Submitted by Cyndee Sindelar

About the cook: I've been an enthusiastic home cook for over 40 years! My first creations were in my Easy Bake Oven, then I graduated to making scrambled eggs and toast, at eight years old. Before long, I was making pot roasts, seafood dishes, and Duck a l'Orange. Exploring foods from around the world has also been exciting, as has putting my own touches to dishes, and coming up with my own special creations.

About the dish: Several years ago, my husband and I vacationed in the lovely town of Lake Placid, in New York state. There we found a traditional diner offering a delicious breakfast option of plain yogurt topped with grapefruit and orange segments, and nutty granola. That combination inspired this citrus cheesecake tart. The cheesecake portion is lightly grapefruit flavored, but I always include orange segments as part of the garnish.

National Origin: United States

Serves: 8

Estimated Time: Over 2 Hours

Ingredients:

Granola Crust:
1 1/2 cups plain granola (without fruit or fruit removed)
3 Tbs granulated sugar
1/2 tsp orange zest (optional)
4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
Butter or cooking spray, for pan

Filling Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon, packed, pink or red grapefruit zest (from one large or two medium)
2 tablespoons juice from pink or red grapefruit (a little pulp is OK)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Decorations:
Orange segments from one medium orange, removed from membrane and blotted dry
Pink/red grapefruit segments, removed from membrane and blotted dry
Whipped cream and chopped nuts

Preparation:

Crust:
In a food processor, with S-shaped blade, grind 1 cup of the granola with the sugar and optional orange zest. Pour in the butter, and then pulse until combined. Add in remaining 1/2 cup granola and pulse until incorporated, but still crumbly.

Lightly butter or spray a regular 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Then, press the crust mixture evenly on the plate’s bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake the chilled crust for about 8 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove to cooling rack to completely cool, while making filling.

Cheesecake Filling and Garnishes:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Into a large mixing bowl, put the cream cheese, sugar, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, and vanilla. Using a mixer, beat the mixture at high speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix briefly at medium speed, until just combined.

Pour the mixture into cooled crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center is nearly set. The filling may appear puffed up, but will deflate a bit. Remove from oven to fully cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour. Garnish with orange and grapefruit segments, and optional whipped cream and nuts, just before serving.

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