It’s official.  We don’t know who’s more apologetic, Nigella, me, or you when you have to share the recipe and confess how easy it is to make (or how truly decadent this “cheesecake” is.) Our Book Group read The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman, an excellent first novel set mostly in Rome (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/books/review/Buckley-t.html?_r=0).  We can recommend it!  Our hostess planned an Italian meal, and I’d offered to bring dessert.  The morning of our meeting I heard an NPR interview with Nigella Lawson who was promoting her newest cookbook: Nigellissima, http://www.nigellissima.com/.

She shared several recipes including the one that follows. It’s easy, delicious, and if you don’t feel compelled to confess, you’ll be proud and your guests will be satisfied and happy! An alternative is to adapt Uncle Howard’s Chocolate Ganache Tart – https://glutenfreegus.com/2012/12/28/387/. It won’t have the tanginess that the cream cheese contributes, but it’ll be healthier.  Well have to work on it.  If you get there first, let the rest of us know!

Nigella’s Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake on Gus’s Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients:

1 graham GF graham cracker crust –https://glutenfreegus.com/2013/02/15/good-comes-from-everything-best-gf-graham-crackers/

2 packages organic cream cheese, room temperature

1 (14 oz.) jar Nutella or another hazelnut spread (there are some natural/organic ones. Also, you can make your own.)

1/2 cup (2 oz.) confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup (3 oz.) toasted chopped hazelnuts

Directions:

1.  Prepare the crust using our recipe (link provided above.)

2.  In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and of an even consistency.

3.  Add the Nutella and confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until well blended.

4.  Spread the “cheesecake” mixture onto the crust and evenly distribute the toasted, chopped hazelnuts over the top. Chill for at least 2 hours.

5.  Remove from the springform pan, plate and serve with a smile.

Enjoy!

Weighing the toasted hazelnuts

Baked graham crackers ready to break into crumbs

OK – go!

Crackers, butter, nutella

Pressing the crust into a spring form pan

Scraping down the blended Nutella and cream cheese

Toasted hazelnut on top of the cheesecake

The slice going home with Judy

What you do with the Graham Crackers that didn’t get crushed into crust!