What Is Coconut Sugar and Is It Actually Good for You?

As more and more people seek to cut sugar from their diets, the search for natural and healthier alternatives has ramped up exponentially in recent years. Beyond agave and stevia, there’s another sweetener that’s garnered a lot of attention as of late—coconut sugar. But what exactly is it? And is it really that much better for you than typical cane sugar?

Coconut sugar is made from coconut palm sap. While it’s similar to palm sugar, it’s technically made from a different type of palm plant. The liquid sap is collected after cuts are made to the flower of the coconut plant. The sap is then heated until the water evaporates. What’s left are brown, granular crystals that are similar in appearance to raw sugar, though slightly smaller in size.

In terms of taste, coconut sugar doesn’t actually retain any coconut flavor. Instead, it’s much more similar to brown sugar and some claim it to have an even slight;y caramel taste. If you choose to use it in place of sugar in recipes, coconut sugar can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio. Given coconut sugar’s coarser texture, it can take longer for it to dissolve in liquids, so be mindful of that while mixing ingredients while baking as well.

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But is it actually healthy? Compared to granulated sugar and high fructose corn syrup: yes, definitely. Those sweeteners just contain empty calories and supply zero nutritional value. But while coconut sugar does retain some of the nutrients found in coconuts, such as iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium, there are other sources that provide those minerals in larger amounts without coconut sugar’s high calorie count; comparable to that of regular sugar.

However, while coconut sugar is still loaded with fructose, it does have a lower glycemic index (GI) than typical sugar. GI is a measure of how quickly food raises blood sugar levels. Standard sugar has a GI of 60, while coconut sugar’s GI is around 54, though it can vary by batch and individual. This modest difference may or may not have larger long-term health implications, but more research needs to be done in this arena.

Even though the coconut craze rages on in other arenas (think coconut oil and coconut butter), it doesn’t automatically get a nutritional pass based on the fruit it’s derived from. In other words, coconut sugar is only a slightly healthier alternative than regular sugar and far from a miracle substitute. Debates continue to rage on, especially in the paleo community as to whether or not coconut sugar is an acceptable addition to the low-carb lifestyle. Ultimately, the best advice is the most cliché: Consume coconut sugar in moderation, just as you would anything else.

Related Video: How to Drink a Coconut

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Japanese-Style Broiled Eggplant With Bonito, Scallions, and Ginger

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Japanese-Style Salted Salmon (Shiozake)

Light and Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake Is the Dessert of Summer

New York-style cheesecake is one of the most enticing foods known to man. Sweet, creamy, and a little tart, it can be combined with fruit, chocolate, and/or a variety of spices and flavorings to create a bevy of wildly different and exciting desserts; everything from the traditional, topped with sour cherries, or the classic strawberry variety, to those with exotic fruit flavors, to those appropriate for holidays, to the divinely decadent. But as versatile and tempting as cheesecake is, in the heat of summer, sometimes so much milk can be, as Ron Burgundy aptly put it, “a bad choice.”

If you love cheesecake as much as I do, going without it for a whole season is impossible. So what’s a cheesecake lover to do? Don’t fret! I found a lighter, fluffier version of everyone’s favorite dessert, courtesy of Japan.

Strangely, I was first introduced to Japanese cheesecake on a business trip to Toronto. In between meetings, I passed a storefront (near Ryerson University for you Torontonians) with a bright red sign and a line around the block. The sign proclaimed: Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake. Japanese Cheesecake? Huh? Naturally, I was curious, and since I had a couple hours to kill, I got in the back of the line and waited.

After an hour of watching people walk inside the shop and come out with 10-inch square cake boxes and big smiles on their faces, not to mention being surrounded by the unmistakably rich and sweet aroma of warm cream cheese, I was excitedly salivating. When I got to the front and had procured my very own 10-inch square box, I couldn’t wait to see how the contents differed from my all-time favorite dessert: New York-style cheesecake. From my first bite, I was impressed. The texture was cloud-like and lush without sticking to the roof of my mouth. Somehow, the mellow, sugared tang of cream cheese – everything I love about New York cheesecake – wasn’t diminished despite the lightness. And weirdly, that lightness made the Japanese cheesecake feel more reminiscent of a soufflé than a traditional cheesecake. That makes sense, though, because in Japan, Japanese cheesecake is known as “soufflé cheesecake.” The technique required to get its characteristic airiness is exactly the technique you’d use to make a souffle: fold egg whites beaten to a stiff peak into the batter.

