Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

Ingredients

For Base

Digestive Biscuits       - 2 packs (150 gms each)

Salted Butter             - 140 gms (at room temperature)

Granulated Sugar       - 50 gms

For Filling

Cream Cheese            - 600 gms

Granulated Sugar       - 200 gms

Cornflour                   - 2 tb spoons

Fresh Cream              - 180 ml

Lemon Zest                - 2 tb spoon

Lemon Juice               - 60 ml

Eggs whole                 - 3 nos

Egg Yolks                   - 2 nos

For Blueberry Syrup Topping

Blueberry Crush         - 150 ml

Cornflour                   - 1 tb spoon

Water                        - 50 ml

Instructions

Base

1. Pre heat the oven at 170 °C 
2. Crush the digestive biscuits and grind in blender to coarse powder
3. Combine powdered biscuits, butter and granulated sugar in a small bowl
4. Line the bottom of 9 inch springform cake pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides
5. Press the biscuit mixture on the parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. Also press the mixture upward on the sides of the pan
6. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes
7. Take the pan out of the oven and set aside to cool
8. Once cooled, cover the outside of the pan with 3-4 overlapping layers of aluminium foil so that water from water bath doesn't sip inside the springform pan. Set the prepared pan aside

Cheesecake

1. Combine cream cheese, sugar and flour in a large bowl using hand mixer on low speed until combined and smooth. Don't do it on higher speed as it will incorporate more air in the batter which will eventually lead to crack in the cheesecake
2. On a separate pan, 3 cups water on gas stove which will be used for water bath
3. Add fresh cream, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until combined
4. Add eggs and then egg yolks (one each at a time) while mixing it on low speed until well combined
5. Pour the batter in the prepared pan over the baked crust
6. Place the springform pan inside the larger pan 
7. Fill the outside pan with hot water such that it reaches at least halfway up the sides of springform pan
8. Bake for at least 1 hour 15 minutes. Center would be set but it will still be jiggly
9. Switch off the oven and let cheesecake continue to remain inside the oven for 30 minutes
10. Crack open the oven door slightly and allow cheesecake to coll down for 30 minutes. This slow cooling will help cake avoid cracking
11. Remove cheesecake from oven and water bath. Place in refrigerator for it to cool completely

Blueberry Topping

1. While cheesecake is cooling, prepare blueberry topping
2. Combine blueberry crush, corn flour and water in a medium sauce pan over medium heat
3. Continue to cook until crush is slightly thick
4. Switch off the gas stove and allow the topping to cool
5. Once cooled, pass the topping liquid through sieve to remove lumps, if any
6. Once cheesecake is completely cooled, remove it from refrigerator and take out the sides of springform pan
7. Spread the blueberry topping evenly on the top of the cheesecake
8. Refrigerate the cheesecake until ready to serve
9. Enjoy the cold cheesecake 

Note: 

1. Make sure that springform pan is sufficiently covered with aluminium foil. If you have any plastic bag which can sustain oven temperature, you can wrap the plastic around the springform pan to avoid any water seepage inside the pan.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients

Maida : 180 gms

Granulated sugar: 200 gms

Unsalted butter : 150 gms

Eggs : 3

Baking powder : 1.5 tsp

Vanilla extract : 1 tsp

Milk : 1/4 cup

Gala Apples : 2 (finely chopped)

Cinnamon : 2 tsp

Method

1. Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees centigrade.
2. Sieve maida, add baking baking powder, mix well and keep it in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, take softened butter.
4. Add granulated sugar.
5. Whisk it well using hand mixer, initially at low speed and then at high speed until butter becomes pale and fluffy (5 -7 minutes)
6. Add egg (one each) and mix well.
7. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
8. Add maida slowly to this mixture and mix well so that there are no lumps.
9. Add cinnamon powder, finely chopped apples and fold well. Keep some chopped apple aside to place it on top of muffins
10. Spoon the batter in silicone muffin cups. Make sure to fill only till 2/3rd of the cups.
11. Spread reserved chopped apples on top of the batter in the cup.
12. Bake it in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until skewer inserted comes clean.

White Chocolate & Nuts Blondies

Ingredients:

White chocolate - 175 gms (finely chopped)

Unsalted butter - 115 gms (softened)

Powdered sugar - 100 gms

Eggs - 2 (lightly beaten)

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Maida - 130 gms

Cashew Nuts - 50 gms (roughly chopped)

Almonds - 50 gms (roughly chopped)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, take chopped white chocolate. Temper the chocolate either using double boiler method or using microwave. For tempering using microwave, use microwave for 30 seconds and mix well using silicone spatula. Later, use microwave for 10 each and mix well until chocolates becomes runny and shiny
2. Add softened butter, mix well until butter melts
3. Add powdered sugar and mix well
4. Add lightly beaten eggs and blend it well using hand mixer
5. Add baking powder as well as maida. Fold it in the chocolate-butter-sugar mixture
6. Add chopped nuts and mix well
7. Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees centigrade
8. Grease 8" x 8 " tin and pour the mixture
9. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for around 30 minutes or until tootpick inserted at center comes out clean
10. Once baked, allow it to cool completely and cut into 1" x 1" squares
11. Serve it with vanilla cream or dust with icing sugar

Fresh Fruit Tart

December has already started and it is the season for fresh strawberries. This weekend, I decided to make Fresh Fruit Tart. I considered using fresh strawberries, mulberries, kiwi and dragon fruit for the topping.

