Cheesecake Cream Recipe
Cheesecake and I have been friends for years. From my Mother’s famous chilled cottage cheese based affair from the 70’s to my favourite Nigella’s baked Passionfruit Cheesecake of modern times, I love them all. But, I have to be in the mood to make a cheesecake with all the tin lining and water bath kerfuffle, none of which I have time for, unless I have a leisurely kitchen based weekend in my diary. So when I stumbled on this amazing Cheesecake Cream recipe, courtesy of the informative, but annoyingly subscription based, New York Times food, I nearly wept. This dessert is not only bury-your-face-in-it delicious, it’s simple and there’s not a water bath in sight.
This recipe is a total keeper; one I instantly knew would be my new dinner party pud of choice. And I’ll tell you for why a) who wouldn’t love a bloody great big bowl of the best part of a cheesecake b) it makes a bloody great big bowl, as previously mentioned, so this would easily serve at least 6, if not 8 and c) it’s easy to make and tastes so good, I would be loathe to share any of it given half the chance. This simple recipe involves making a custard base, which is tons easier than it sounds, especially as the addition of a bit of cornflour will stop this ever turning into a scrambled egg based mess. Some lemon zest and vanilla gives it tang and sweetness then cream cheese is folded through for the full cheesecake experience. This is followed by some fairly tortuous chilling time before the Cheesecake Cream is served with some crumbled biscuits and fruit of your choice. I went Hobnobs because I have a soft spot for them, but stay with traditional digestives if you are, well, traditional.
So, to summarise, this is cheesecakey, drama free and makes an enormous portion. There’s nothing not to like here my friends.
Who knew something so wonderful could come from such a small selection of ingredients. And this recipe, well for me at least, has a gift with purchase in the form of 4 spare egg whites, so I made a tupperware full of meringues into the bargain.
Make a start with a saucepan, largish, and the milk, cream, lemon zest, salt and 50g of the sugar.
Whisk this together then place on the hob over a low heat. Bring up to the simmer, whisking occasionally to ensure the sugar dissolves.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornflour and the final 100g caster sugar. Separate the eggs, keeping the whites for meringues now or later, then whisk the yolks into the cornflour sugar mixture until you have a smooth-ish blend.
Now, remove your hot lemon milky cream mixture from the stove and whisk in half into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Pour in the rest of the milk, whisking again, then pour the contents of the bowl, back into the saucepan. Return to the hob and cook over a low heat, whisking all the time.
Cook for 6 minutes or so, until you have large bubbles forming on the top, then cook for another 2 to 3 minutes to thicken.
Take off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese *no one said this was a slimming recipe*. Now, if you are more diligent than me, sieve this mixture through a fine sieve, into a lovely serving bowl, or individual bowls. This all seemed too much effort to me, so I didn’t bother, but for a super smooth mixture, then do feel free to sieve away.
Place some clingfilm over the top of the Cheesecake Cream to prevent a skin from forming, then leave to cool slightly before putting in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill completely before serving.
When it’s time to serve up, simply get one large spoon and tuck right in. Or, alternatively, spoon the lemony cream into elegant glasses or cups and sprinkle with some crumbled biscuits and the fruit of your choice. I went blueberries, as they were on offer and they go so well here.
This is a pudding for dolloping. Serve it dolloped out in bowls or glasses. Despite the word dollop, this is so elegant and incredibly tasty. It’s a sharing dessert, in theory, but don’t feel you have to.
Lucy x
Cheesecake Cream Recipe
Serves a generous 6 to 8
You will just need a saucepan and a bowl and something elegant to serve it in
560ml whole milk
80ml double cream
Zest of a lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
150g caster sugar
30g cornflour
4 egg yolks
340g full fat cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Crumbled digestives or Hobnobs and fruit to serve
Take a large saucepan and whisk together the milk, cream, lemon zest, salt and 50g of the caster sugar. Bring up to the simmer, whisking occasionally.
In a large bowl, whisk together the final 100g of sugar and the cornflour. Add the egg yolks (saving the whites for another day, you can freeze them) and whisk until you have a smooth-ish paste. Remove the simmering milk from the stove and pour half of it into the egg sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Pour in the rest of the milk, whisk again, then pour back into the saucepan.
Put the pan back on the stove over a low heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Carry on cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes until there are large bubbles on the surface. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream cheese and vanilla extract.
If you can be bothered, sieve the mixture through a fine sieve, if not, don’t worry too much, or just pour into a heatproof bowl. Cover the top with clingfilm to stop a skin forming, then leave the mixture to cool before putting into the fridge for a good 2 to 3 hours or until chilled through.
Serve the cheesecake pudding in large bowlfuls, with crumbled biscuits and berries. The pudding will keep in the fridge for a good 3 days or so.
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