Cheesecake with Blueberry Coulis
For this recipe, I used a classic New York cheesecake recipe, which I had to adapt to the European market, because if Philadelphia cream cheese is now found everywhere on this side of the pond, graham crackers are unheard of on the French riviera (well, in Menton anyway). I replaced them with Speculoos cookies, because their cinnamon-brown sugar flavor works wonderfully with cream cheese. The classic recipe calls for 2 lbs of cream cheese. I used 2/3 of that (600 grams) and reduced the other ingredients accordingly, which explains why the cheesecake doesn't look as high as it normally does (FIY, I used a 9-inch springform cake tin).
CHEESECAKE
150 grams of Speculoos cookies (if you use Graham crackers, add sugar)
70 grams of unsalted butter, melted
600 grams of PHILADELPHIA cream cheese
160 grams of white sugar
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
2 eggs
160 ml of sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used almond extract instead)
BLUEBERRY COULIS
2 cups of blueberry, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) - 180°C (conventional). Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin with parchment paper.
For the crust, melt the butter in a medium pan. Crush the cookies to a sand mixture. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while preparing the filling.
For the filling, increase the oven temperature to 200°C (fan) - 240°C (conventional).
With electric beaters, beat the soft cheese at medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, gradually add the sugar, then the flour and a pinch of salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Continue by adding the vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl. Continue on low speed as you add the soured cream. Whisk to blend, but don't over-beat. The batter should be smooth, light and somewhat airy.
Pour in the filling - shake cake tin a little to flatten lumps and remove air bubbles - the top should be as smooth as possible. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 90°C (fan) - 110°C (conventional) and bake for 25 minutes more. If you gently shake the tin, the filling should have a slight wobble. Turn off the oven and open the oven door for a cheesecake that's creamy in the centre, or leave it closed if you prefer a drier texture. Let cool in the oven for 2 hours. The cheesecake may get a slight crack on top as it cools.
Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Run a round-bladed knife around the sides of the tin to loosen any stuck edges. Unlock the side, slide the cheesecake off the bottom of the tin onto a plate.
To make the coulis, place blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Stir gently and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool at room temperature and refrigerate.
When the cheesecake is ready to be served, pour a generous amount of coulis on top of each slice (I poured all of the coulis on top of the whole cheesecake before cutting and serving it). Enjoy!
CHEESECAKE
150 grams of Speculoos cookies (if you use Graham crackers, add sugar)
70 grams of unsalted butter, melted
600 grams of PHILADELPHIA cream cheese
160 grams of white sugar
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
2 eggs
160 ml of sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used almond extract instead)
BLUEBERRY COULIS
2 cups of blueberry, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) - 180°C (conventional). Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin with parchment paper.
For the crust, melt the butter in a medium pan. Crush the cookies to a sand mixture. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while preparing the filling.
For the filling, increase the oven temperature to 200°C (fan) - 240°C (conventional).
With electric beaters, beat the soft cheese at medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, gradually add the sugar, then the flour and a pinch of salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Continue by adding the vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl. Continue on low speed as you add the soured cream. Whisk to blend, but don't over-beat. The batter should be smooth, light and somewhat airy.
Pour in the filling - shake cake tin a little to flatten lumps and remove air bubbles - the top should be as smooth as possible. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 90°C (fan) - 110°C (conventional) and bake for 25 minutes more. If you gently shake the tin, the filling should have a slight wobble. Turn off the oven and open the oven door for a cheesecake that's creamy in the centre, or leave it closed if you prefer a drier texture. Let cool in the oven for 2 hours. The cheesecake may get a slight crack on top as it cools.
Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Run a round-bladed knife around the sides of the tin to loosen any stuck edges. Unlock the side, slide the cheesecake off the bottom of the tin onto a plate.
To make the coulis, place blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Stir gently and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool at room temperature and refrigerate.
When the cheesecake is ready to be served, pour a generous amount of coulis on top of each slice (I poured all of the coulis on top of the whole cheesecake before cutting and serving it). Enjoy!
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