ILF: Cheesecake

When I was in Canada, I love tuesdays. Tuesdays were toony tuesday in which I can get 2 pieces of chicken plus a small packet of fries for $2 (excluding gst). It was a real deal because it meant that I could break away from the routine dorm food which was often over salted and deep fried.

From now on, every tuesdays will be in memory of the food days I had. It’s going to be I Love Food day! I love to cook food. It is thereapeutic and I feel a great sense of achievement after I conquer the kitchen to make myself a decent meal.

One thing I got out from my days in Canada, is my love for cheesecake and my love in baking them. Surprisingly, cheesecake is really easy to make.

Here is Valerie’s version of the cheesecake:

Portion: Fills 2 rounded pans of 40 diameters. Time taken approximately an hour dependent on your oven.

Crust:

• 6 - 8 pieces of digestive biscuits crushed per tray (or 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs)
• 55 grams unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• A dash of salt (optional)

Filling:

• 2 blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
• 150 grams castar sugar
• 230 grams sour cream (200 grams would suffice as well)
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 120 grams heavy cream

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
• For the crust, mix the biscuit crumbs concurrently with 1) the melted butter and 2) the sugar till you obtain an even moisture mixture. For taste, add a dash of salt. Though do this only after you have poured all the sugar into the butter mixture. Press the mixture evenly on the pan. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes. The crust should be golden brown. Ensure that the baked crust is hard and not soggy. Cool the pan.
• Lower the temperature of the oven to 162 degrees C.
• For the filling, 1) cream the cream cheese at medium speed using a hand held mixer or standing mixer. The product should be smooth and would appear moderately heavy. 2) Gradually add the sugar into the smooth cream cheese. At medium speed, beat the sugar till light and fluffy. 3) Beat in the sour cream. 4) Add the eggs. Beat the mixture every time you add an egg. 5) Stir in the vanilla and heavy cream. The final product should be slightly thinner and fluffier than in step 1. It should appear white-yellow.
• Pour the batter into the pan. Bake the cheesecake for about 45 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and upon probbing the cake should jiggle slightly. Though if you stick a stick into the cake, the stick should be relatively free of any cake mix. Do not bake the cake till it is totally hardened. Cool the cake. Place a plastic wrap over the pan and refrigerate it overnight.
• Serve with fruits or as it is. Enjoy!