But how did a uniquely Japanese cheesecake come to be? I mean, cheese isn’t exactly a staple in traditional Japanese cuisine (it’s basically non-existent). Well, to start, it’s the fault of us Americans. The cheesecake craze in Japan began post-World War II when many Americans stationed there wanted to cook their favorite foods from back home. Naturally, many ingredients for those foods would need to be imported and, with the advent of home refrigeration systems in the 1950s, American foods, like cream cheese, became more widespread. Naturally, Japanese curiosity was piqued by these exotic imports, so interest in American food began to grow in households and among professional chefs alike.

But Japan’s new culinary horizons weren’t only set on America. In the early 1950s, Japan opened its borders to the west for the first time in 200 years. Japanese chefs like Tomotaro Kuzuno were excited to  travel the world and find inspiration from across the globe. Kuzuno, for his part, went to Germany, where he found a German cheesecake, käsekuchen. Käsekuchen is made with quark, the German answer to cream cheese (high-fat ricotta is a pretty decent facsimile), and vanilla pudding. Because in käsekuchen, the eggs are separated and the whites are whipped to stiff peaks before being folded in, the end result has a light, fluffy texture. Sound familiar?

When Kuzuno came back to Japan from Germany, he wanted to create a new version of this käsekuchen, one that more closely mimicked the American-style cheesecake that his countrymen had begun to love. This combination of New York cheesecake with German käsekuchen gave us the Japanese cheesecake. Basically, Japanese cheesecake is the original cronut: a food mashup that spread like wildfire across the country thanks to a flavor and texture that feel familiar, but, together, are completely unique.

Unlike käsekuchen, which requires a very specific type of cheese, Japanese cheesecake can be made with bricks of the same stuff you shmear on your bagel. And don’t let the fact that it uses soufflé techniques make you nervous. Once you get the hang of separating eggs, making Japanese cheesecake is actually easier than the New York-style kind. And for a bit of extra sweetness, Japan’s customary topping, like strawberries or cherries for our New York cheesecake, is apricot jam. Get the Recipe.

Unlce Tetsu

If you’re like me, and want to see what the thing tastes like before making it yourself, Uncle Tetsu is rapidly expanding. It currently has locations in Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Honolulu, all over Southeast Asia and Eastern Australia and will soon be opening shops in England, Spain, and the home of all cheesecake: New York.

On a hot summer day, when everything is sticking to you – clothes, your hair, sweat – the last thing you want is something else sticking, like a thick textured food on the roof of your mouth. Japanese cheesecake is the antidote to that. It’s like the product of a torrid affair between angel food cake and New York-style cheesecake, with a sweetness that’s anything but cloying and allows the cheese to be the star. Serve it up with some apricot jam or fresh berries and you’ll have a perfect finish to a summer brunch.

Finally, in case you’re wondering, since the 1970s, cheese, thanks in part to the demand for cheesecake across the country, has solidified its place in new Japanese cooking, with people waiting in long lines to get their hands on cheesecake and savory cheese tarts alike.

Related Video: How to Fix a Cracked Cheesecake

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Taco-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

 Zucchini season is starting to take off, which means we are going to need lots of creative uses for this vegetable.

Whether you grow it yourself, know someone who grows it, or just buy it at the market, when it’s zucchini season, it’s abundant!

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Maryland Crab Boil

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How to Make Savory Cheesecake for Brunch, Lunch, and Light Dinners

The cheesecake in its classic sweet dessert form is already incredibly versatile; there are various regional styles, easy no-bake versions for when you don’t want to turn on the oven, and many ways to make it suited to all seasons by switching up the flavor. But there’s a whole other avenue to explore too: savory cheesecakes, a great appetizer option for any party, or even weekday dinner for your family. If it sounds a little weird, think of it like a cheesier, less eggy version of quiche. So, how do you make a savory cheesecake?

