All Raw Cheesecake

Just because my kids can't eat white flour and sugar doesn't mean they never get treats.  This cheesecake is a favorite in our family and is often used as birthday cake.  You can decorate it with fruit such as sliced strawberries to give it a more festive look.  The recipe is taken from the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

The Ingredients

• 2 cups crispy almonds

Tips

• to make crispy almonds, you first soak them overnight in salty water, then dehydrate them. Regular raw almonds work fine too

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 4 cups home made cream cheese
  
  

Tips

• to make cream cheese pour yogurt onto a clean dishcloth over a strainer to allow the liquid whey to separate from the curds. When all the whey is drained out you are left with cream cheese

• 4 eggs, separated at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups milk, preferably raw
• 2 tablespoons gelatin
• 1/2 cup raw honey (can get by with less)
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla (I also add 1-2 tablespoons almond extract)
• pinch sea salt
  
  

Put egg yolks and milk in a sauce pan, beat lightly, sprinkle with gelatin and warm slightly until gelatin is dissolved.

In a food processor, combine cream cheese, honey and vanilla and process until smooth.

Add yolk mixture and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and place in refrigerator while beating eggs.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, and fold into cream cheese mixture.

In a food processor, process dates and almonds until they form a sticky mass. Press into a buttered 9-inch by 13-inch pyrex pan to form a crust.

Pour cream cheese mixture into crust. Chill several hours or overnight before serving.