Tart is a baked dish with a shortcrust pastry as the base with usually custard filling and topping.

Ingredients

For Pastry Crust

Maida (all purpose flour) - 200 gms

Unsalted Butter - 150 gms

White sugar - 50 gms

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Egg - 1

Cold water - 2 tbsp

For Pastry Cream

Milk - 300ml

Egg yolks - 3nos

Maida - 20gms

Corn flour - 20gms

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

For Topping

Strawberries - 15nos

Kiwi - 2 nos

Dragon Fruit - 1no

For Glaze

Corn flour - 1 tbsp

White sugar - 50gms

Water - 1 cup

Instructions:

For Pastry Crust

1. In the food processor bowl, take maida. Add sugar and salt
2. Cut cold butter in 1/2 inch cubes and add to maida
3. Lightly beat the egg and add to maida
4. Turn on the food processor and pulse it until all the ingredients just come together and forms the texture of small granules. If necessary, add 1 tbsp of cold water (if mixture is not coming together)
5. Take out the mixture and place on the clean working platform. Bring all the ingredients together to form a ball. Do not over work the batter otherwise pastry crust will not be light after baking.
6. Flatten the ball in the form of the thick disc, cover it with cling wrap and keep in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
7. Take 8-9 inch tart mould with loose bottom. Grease it with butter
8. Remove the pastry disc from the refrigerator and roll it on the clean working platform using rolling pin. The size of the rolled pastry should be at least 3-4 inches more that the diameter of the tart mould (Instead of flattening using rolling pin, I placed the pastry ball in the mould and flattened it evenly using fingers and palm while raising the pastry over the edges of the mould.)
9. Transfer the rolled pastry in the mould, press lightly with fingers along the inside edge of the mould and cut excess of pastry hanging over the mould top using knife.
10. Keep the pastry along with mould in the freezer for 15-20 minutes
11. Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees centigrade
12. Take out the pastry and mould from the freezer, prick the bottom of the pastry.
13. Bake the pastry in the oven for 5 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade
14. Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees and back until crust turns light brown (around 15-17 minutes)
15. Turn the oven off, take out the baked pastry and allow it to completely cool
16. While crust is warm, apply either apricot glaze or lightly beaten egg whites on the inside surface of the crust. This prevents the crust becoming soggy once pastry cream is poured inside the crust
17. Once cooled, remove the bottom of the mould 
18. While pastry crust is getting cooled, prepare pastry cream

For Pastry Cream

1. Separate egg whites and yolks
2. In a bowl, take 3 egg yolks and mix well with sugar
3. Sift maida and corn flour in the egg yolks and mix well until smooth paste is formed
4. In the sauce pan, bring the milk to just boil (until milk starts foaming up)
5. Remove the sauce pan from heat and pour small quantity in the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly. This is called tempering of the egg yolk mixture
6. Slowly add the remaining milk in the egg yolk mixture while continuously whisking
7. Pour back the above mixture in the sauce pan and keep it on the gas stove on medium heat.
8. Whisk continuously (this will avoid curdling of the egg yolk mixture) until the mixture thickens with the custard like smooth consistency (around 1 minute or so). Whisking continuously will also help avoid any lumps being formed
9. Remove it from the heat and allow it cool completely. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with cling wrap to avoid formation of the skin
10. Once cooled, add vanilla extract and mix well.

For Glaze

1. In a small pan, take sugar, corn flour and water
2. Bring the mixture to boil 
3. Remove it from the heat and allow to cool completely. The mixture will be slightly thickened

Assembling the tart

1. In the cooled pastry crust, spread the pastry cream evenly
2. Slice the strawberries, kiwis and dragon fruits
3. Arrange the fruit slices on top of pastry cream in concentric circles or any other decorative form
4. Using pastry brush, apply cooled glaze on the surface of the fruits. This glaze bring shine to the surface of the fruits as well as prevents the fruits from turning stale
5. Store the tart in the refrigerator until served.
6. We can use any other fruits of your choice as well

Rolled crust inside the tart mould

Baked pastry crust

Pastry cream getting thickened

Ready and cooled pastry cream

Assembled Tart

Glaze applied on the tart