In my youth I used my
pony's back as a stepstool to get juicy pears off just out-of-reach branches, shared peanut butter sandwiches with a mule and rode the larger horses across the pasture at a gallop, bridleless and bareback.
And I'll admit, as an adult I still love doing the unexpected, such as allowing an amusement park ride to hurtle me 150 feet in the air at 50 mph before plunging me downward seconds later. That sense of daring has transcended to both my writing and culinary experiences--especially the latter.
This week I decided to get crazy with a butternut squash. Though it's a fruit (yep, it is), it's still viewed as a veggie in the culinary world and treated as such. So why not challenge the norm? Armed with cream cheese and a few other sweet ingredients, I decided to make a cheesecake.
Butternut squash has a delicate, sweet flavor--especially when roasted. So for the squash filling I bypassed the sugar and instead used a delicious organic honey purchased from the Tabasco Country Store on Avery Island, Louisiana.
Enjoy!
Butternut Cheesecake
Makes 18 squares
Crust
1 ½ cups old fashioned oatmeal
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup coconut palm sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ half tsp. nutmeg
¾ cup salted butter, softened
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until everything is well combined. The mixture will be about the consistency of cookie dough.
Press into the bottom of a 13”x9” pan.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until edges are beginning to turn brown remove from oven and cool completely.
Cheesecake layer
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. flour
½ cup granulated sugar
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix with a mixer on low speed until everything is combined. Set aside.
Squash filling
1 ½ cup butternut squash, mashed
2 Tbsp. organic honey
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. of cinnamon
¼ cup Coffee Mate™ All Natural Bliss Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer
Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix with a mixer on low speed until everything is combined. Set aside.
Assembling:
Lower the over temp to 325°.
Pour the cheesecake batter onto the oatmeal crust and spread evenly. Using a tablespoon rop the squash batter on top of the cream cheese. With a rubber spatula or knife, begin gently swirling the two batters together.
Bake for an hour at 325°.
After an hour, turn off the oven. Leaving the oven closed, allow the cheesecake to set for another hour. Allow to cool then refrigerate for 4 to eight hours. Slice into bars. Store tightly covered in the fridge for 4-5 days.