Yogurt Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Crust

This week I was trying to recover from a cold, and, in the process, was reminded of some important life lessons. When I'm sick, it seems to take much longer to make small decisions than it does normally. It feels like I'm carefully planning out every step I take during the day, then immediately regretting them.

Small stuff. Like, I planned a day trip to go to NYC with my sister. Instead of purchasing the tickets online for cheaper, I got the tickets at the school, hoping to get a student discount. The cashier explained that student discounts do not apply for NYC tickets, but I got them anyway, even though I should have gone home and purchased them online. I immediately regretted it after paying for the tickets. But after the trip I realized, losing the $5 doesn't diminish the good times I had with my sister when we saw each other in NYC.

This yogurt cheesecake sort of taught me the same lesson. I forgot to fold the egg whites in the cheese custard before pouring it in the crust, so I folded it in afterwards. The resulting cheesecake had two layers. At first, I hesitated to serve it. But after a few bites, I realized it's creamy, and fluffy, and much lighter than regular cheesecake. So, I happily served it to our friends in these cute bowls from modcloth. No more regrets.

Plus, like the NYC trip, there's always next time. So stop fretting about the little stuff. It's the people around us and the relationships we form with them that count.

Yogurt Cheesecake with Praline Crust
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups pecan praline
4 eggs, separated
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp corn starch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides of a spring form pan. Melt the butter and pour into the pan. Chop pralines with food processor. Press onto the bottom of the pan.

Combine cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Sprinkle and mix in cornstarch one tablespoon at a time. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks and shiny. Fold egg whites into cheese custard.* Pour into the spring form pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Then cover the top with a piece of foil and bake for 25 more minutes. For a total of 50 minutes.

*That is the right way. I had poured the custard into the pan, then folded in the egg whites in the pan.

Serve with ice cream and strawberries. It's absolutely delicious.