Make the most of the 'Mango Season'! That is the mantra this time... well... its the same each year at this time. But that does not mean we end up following it to the max! This time though with my own food blog, experiments in kitchen, demands from friends and family to explore more of the world of culinary delights, i can say we did & still are making the most of this 'Mango Mania' at home. The latest one being 'Mango Cheese Cake'.
Most of us do look longingly at those Cheesecakes in cafes & bakeries beckoning us, tempting us to indulge. Yummmm....the crusty, buttery base with soft cheese as the topping. And every time I have them i wonder if a cake so soft, light, feathery & heavenly is actually easily possible to master at home? My question was finally answered when I came upon an Eggless Mango Cheese Cake by Nita Mehta.
About Cheese Cakes: Source: Wikipedia
- Cheese Cake is a dessert with a biscuit base, usually graham crackers or sponge cake. This is topped with soft, fresh cheese combined with choice of fruit pulps & flavorings. They may be either baked or unbaked.
- Cheese cakes had been quite popular even in ancient Greece.
- Different regions have adopted different styles of making Cheese Cakes.
- In the US, the cheese Cakes are usually baked version. The New York version has generous amounts of heavy cream as topping along with cream cheese & eggs and then baked. Philadelphia style Cheese Cakes are lighter in texture and yet richer in flavor than NY version. Country stye Cheese Cakes use buttermilk to make the texture firmer & increase their shelf life.
- UK, Ireland, New Zealand & Australian version make use of biscuits as the base. An Italian Cheese Cake make use of ricotta or mascarpone for the filling along with bits of candied fruit. French style Cheese cakes have a very light texture and made of Neufchâtel cheese . Gelatin is used to bind the ingredients. The Greek version is made from layers of buttered phyllo and filled with cheese-egg mixture.
- The Asian version is lighter, spongy & less sweet compared to other versions.
Now, coming back to 'mangoes', I know tinned mangoes are easily available throughout the year but of course nothing like having them fresh from the market or your very own farm! And this recipe has been made from fresh mangoes, has NO CREAM & NO EGGS, makes use of our popular Indian cheese - paneer/ cottage cheese. This recipe does not call for baking even and for a cafe style cheese cake, its pretty easy to make!
The procedure may seem lengthy but dont be intimidated by it! Follow the steps in order given below & it took just an hour for me to get the entire process done :)
Glazed Mango Cheese Cake
Serves: 8
Recipe Courtesy: Nita Mehta, with few modifications
Ingredients for the Crust/ Base:
- 12 to 14 Britannia digestive biscuits, crushed with rolling pin to get coarse biscuit crumbs
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Ingredients for the filling:
- 1 cup fresh curd/ yogurt - hang for 15 to 20 mins in a muslin cloth. To know how, click here
- 200 gms paneer/ indian cottage cheese, grated finely
- 2 tbsp regular cheese spread, unflavored
- 1 large mango, pureed in a mixer to get 1 cup mango pulp
- 1 packet (10 gms) china grass
- 3/4 cup or to taste powdered or castor sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Ingredients for the Glaze: Please refer my notes below for the glaze
- 1 cup ready made mango drink - mango fruity etc
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1/4 tsp butter
Method for the Base/ Crust:
1. Put the biscuits in a zip lock bag & crush them with a rolling pin to get coarse biscuit crumbs. Add butter & mix. Add milk and mix well.
2. Press the mixture at the bottom of a 7" loose bottom tin or a flat round dish. Keep in the freezer compartment of the fridge for 15 to 20 mins to set.
Method for the filling: As the crust sets, proceed with the filling.
1. In a mixer put the hung curd, grated paneer and cheese spread. Churn/ blend till mixture becomes smooth. As you blend, keep scraping the sides in between. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Break china grass into small pieces and wash once for few seconds under running water. Drain and pour 1 1/4 cups water on it and set aside for 5 mins to soften.
3. Meanwhile, in a pan heat the mango puree over low heat till just warm. Cover and set aside.
4. Over a low heat stir the china grass solution for 6 to 8 mins till it melts completely. Do not let it boil.
5. Add hot china grass solution in small amounts into the warm mango puree, stirring well with a hand whisk with the other hand. Do not add the entire solution all at once to the puree.
6. Add the puree-china grass mix to the paneer-curd mixture in the bowl and beat well with a hand whisk.
7. Add sugar, essence and mix again once. Pour this filling over the set crust and place in the fridge to set for 2 to 3 hrs.
Method for the glaze:
This is optional. I found that the glaze made the filling a bit delicate though it had set perfectly.Also I had added more than a spoon of cornflour mentioned above. Next time I may skip this all together or add just half a cup of mango drink.
1. Mix the juice, cornflour, sugar in a pan. Keep it on fire, stirring constantly with a hand whisk till thick and coats the back of the spoon. Add butter. Remove from fire. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. Pour this glaze over the set cheese cake. May garnish with toasted almonds etc. Keep in refrigerator till serving time.
Notes:
1. For the paneer, use fresh or the variety stored in the refrigerator & not frozen variety.
2. Vanilla essence blends well and brings out the flavor of mangoes.
3. Before grating the paneer, I soaked the entire ready made paneer block in some hot water for 2-3 mins to remove any impurities. Then drained, wiped it with a paper towel & used as required. This step also brings the cottage cheese to room temp which is ideal for use in a cheese cake.
Posted by Prathima Rao
Food
