The Unlikely Ingredient Swap Alton Brown Uses For Cheesecake

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Alton Brown, the genius celebrity chef who taught us a great method to brine a turkey in a bucket, often explored the science behind why certain ingredients work perfectly in food on his hit show "Good Eats." Brown discussed cheesecake at least once on the program and even took a stand on the immortal question of whether cheesecake is pie or cake — he swears it's the former. Our favorite contribution that Alton Brown made to the world of cheesecake, however, is filling us in on an ingredient swap that replaces the oft-used cream cheese in cheesecake for an underrated substitute: cottage cheese.

"I know, you're thinking it'll be lumpy. But no. The curds simply dissolve leaving a kind of velvet lightness," Brown enthused on his website. He goes for a cheesecake preparation that is heavy on tanginess, using sour cream along with the cottage cheese as the main dairy components, then stirring in both lemon juice and lemon zest. A classic graham cracker crust functions as the base. The cheesecakes are baked in individual ramekins set in a water bath, resulting in single-serving desserts that are fluffy and full of zing. We like to add cookie crumbles to store-bought cheesecake to gussy it up, but Brown leans in a more refined, adult direction, topping his individual cheesecakes with a couple of luxardo cocktail cherries and their juice.

Both cream cheese and cottage cheese are curdled dairy products — cream cheese is smooth and spreadable, while the individual curds of cottage cheese are strained. Despite this, cottage cheese has more moisture to it than cream cheese. Cottage cheese is much lower in fat and calories than cream cheese, while also containing almost twice as much protein. This is why you'll often see athletes and those watching their weight turning to cottage cheese as a staple snack. Cheesecake will never be confused with health food, but it's true that cottage cheese can result in a lighter, less caloric, and more protein-dense dessert, which may be desirable depending on your own preferences and dietary needs.

Alton Brown certainly isn't alone in using cottage cheese in cheesecake, as the internet abounds with these recipes. We've seen some home cooks subbing Greek yogurt for the sour cream in similar preparations for an even more impactful protein punch ... certain recipes even go so far as to use protein powder in the batter. If you opt for a vanilla protein powder like this top-rated one by Optimum Nutrition, taste-test your cheesecake to see if you'd like to add more vanilla extract to amp the flavor. We've mentioned cherries and cookie crumbs, but you can really go for broke on protein-maxing your cheesecake with toppings that include nut butters, a chocolate protein frosting, or a schmear of dessert hummus.