New York cheesecake was introduced in the 1920s by Jewish delicatessens, and made popular by such New York restaurants as Lindy's and Junior's. The standard version has a graham cracker or pastry crust, is tall, and tastes sweet and tangy. This recipe posed the biggest challenge for us. Getting the look, feel, and flavor of a New York cheesecake without exceeding 30 percent calories from fat was trying. We first used fat-free and reduced-fat cream cheeses, but we knew we could do better. So we switched from fat-free cream cheese to pureed fat-free cottage cheese. It worked perfectly, giving the creamy consistency we desired. Combining the puree with reduced-fat cream cheese added the richness and the tangy flavor we sought. Our version is just as flavorful and stately as the classic, and with a per-serving savings of 240 calories and 34.7 grams of fat, it's one to keep.

Before | After

Calories per serving
531 | 291

Fat
44.5g | 9.8g

Percent of total calories
75% | 30%