ArcaMax

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 packages of cream cheese (1 lb)
2 lemons, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
3 tsp of vanilla extract
1/8 to 1/4 cup of Truvia
1 to 2 tsp of lemon zest (plus more for garnish)
Berries for garnish

Let your cream cheese come to room temperature or zap it (opened and placed in a bowl) in your microwave for 15 seconds on high to bring it to temp.

Put the cream cheese in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, Truvia, vanilla and the zest. (If you don’t know how...in order to zest a lemon you use a tool called a microplaner or rasp. Just gently glide it over the lemon peel so you get shavings of the yellow part and not the bitter pith underneath. Just tap the microplaner on the counter to release the shavings. You can buy a fine microplaner at any housewares store).

With an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese mixture until light and fluffy. This will take one to two minutes to get it nice and fluffy. Make sure the sides are scraped down so it all gets mixed.

Divide mixture among serving dishes. Then garnish. If you are going to serve it right away, great. If you want, you can cover it and keep it in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Just be sure to take it out of the refrigerator about 15 to 30 minutes before you want to eat it or it will taste refrigerator–cold.

Leftovers store well in the refrigerator, covered in plastic. Just like any other cheesecake, they will become a bit more stiff over time. You can remedy this by just stirring it up.

Other idea. Blueberries, traditionally, go great with lemon. If you like the blueberry idea a lot you can stud your cheese cake by stirring some extras in before you put it in your serving dish.

I also garnish with a bit more zest for a bit of yellow color.

The amount of Truvia and zest you put in are up to your tastes. I’d start with the smaller amount, mix and taste and then judge.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola