Try Something New Tuesday....Blushing POM Holiday Cheesecake

Welcome to my Try Something New Tuesday...today it is dessert! A few weeks ago I was contacted by the kind folks at POM Wonderful, we love pomegranate juice in our house so I was happy to help them out!

POM Wonderful is a global brand committed to innovation and wellness. They grow and market their pomegranates and pomegranate-based products that are healthy, honest and essential to the well-being of humankind. They are the only company that grows, harvests, processes and ships our own pomegranates.

From their site:
Backed by Science
Only POM Wonderful products are backed by $32 million in medical research. Actually, we are the only pomegranate juice backed by any medical research at all.

There has been a lot of talk lately about the role of pomegranates in promoting heart health, prostate health and proper erectile function. But while these results are promising, keep in mind that all of the research has been done on POM Wonderful products. Our juice comes from a unique pomegranate variety (the Wonderful), which is grown in a unique location (California), and which is juiced with proprietary technology (ours!). No other pomegranate juice can claim these distinctions, and no other brand has been clinically tested.

So what are the medical results on POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice?

Cardiovascular

A 2005 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology showed improved blood flow to the heart in patients drinking 8oz daily of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice for 3 months.

Researchers studied a total of 45 patients with coronary heart disease who had reduced blood flow to the heart.

Patients drinking POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice experienced a 17% improvement in blood flow, compared to an 18% worsening in patients drinking
a placebo.

Prostate

An initial UCLA medical study, published by The American Association for Cancer Research, found hopeful results for prostate health.

The study tested 45 men with recurrent prostate cancer who drank 8 oz of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice daily for two years. Post-prostate surgery PSA average doubling time increased from 15 to 54 months. PSA is a protein marker for prostate cancer, and a slower PSA doubling time indicates slower disease progression.

Erectile Function

A pilot study released in the International Journal of Impotence Research in 2007 examined 61 male subjects with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. Compared to participants taking a placebo, those men drinking 8oz of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice daily for four weeks were 50% more likely to experience improved erections.

Antioxidant Superpower

Numerous independent laboratory tests have shown that POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has superior antioxidant content, ounce for ounce, compared to other juices and beverages.

WOW!! What an amazing fruit! I was asked to try out one of the many recipes on their site and I chose cheesecake! I must admit I have never attempted to make cheesecake before and this was so yummy! We had a few pieces and I brought the rest to work today and it was gone within minutes...the reaction was the same...YUMMY. I was asked by several people to bring in the recipe.

Blushing POM Holiday Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups graham cracker or chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
Filling:
4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
Juice from 34 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates* or 1 1/2 cups POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Garnish: (Optional)
1/3 cup arils from 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate
Fresh mint leaves
Preparation
Crust:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Stir together crumbs, sugar and butter until moistened.
3. Press evenly into bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.
Filling:
1. In a large mixer bowl beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk, vanilla and salt just until blended. Pour over crust in pan; spread evenly.
2. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until cake is firm at sides and soft-set (jiggles slightly) in the center. Do not over-bake.
3. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for up to 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours before serving. (Refrigerate cake for up to 1 week.)
Topping:
1. Prepare garnish Score 1 fresh pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1⁄3 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)
2. Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.*
3. In saucepan combine juice with sugar and cornstarch. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Cool slightly; spread glaze over cake.
4. Sprinkle reserved arils on top; garnish with mint leaves if desired.


I used graham crackers for the crust and I could not find ANY pomegranates ANYWHERE in my town, I think I just missed the season. I was only going to use them for the garnish as I had POM Wonderful juice for the sauce. I also used 2 packages of regular cream cheese and 2 1/3 less fat cream cheese.

ENJOY!!!




The opinions on my2boyz are that of the blog author. I do not take responsibility for a different outcome. I did not receive any monetary compensation. The only compensation I received was a case of POM Wonderful juice.