Well, there’s more than one way, but they’re all pretty easy. As with sweet cheesecakes, there are both baked and no-bake versions of savory cheesecake, some with crusts and some without, but crusted and baked seems to be the most prevalent sort, and the vast majority of those follow a similar formula.

You can make these in other sizes of springform pans, including 4-inch ones for mini cheesecakes, or even bake them in lined muffin cups, but this basic recipe makes a single standard size cheesecake.

You’ll need:

• a 9-inch springform pan, greased with butter or cooking spray
• a stand mixer or electric mixer (although if you don’t have either one, stamina and a reasonably strong whisking arm should suffice)
• 1 cup finely pulverized crumbs of some sort—these can be breadcrumbs, panko, cracker crumbs (from blitzed-up butter crackers, whole wheat crackers, herbed wafers, Cheez-Its); you can also replace about half of the crumbs with ground or finely chopped nuts like pecans, and can add some grated hard cheese like Parmesan for an extra umami boost as well, but that’s totally optional
• 4-6 tablespoons melted butter
• 16 ounces cream cheese (2 bricks)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup other cheese or blend of cheeses for additional flavor (think cheddar, gouda, swiss, blue cheese, feta, etc.)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• additional seasonings, such as onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, etc., to taste
• up to about 1 cup of optional mix-ins like caramelized onions, crumbled cooked bacon, fresh herbs, etc.

Here’s what to do:

1. Make sure all of your filling ingredients are at room temperature. If you try to blend cold cream cheese into other ingredients, you’re likely to end up with unincorporated clumps and specks, so remember to get everything out at least 30 minutes ahead of time so it can soften and warm up a bit. (Conversely, if you’re using cooked meat or onions in your cheesecake, let them cool down so they don’t melt the precious cheeses on contact.)

2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Mix your crumbs (and/or nuts and grated cheese) with your melted butter until combined; start with 4 tablespoons of the butter, and if the mixture doesn’t hold together when you press it between finger and thumb, add more butter as needed and stir to incorporate. Press evenly and firmly into the bottom and about 1 1/2-inches up the sides of your springform pan. Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until set, and allow to cool.

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or using a large bowl and handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Then beat in the sour cream, and then the eggs, until everything is smooth and incorporated. Stir in all your seasonings to taste, then any mix-ins, and your additional grated or crumbled cheese (you can go a little over a cup of additional cheese if you’re feeling it) just until combined. If you’re using particularly soft cheeses, you can add around 2 tablespoons of flour to help stabilize the filling, but that’s also what the eggs are there for.

6. Pour the batter into the cooled crust and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the edges are fairly firm, the top is browned and set, but the center is still slightly wiggly (yet not too jiggly) when you shake the pan.

7. Turn off the oven, crack the door, and allow the cheesecake to sit for about another hour, then remove to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the inner edges of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. You can serve it while still warm, cooled to room temperature, or chilled (in which case, once it’s cooled to room temp, wrap it in plastic and transfer it to the fridge until needed, up to 24 hours).

No-Bake Options

No-bake versions of savory cheesecake are pretty similar to the above, just without the eggs or flour in the batter, and instead of being baked, they’re chilled for at least 3 to 4 hours in the fridge. They tend to be made with combinations of softer cheese (like blue, goat cheese, or feta), since those are easier to incorporate into the other ingredients without using heat, but there aren’t really any rules. Experiment as you see fit!

Crust Variations

In addition to making a press-in crust from pretty much any cracker or dried bread in existence (once crushed to fine rubble), you can turn potato chips into crumbs too (in any flavor that promises to complement your cheeses), or even use pulverized pork rinds for a keto-approved crunch! Moving away from press-in crusts, you could also pre-bake biscuit or crescent roll dough, pizza dough, or puff pastry as a base for a no-bake cake filling (even if that would seem to make it more of a tart…), or use polenta for the bottom layer, or even thinly sliced potatoes for a Spanish tortilla/cheesecake hybrid. Get as complicated and weird as you wanna! Or keep it super simple. For mini cheesecakes, you can try phyllo cups (usually found in the freezer aisle at the grocery store).

