Chocolate Almond Cheesecake

Rachel inspired this cheesecake by being so fond of a toasted nut crust on another cheesecake and by wanting something, small, freeze-able and cheesecake-like. It's not small, but can be cut small and stored in the freezer for a long time. The alcohol prevents it from freezing rock hard.

Quark is a light tangy cheese, similar to cream cheese. Grocery stores carry it in the dairy section in tubs. If the flavor seems daunting, it can be made plain or you can experiment with other flavors, such as lemon, lime or orange zest and different alcohol or perk it up with a few fresh, berries, folded in to the cheese mixture.

Ingredients:
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. Splenda
1 tsp. white Sugar Twin
1/8 tsp. liquid sweetener
1/4 cup whole almonds
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. brown Sugar Twin
pinch of salt
1/2 lb. quark
1/2 lb. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. Splenda
2 Tbsp. white Sugar Twin
3/4 tsp. liquid sweetener
3 Tbsp. bourbon
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup whipping cream

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place in the freezer.

Chop the chocolate and place in a small heatproof bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water and let the chocolate melt. Remove from the pot of water and let cool to room temperature. Cut the 2 Tbsp. butter into small bits and stir into the chocolate until it melts. Stir in the sweeteners.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the almonds out on a baking tray and bake until well browned, almost to the point of being burnt, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Chop coarsely.

In a small frying pan, melt the 1Tbsp. butter over medium heat and continue melting until it turns a rich and nutty smelling brown. Add the nuts, brown Sugar Twin and a pinch of salt. Stir into the chocolate. Spread out into the frozen pan. Place back in the freezer until hardened. Break into small pieces. Return in the pan to the freezer.

Beat the quark, cream cheese, Splenda and Sugar Twin, liquid sweetener, and vanilla together until smooth and light. Beat in the egg yolks and bourbon. Stir in the chocolate almond bits. Beat the cream until stiff and fold into the cheese mixture. Beat the egg whites to firm peaks and fold into the cheese mixture. Spread evenly into the frozen pan. Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.