moves through the mixture evenly. It should start thickening, and once it reaches a pudding-like consistency, remove it from the heat.

Add 6 tbsp butter for a richer, creamier taste. It will melt and combine if you stir pieces of butter in immediately. This is optional, so you can skip it if you'd like to marginally lower the calories of the final product!

Put your lemon curd in a container and place cling wrap over the top so it's touching the mixture, otherwise a skin will form. Place in the refrigerator to cool and thicken. This can be used as a topping for more than just cheesecake - on low carb yogurts, flax muffins and more. It tastes like an extremely intense lemon custard.

Once everything is cool, you can remove the cheesecake from the pan and spread the lemon curd over it. The result is a deliciously creamy, rich cheesecake with tangy lemon topping. Heaven for lemon lovers.

Makes 14 good size slices, each one:

331 calories
31g fat
8.5 carbs (7.5 net)
6.6 g protein

Bacon Devilled Eggs

Make ten hard-boiled eggs using the following method:

Place eggs in cold water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute and remove from the heat. Leave the eggs in the warm water for 15 minutes, then remove and rinse with cold water. Let cool, and peel.  [Thanks to lynnp from the Meat&Eggers For Life Forum for this awesome method - makes easy-to-peel, perfectly-yellow-yolked eggs every time!]

Slice each egg in half lengthways:

Then place all the egg yolks in a bowl. I also add the ugliest-looking whole egg (the one that split when the yolk came out, or where the yolk is off-center) so that the eggs will be overstuffed.

Smash up the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, fry up some bacon! I used four strips and cooked them until they were very crispy.

Cut the cooled, crispy bacon up into the egg yolk mixture.

For it to stay crispy, it should shatter into the yolks when you break it up. (Yep, plus I just like taking pictures of bacon!)

Stir in the bacon pieces and then spoon your yolk-n-bacon mixture back into the whites of the eggs. Top with a little ground black pepper and enjoy!

Ten Minute Chocolate Cake

All low carbing sites put the following disclaimer on low carb treats: YMMV - your mileage may vary. Some people have issues with artificial sweeteners, and others find that the sweet taste of any dessert, even a sugar free one, sets them off craving and eating more.

I think eating low carb treats every single day will not help you to lose weight quickly. I also think that depriving yourself of any treats will lead to feelings of deprivation, bingeing, and regaining.

If low carbing is for life, we need some variation in our meals. As much as I love my meat, I do enjoy the occasional dessert. I've used the following recipe many times, and never had a problem stalling. In fact, I often lose weight the next day. It's quick and easy, and only makes two small portions, so no chance of overeating.

Ten-Minute Chocolate Cake
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet granular Splenda
2 tablespoons DaVinci's Vanilla sugar free syrup (Chocolate flavor also works well, and so do other syrup brands)
1 egg
1/4 cup almond flour (ground almonds or ground pecans can also substitute)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Splash of water (if needed)

1) Combine baking powder, cocoa powder, Splenda, syrup and egg in a medium bowl and stir until smooth.

2) Add the almond flour while you melt the butter (I put it in the microwave for :55 seconds on 60% power)

3) Stir in the melted butter, and add a splash of water if the batter is still clumpy

4) Spoon the batter into two small ramekins and cover with cling wrap.  Make small slits in the center of the cling wrap to let the air escape:

5) Microwave on full power for 1:44. Cakes should rise a little and turn darker brown:

6) Let cool for a minute or two and enjoy!

CARB COUNT:

Splenda = 1g

Almond flour = 6g - 3g fiber = 3g net

Unsweetened cocoa powder (Fry's brand) = 4g - 4g fiber = 0 net

Baking powder = .5g

TOTAL= 11.5 g total carbs, 4.5g net for entire recipe

Variations:

- Top with whipped cream
- Add a few drops of orange essence, or a few drops of peppermint essence to the batter

***A version of this recipe was originally posted on the Meat & Eggers For Life Forum by ananya***

The Perfect Steak

One of my all-time favorite foods is steak...as you may have guessed by the not-so-subtle header of this site. I know lots of low-carbers enjoy their steaks, so I'm curious. What's your perfect steak?

I heat up the pan to the highest setting:

For fat, I either use light olive oil or ghee (clarified butter – withstands high heat much better than regular butter). My favorite steak cut is a ribeye, with lots of marbling.

Once the pan is hot, and before the oil begins smoking, I toss the steak in. Because I have lazy microwave timer habits involving pressing the least amount of buttons possible, I set the timer for 1:11 for each side.

While the steak is cooking, I slice ½ tablespoon off a stick of butter, and place the pieces on the side of my plate.

      

I transfer the steak to the plate, flipping it over so the side that has most recently been on the heat is face up. I put the butter slices on the hot meat, grind some black pepper over it and sit down to enjoy.

This method makes a steak with a crispy crust on the outside, browns all the fat and leaves a deep pink, juicy center...

So tell me, how do you cook yours? Any good seasoning tips or cooking tricks?

Heroin Wings

Heroin Wings Recipe
Why heroin? Because they're just that addictive. A great substitute if you're craving a crunchy, "breaded" taste.

Ingredients
4 pounds chicken wings or chicken drumsticks (I prefer drumsticks)
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the parmesan cheese and the parsley, oregano, paprika and pepper in a bowl.

4. Line a shallow baking pan/tray with foil. (Very important step unless you feel like scrubbing welded-on chicken skin off your pan for days.)

5. Melt the butter in a shallow bowl. If using a microwave, 2:00 minutes on 60% power does the trick.

6. Dip each chicken piece in the melted butter, then roll in the cheese and
seasoning mixture, and place on the foil-covered pan. If you have extra cheese mixture leftover,  sprinkle on top of the chicken pieces.

7. Bake for 1 hour.

This recipe appears in Dana Carpender's 500 Low Carb Recipes, on the CarbWire website, and in the recipe forum at Active Low-Carber Forums, and in the Eades Comfort Foods Cookbook (as "Angel Wings").