A Disastrous Cheesecake

It does look slightly marbled... but still hideous

I have a total disaster on my hands. I planned on making a Marbled Cheesecake from my current favourite dessert cookbook called Traditional Puddings and Desserts by Mary Berry. I failed on every level. I decided to make the cream cheese at home, it turned out grainy. I think I didn't use enough gelatin, so my cheesecake didn't set completely and I think I over-mixed the batter so my cheesecake didn't look too marbled... But on the positive side, the taste was spot on. But this failure was good for me, it reminded me of just how little I know.

Okay, so I finally got my hands on some decent strawberries and this cheesecake recipe was on the top of my list of desserts to try. In India, cream cheese is an expensive product. A 180 gram pack costs 150 bucks and I would have had to buy 2 packs for this recipe since it requires 250g of cream cheese.

On the other hand, I can get 250g cream cheese from 2 litres of whole milk. Whole milk costs 40 bucks per litre. So, I made the more economical decision and decided to use home-made cream cheese. That was my first mistake.

This is what you will need to make Cream Cheese:

• 2 litres whole milk (I used Buffalo Milk)
• 200 ml half and half (I used Amul Fresh Cream)
• 1 cup beaten curds

METHOD:

1. Boil the milk. Let it cool slightly and add the cream. Stir to mix and keep covered for 15 mins. 
2. While its still warm, add the beaten curds. Keep it covered for about 3 hours.
3. Now warm the milk again on a low flame. Stir occasionally or else the cream cheese that separates may settle at the bottom of the pan and get burnt. The cheese has separated when the liquid in the pan attains a greenish-yellow colour.
4. At this stage strain the contents through a muslin cloth. Keep it aside for half an hour while the liquid drains away. Gather the edges of the cloth and squeeze the remaining liquid out of the cheese.
5. Blend the cheese in a mixer until smooth.

Cream Cheese while it's being strained

Cream Cheese after its been squeezed dry - At this stage, it must be blended until smooth and creamy

The mistake I made was I didn't blend the cheese in the mixer. Instead I beat the cheese with my hand held mixer for about 5 mins. The cream cheese ended up being grainy. My mom suggested that next time I should first beat it in a blender until smooth and then knead it by hand for about 5 mins until it feels almost soft and doughy.

Another huge mistake I made was, I didn't weigh the cheese. I assumed it would be 250 grams because the recipe said it would yield 250g. I cant believe I made such a rookie mistake. I'm hanging my head down in shame right now.

Now lets get to the actual cheesecake. The recipe originally called for raspberries but I've never been able to find raspberries where I live. I found raspberry conserve once but it was 300 bucks for a 200 gram bottle. A little too steep for an apprentice who doesn't make any money. I made my cheesecake with strawberries instead.. Maybe that was my third mistake... but I've always assumed that raspberries and strawberries were interchangeable. Are they??

For the Marbled Cheesecake, here is the list of ingredients:

For the biscuit base:

• 125g digestive biscuits
• 60g butter
• 30g demerera sugar

For the Cheesecake:

• 3 tbsp cold water
• 15g powdered gelatin
• 500g strawberries
• 250g Cream Cheese
• 150ml Cream
• 2 eggs, separated
• 125 g caster sugar

METHOD:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the biscuits, sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9" springform tin and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the cheese filling
2. Put the water in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Keep it aside for 10 mins to sponge. 
3. Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender and keep it aside.
4. Beat the cheese in a large bowl until soft. Add the cream and the egg yolks and beat until well incorporated.
5. Heat the bowl of gelatin in a water bath until it dissolves. Then mix it thoroughly into the cheese mixture.

Now for the Marbled Filling:

• Using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff. At this stage if you lift the mixer, the egg whites will fall back in a ribbon.
• Now add the sugar one teaspoon at a time and beat until the sugar is incorporated. I use powdered sugar so this process took me only about 5 minutes. If you use granulated sugar, it will probably take longer. This is called a Meringue and it will be stiff i.e. it will hold peaks and glossy.

Look at that beautiful Meringue - perfectly stiff and glossy

• Now fold the cheese mixture into the meringue and mix well. Chill the mixture for about half and hour. It will thicken slightly.
• Fold in the puree, swirling it a little to give the marbled effect. Don't over-do it or you will end up with a lightly shaded cheesecake, which is exactly what happened to me.
• Finally pour the cheesecake mixture over the chilled biscuit base and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• To serve, loosen the side of the cheesecake from the tin using a knife or an offset spatula and slide onto a serving plate.

An Absolute Disaster 

My cheesecake refused to set, even though I freezed it for a half hour. It was wobbly in the centre and unfortunately the edges cracked when I was trying to de-mould it. Mess, mess, total mess. I learnt lots of lessons today. The importance of always measuring ingredients above all else. I think I bit off a little more than I could chew. But I'm the industrious sort, I'm gonna freeze this and turn it into something like a gelato... I guess, my version of a gelato. Lets hope that turn out well.

I saved it by turning it into a Gelato Wannabe