Fillings and Toppings

You pretty much always start with cream cheese for the filling, but some savory cheesecakes—just like some sweet ones—are based on ricotta instead. What’s most important is that they include something super soft to lend that luscious texture; the sour cream helps emphasize it, and the other cheeses are there chiefly for flavor.

In addition to basically any cheese(s) you like, you can mix in all sorts of other ingredients, like roasted red peppers or other vegetables, cooked sausage or bacon, roasted chiles, peppadews, roasted garlic, crab, chopped nuts, chopped scallions, fresh herbs…

And just like sweet cheesecakes, their savory brethren can be topped with all sorts of things for another layer of visual appeal and flavor—think preserves, honey, roasted fruit, aged balsamic, toasted nuts, tomato or bacon jam, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and so on.

Serving

Savory baked cheesecakes make great appetizers and work well as part of a buffet (a pie server will get them safely from platter to plates), or you can serve them sliced and already plated with a lightly dressed green salad for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Savory no-bake cheesecakes are particularly good set out along with crackers and perhaps some fresh fruit and toasted nuts (basically, like a cheese ball in a different form), alongside other dishes for a party spread.

And in case you’re still a little unsure, here are some specific recipes to try, or to guide you when it comes to creating your own signature version of savory cheesecake.

Savory Smoked Salmon Cheesecake

Saving Dessert

You can also try an everything bagel crust for a brunch-worthy take, but either way, this makes a lovely appetizer for any gathering, and it includes a horseradish-lime cream for those who want a little extra zest. Get the recipe.

Savory Chive Cheesecake with Potato Chip Crust

Spinach Tiger

Plain kettle chips make a great crunchy crust for a simple cream cheese cake flavored with fresh chives and garlic. Get the recipe.

Gouda and Bacon Savory Cheesecake

Sweet Recipeas

Aged gouda and smoky bacon make for a heartier option (add tomatoes for a BLT cheesecake), that’s perfect with a simple salad. Get the recipe.

Mini Basil Parmesan Cheesecakes with Tomato Jam

The Suburban Soapbox

Sweet-and-tangy tomato jam is a lively counterpoint to the salty savor of mini Parmesan and basil cheesecakes. Get the recipe.

Jalapeno Popper Chorizo Cheesecake

Closet Cooking

Go bold with chorizo, onions, and jalapeños, perfect with cheddar and cream cheese, with a crust composed from cheddar crackers for extra oomph. Get the recipe.

Savory Spinach Artichoke Cheesecake

Peas and Crayons

Spinach artichoke dip is always a favorite, but bake a firmer version in a whole grain crust for a fun yet elegant twist. Get the recipe.

Caramelized Onion Savory Cheesecake

The Cupcake Architect

Whether you bake this in muffin tins or mini springform pans, the combination of sweet caramelized onions (with a little balsamic) and sharp goat cheese is unbeatable. Get the recipe.

Savory Caprese Dairy-Free Cheesecake

The Spunky Coconut

This dairy-free cheesecake is a bit of a project (it involves making your own fermented cashew cheese), but it’s certainly lovely. An easier savory vegan cheesecake relies on silken tofu and nutritional yeast instead, but either way, it’s proof that everyone can get in on the savory cheesecake action. Get the recipe.

Savory Basil and Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Love and Olive Oil

This simple, streamlined cheesecake joins goat cheese and fresh basil, with Parmesan mixed into the crust, because every marriage needs a solid foundation. Get the recipe.

Cashel Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Honey

Peter Ardito/Rachel Ray Every Day

If you don’t want to turn on the oven, try a no-bake version of blue cheesecake with brie (that’s maybe more of a torte, but just as delicious)—but if you don’t mind the heat, bake this beautifully creamy blue cheese stunner with a nutty oatcake-based crust. The sweet honey drizzled on top really complements the sharp and salty notes. Get the recipe.

Aged Havarti and Thyme Cheesecake Bars

My Name is Yeh

These cheesecake bars (which can also be baked in a standard round springform pan) include earthy thyme and aged havarti in addition to ricotta, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, further blurring the lines between savory and sweet—and they have a nearly 1:1 ratio of crust to filling. Get the recipe.

Related Video: How to Fix a Cracked Cheesecake

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