Ginger can be at times an overwhelming spice, but it's full of health benefits and this cheesecake is quite light in taste despite the ginger. I use fresh juiced ginger root but the pear flavour offsets it to make it a wonderful light summery dessert. With the added benefits of pears and cashews, you really can't go wrong with this dessert.
Fresh ginger is great for digestion, increasing saliva and digestive fluids and have been used for centuries to treat nausea and upset stomach ailments, as well as reducing symptoms associated with motions sickness. It contains potent anti-inflammatory properties, helping with arthritis, relieving swelling and muscle pain. I prefer to use fresh ginger juice as it gives it more of an authentic flavour, the pear balances it out perfectly.
Pears are a great source of fiber, especially if eaten with the skin on and are less sweet than an apple making it a wonderful light summer fruit. They are actually higher in pectin than apples, which is beneficial in helping to lower cholesterol levels, regulate the body's use of sugars and helps keeps the intestine tract healthy as the pectin binds to fatty substances in the tract and promotes elimination. They contain essential nutrients, being a good source of Vitamin B2, C and E, as well as containing potassium and copper. This all year round fruit is great for inflammation and has a cooling effect making it great for reducing fevers and sore throat problems.
Cashews have a wonderful delicate creamy flavour, they have a lower fat content than most other nuts. About 3/4 of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, which is a healthy fat, helping to lower bad cholesterol and promote heart health and cardiovascular health. It contains high levels of copper, which in turn helps regulate thyroid functions, helps the body to utilize iron, maintaining bone and connective tissue health as well as helps produce melanin.
Even though it seems to be quite complicated the dessert is easy to make. All you need is a good blender. All cheesecakes are mostly based around the same ingredients with just the main flavour to be different. So if you find yourself buying several items you normally never use, don't worry, you'll use them again for the next raw creation!
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Raw Ginger Pear Cheesecake with Maple Glaze Base 1 cup pecans 1 cup walnuts 2 medijool dates 2 TBS molasses 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 1/2 tsp ginger powder 1/2 cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cloves 1/8 tsp celtic sea salt Filling 2 cups cashews 3 pears 1/4 cup ginger juice 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 TBS lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla essence 1/2 tsp cinnamon pinch of celtic sea salt 1/3 cup coconut oil 3 TBS soy lecithin Glaze 1 TBS coconut butter 1 TBS water 2 TBS maple syrup 1/2 tsp cinnamon |
1. Combine all the ingredients for the base together and blend. The crust should be able to hold together but make sure it's not too processed, it's nice to have a crumbly texture
2. Coat a 10" springform with a thin layer of coconut oil and press the base mix lightly into the bottom (I normally leave it in the fridge for 30min just to let it set a bit)
3. Combine the cake filling ingredients together except for the coconut oil and lecithin (they both go in last!) and blend on high until it becomes creamy and smooth
4. When satisfied add the coconut oil and the lecithin until well incorporated. You should end up with a thick creamy consistency
5. Pour filling into springform pan
6. Place in freezer to set for 1 hour
7. Combine glaze ingredient together, melt the butter if needed, spread over the filling, top with pear slices for decoration and leave in fridge to set for a few hours
*If you don't have coconut butter you can make your own from fine shredded coconut. Place 3 cups and blend on high, pushing down onto the blades as you go and after a few minutes you should have a thick creamy consistency
