Thursday, May 2, 2013

Eggless Mango Oreo Cheesecake (or Strawberry)


Do you believe in Signs?
I do. I try not to – but somehow always end up reading moments, songs, and people, as signs of something related to me or my life. I try really hard- but inevitably, something will make me feel that this is that power up there’s way of showing me something- as if someone is trying to tell me something and I must not be naïve, and just get it!

So today morning, when I checked my mail, 3 of the many food bloggers who I follow regularly, had posted about imperfections.

How ironic! This was a sign for me. And this sign comes in the morning after a big disaster in my own kitchen- I dropped a cake dish with a set biscuit base for the cheesecake that I was making for my mom’s birthday yesterday. I was halfway through taking photographs, it was the perfect dish (which I absolutely love), and just the right size- and guess what? While taking it out of the freezer, the usually not so clumsy, ol’ me dropped it. It was truly heart-breaking, just about 4 hours before we had to leave. The filling was about to set, and so, I instantly dropped the idea of making the cake, and called up Ak to buy one instead. Birthdays are just not complete without cakes. And this happened just after I had decided, that I will bake a cake for every single member in our family, no matter what part of the world they are in. (the first in the series is here). There goes my plan.

Anyhow, so while Ak was given the task of getting an eggless cake to compensate for my strawberry cheesecake, I embarked upon the task of rescue. The filling was due to set anytime soon- so I had no time to set another biscuit base. Ak, in his effort to cheer me up decided that he wanted some mini cheesecake shots with an oreo base. That was simple. I made a couple with a digestive biscuit base for my dad, and finally used up the rest as a mousse’ish filling set in ramekins. Turns out, it wasn’t so bad after all, as we all got manageable breakfast dessert.

Of course, imperfections and disasters happen all the time in our kitchen- and they definitely happen a lot in mine. Most often, the rescue task is not even accounted for- but on these moments, I often read it as a bad sign, finding it hard to see the positive. It is only later in the evening, when the mothers proclaimed that breaking a dish on a birthday is supposedly a good sign, and then the posts today morning made me realise something I had been failing to acknowledge- As much as I believe that I give up on failure, Picking up pieces and crafting the best out of what is left is not so much a turmoil after all, leaving me often with a pleasant consequence. I just need to remember that more often.

I had recently made a mango cheesecake for a dinner at home, which was lying in my drafts ready to be posted. I had been caught up with work and had been unable to post it. With the mango cheesecake, I used oreo cookies to heighten the contrast. Both the mango cheesecake and this ‘to be strawberry cheesecake’ were to be separate posts- but in this utter mess of cheesecakes, I am posting them together. For everyone reading this, do try the cheesecake for an egg-less celebration or a light, fruity summer dessert. And for those, out there like me, in case you end up with a broken cheesecake crust, do compensate for the imperfections in your life, with these mini strawberry cheesecake shots.



Recipe Adapted from Somewhere I don't remember!

200 gm glucose biscuit (Can be replaced with Oreo Cookies)
3 Tablespoons Butter
250 gm Strawberries or Mangoes
¾ cup Sugar
1 cup Hung Curd
1 Cup thick cream
4 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoons Gelatin
1 Tablespoon Jam (optional)

Mix the crushed biscuits and put it in a lined dish and keep in freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Puree the strawberries and 3/4 cup sugar. For additional flavour and colour, I like to add a tablespoon of mango Jam. Add the hung curd and cream in a mixer, and run for about 30 seconds each twice over to get a smooth batter. Add water to gelatin and double boil to dissolve. Pour into the strawberry mixture to ensure no lumps. Pour on the biscuit base and allow setting in fridge overnight. Garnish with fresh mangoes.








No comments:

Post a Comment