I will admit that Tom, Andie and I had this for breakfast.  I did follow George Stella’s 2005 recipe without realizing he had made some changes to it in his 2014 cookbook.  The 2005 recipe was great so I’m sure the newest recipe is even better.  Net carbs: 4 grams (doesn’t include the strawberries that I added).  Here is the 2014 recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup extra fine ricotta cheese (make this smoother by using a hand mixer or food processor)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar substitute (I used Splenda but next time I’ll try Swerve, just to see if any difference)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks

DIRECTIONS:

1. PLACE the oven rack in the center position, and preheat to 400 degrees.  Spray an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Wrap the entire outside of the springform pan in aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping into the cake.
2. MAKE a water bath so the top of the cheesecake won’t split as it bakes:  Pour about 1 inch hot water into a shallow roasting pan big enough to hold the cake pan, and place it on the center rack of the oven to heat.
3. WITH an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese, ricotta and sugar substitute for about 1 minute, until well blended.
4. IN  a separate bowl, whisk together the cream, vanilla, lemon juice, eggs and yolks.
5. TURN the mixer on medium speed and slowly pour the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture.  Beat just until blended; be careful not to over-whip.
6. POUR the batter into the greased springform pan, and smooth the top with a spatula.  Place the pan in the heated water bath, and bake for 15 minutes.
7. LOWER the oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Continue baking for about 1 1/2 hours, until the top is a light golden brown and the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan.
8. REMOVE from oven and let cool on counter for 1 hour, and then refrigerate at least 8 hours before slicing to serve.