California Avocado Cheesecake with Tomato-Vanilla Jam

Preparation

Cheesecake
Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer. With a paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese over medium-high speed until smooth, approximately 3 minutes. Add the avocado, sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Mix in the lemon zest and pour filling onto Graham Cracker Crust, then smooth top with an offset spatula. Place on top of baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Garnish with Tomato-Vanilla Jam to serve.

Graham Cracker Crust
Combine crumbs and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Melt the butter over medium heat and mix into crumb mixture with a spoon until well combined. With the remaining butter, grease the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Cut out a parchment paper circle to fill in the bottom of the pan. Pour the crumbs into the pan and press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan with your fingers. Bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes to set the crust, then cool to room temperature.

Tomato-Vanilla Jam
In a small pot, combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean and simmer until sugar is melted. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes soften. Strain the mixture and reserve the tomatoes in a small bowl. Return the syrup back to the pot. Place pot over medium heat and reduce by half, approximately 10 minutes. Pour over the tomatoes and chill completely until ready to serve.

Per Serving: Calories, 410; total fat, 26 g (sat 13g, trans 0 g, poly 2 g, mono 9 g); cholesterol 130 mg; sodium 240 mg; total carbohydrates 45 g; dietary fiber 4 g; protein 6 g.