Is there anything more decadent than a big wadge of cheesecake and a fresh cup of coffee after a big feed?
Over the years cheesecake , chilled or baked has seen a return to many restaurant menus .
it really has stood up to the test of time and is still a family favourite.
This is usually the chilled cheesecake served at parties , christening or buffets.
There is always an aunt who has a secret recipe and the cheesecake arrives wrapped in tinfoil with lashings of cream but there is also the New York style baked cheesecake.
by chef Martin Anderson
I’m going to give you the recipe for both, the baked recipe below is from the BBC food website which I find is fantastic for recipes and very informative too .
The second recipe is for a baked vanilla & strawberry cheesecake , so creamy and served at room temperature with creme fraiche which adds to tangy taste .
We served a lemon cheesecake at an event recently as part of a dessert plate everyone loved it. Creamy and refreshing after the BBQ steaks and salads .
So check under the sink or in the cupboard for a cheesecake tin and give one of these recipes a go.
Chilled cheesecake is always the same basic recipe to which you add different flavours.
Lemon , baileys and strawberry are the usual flavours .
Make sure you use full fat cream cheese for both these recipes , real butter and follow the methods exactly as there is nothing worse than remoulding a cheesecake from the tin and having it collapse all over the kitchen counter .
Lemon cheesecake
Ingredients for the base .
400g of digestive biscuits , blended to resemble crumbs .
3oz of melted butter
For the cheesecake .
225g of full fat cream cheese .
1 pint of whipped cream .
2 blocks of lemon jelly , you may use vegetarian jelly if you wish.
50g of icing sugar.
Method
Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter and press into you springform cheesecake tin .
Allow to chill in the fridge for at least an hour .
While the base is chilling dissolve the 2 blocks of jelly in a pot with a little water.
When dissolved allow to cool but not set.
Whip the creak cheese and icing sugar tougher until smooth and fold in the whipped cream .
Slowly add the dissolved jelly and mix well don’t worry if it looks very runny it will be fine.
Pour the mix on top of your biscuits and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours of until it has set .
To serve .
Dip a sharp knife into hot water and run the knife around the cheesecake in the tin , slowly release the
Cheesecake from the tin , serve in wedges with a squeeze of lime on the side .
Tangy and tasty , hard to beat .
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Baked vanilla & Strawberry cheesecake
For the base
125g unsalted butter
250g digestive biscuit crumbs
For the cheesecake
3 eggs and 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 vanilla pod
900g of full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
200g golden caster sugar
For the fresh strawberry sauce
200g strawberries
25g icing sugar
Method
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a gentle heat. Brush a little of the melted butter around the base and sides of a 23cm/9in springform tin, then line the base with a circle of baking parchment.
Stir the crumbs into the melted butter until completely combined. Press the crumbs into the tin.
Put into the fridge to firm up while you make the cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 180C
To separate the eggs, have three small bowls ready, preferably glass or ceramic. Gently crack the shell against the side of a small bowl. Slowly pull the shell apart as cleanly as possible along the crack, tipping the yolk into one half of the shell. Let the white drain away into the bowl below. Drop the yolk into another small bowl. Separate the next egg over a third bowl – that way if you accidentally break the yolk, it won’t contaminate the clean whites. (The egg whites will keep for a week in the fridge, and can be whipped up to lighten pancakes.)
Slit the vanilla pod lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out with the blunt side of your knife. Scrape the seeds from your knife into a large mixing bowl with the cream cheese. Beat the cheese and vanilla together with a wooden spoon or a hand-held mixer until smooth.
Add the sugar, then beat again till smooth. Now add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, followed by half of the crème fraîche.
When the base is well chilled, wrap the outside of the tin in two sheets of wide foil. Ensure that the foil covers the sides of the tin more than halfway, then sit the wrapped tin in a deep roasting tin. Spoon in the cheesecake filling and smooth the top.
Boil a kettle full of water. Then place the roasting tin with the cheesecake on the top shelf of the oven. Pour the hot water from the kettle into the roasting tin around the cheesecake so that it comes halfway up the sides and carefully slide the tin into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas 4, then turn the oven down to 140C/275F/Gas 1 and cook for another 40-50 minutes until the cheesecake is set, with a slight wobble in the middle.
Turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven, with the door ajar. When cool, remove from the oven and chill thoroughly. Cooling the cheesecake slowly will help to prevent the top from cracking.
For strawberry sauce, put half of the strawberries into a food processor or blender, add the icing sugar then pulse until smooth. Slice the remaining strawberries and use to decorate .
Serve in wadges with the fresh strawberry sauce and fresh cut strawberries on top .
