Sweet Tropical Temptation: Passion Fruit Cheesecake





When it comes to cheesecake their are two fan clubs in our family:
The "purists" led by my husband and the "real fruit topping" fans. So I often do half of the cake with topping and the other half without. Declaredly my kitchen resembles a bit the free market- it all depends on supply and demand :)
The Passion fruit topping cheesecake even convinced the purists because the delicate flavor of the fruit combines very well with the creamy cheesecake filling and is not overwhelming. As for the presentation the Passion fruit gives a wonderful brightness to the pale color of the cheesecake.
A crumbly oatmeal cookie crust adds crunchiness to the silky texture of the filling.
When I'm in Austria, I prepare the local version of  this dessert, "Topfentorte" which is prepared with Topfen or Quark as it is called in Germany. It's lighter and has a very subtle flavor.
As we are planning to spent the next months until after Christmas in Vienna, I will post the Austrian version of this cheesecake soon.
Now I'm off, there are still so many things to do until traveling, time is short and my to do list seems to grow mysteriously every day.

For the cheesecake you need:

3 1/2 P. soft cream cheese ( best at room temperature)
1/2 cup Greek joghurt
1cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 spoonful freshly pressed lime juice
1 spoonful lemon zest
3 cups coarsely crushed oatmeal cookies ( about 250g )
1/2 cup melted , unsalted butter

Method:
Pulse cookies in the food processor or put them in a plastic food bag and crush with a rolling pin to chunky crumbs.

Mix with the warm, melted butter.

Press mixture into bottom of the springform, until evenly covered.

Chill until set (about 1/2 hour).

Method for the cheesecake filling:
Whisk the cream cheese and Greek jogurt with a
hand mixer until soft and creamy.

Add sugar, lime juice and lime zest, mix well.

Add the eggs, mixing well until all ingredients
have blended in well.

Pour over the Cookie mixture

Smooth the surface and bake in preheated oven at 220 C about 45 minutes or until just set in the center. (When a wooden tooth pick stays clean.)
Turn the oven off. Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door slightly open until completely cooled down to prevent cracking.
Uups, I forgot about this part, so my cheesecake cracked a bit :(

For the Passion fruit topping you need:
11/2 cup fresh passion fruit pulp ( or frozen Passion fruit pulp)
4 spoonful water
1 tablespoon cornflour
1/2 cup of granulated sugar           

Method:
Put the Passion fruit pulp in a medium sauce pan, add sugar (the amount of sugar may vary depending if you use fresh fruit or frozen pulp)

Add sugar and mix well.

Combine cornflour and water in a small bowl. Add to the Passion fruit mixture.

Cook over medium heat, stirring 2-3 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens.

Let cool down.
Pour over cheesecake and place in fridge until set.

Enjoy!

See you next week.

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(Nearly) Guilt- Free Pleasure : Apple-Grape Streusel

Desserts and guilt- free are words that do not always go  hand in hand.

Most of the luscious, wonderful desserts I like unfortunately are loaded with cream, chocolate and sugar .

So I started to experiment a bit,  trying to prepare a sweet treat that has more fresh  fruits and less dough and white sugar and still tastes great.

The result was quite a hit among our friends and the gals loved it for tea time!

For the Apple Grape Streusel you need:

1kg (2.2lb)  apples, peeled, cores removed

½ kg (17.6 oz.) red grapes , halved and seeds removed.

2 spoonful lemon juice, freshly squeezed

For the Streusel:

190g (6 oz.) flour
190g (6 oz.) ground almonds
200g (6.4 oz.)  caster sugar
225g (7oz.) butter
1/2 spoonful cinnamon

Preparation:

Halve apples and cut them  in thin slices.

Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Wash grapes carefully, halve and remove seeds.

Combine apple slices and grape halves.

Mix flour, almonds, sugar and cinnamon

Melt the  butter and with the help of 2 forks add bit by bit to the flour-almond-sugar mixture.

The mixture should be crumbly.

Grease a rectangular Pyrex  and add the apple grape combination.

Top with the crumble.

Preheat oven at  200C° (380F)

Bake for about 1/2 hour or until slightly golden brown.

Let cool down and sprinkle with a bit of icing sugar before serving.

Serves 12- 14.

Enjoy!  See you next Tuesday!

The result of a nightly excursion to the fridge :)

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Sweet Rice Soufflé With Strawberry Sauce

Sweet treat from Austria : Rice Souffle with Strawberry Sauce

This is a classic of the renowned Austrian Patisserie.

 Austrians love candies as much as the love music, so tradition and the cuisine, especially the sweets, are part of our culture and history.

Even though not as famous as the Sacher Torte, the sweet rice soufflé has made a remarkable career among  the ones with a sweet tooth.

It is also another one of my son´s, the biggest sweet tooth in our family, favorites.

It takes a bit of patience to prepare, but you will see that you will be well rewarded.

You need:

250 g (8.8 oz.) short-grain rice

1 l milk

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest* (I used lime because I can't find lemon over here, but the taste is more delicate using lemon)

1 teaspoon butter (for the milk)

1/4 cup sugar   (for the milk)

100g (3.5 oz.) butter

150g (5.2 oz.)sugar

3 eggs

A pinch of salt

For the apple filling:

¾ kg apples, peeled and sliced

1 spoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup sugar

Cinnamon

For the strawberry sauce:

4 cups ripe, fresh strawberries

3/4 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

 Preparation:

Strawberry sauce:

Mix strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in blender until creamy.

Rice Soufflé :

Peel and thinly slice the apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Pre cook the rice for 3 minutes in abundant, boiling water.

Drain and rinse with cold water.

Set aside.

Add sugar, the teaspoon of butter and lemon zest to the milk and bring to a  boil.

Add the rice and  cook  at low heat, stirring from time to time for about 10 to 15 minutes or until rice gets soft and creamy.

Set aside and let cool down.

Grease a large, rectangular casserole.

Beat butter (at room temperature) and sugar until creamy then add the yolks one by one

 Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Add the lemon zest and incorporate to the rice mixture.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.

Gently combine 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into rice mixture, and then add carefully the remaining egg whites.

Spoon half of the rice mixture into a casserole.

Cover with the apples.

Spread the remaining rice mixture until covered.

Bake at medium heat  (220 C) for about 45 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Let cool down, then cut into small squares or, with a ring mold, into small, round cakes.

Serves 12.   Enjoy!

See you next Tuesday.

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La dolce vita at its best: Tiramisu

La dolce vita at its best: Tiramisu in a glass

There are many versions of  this Italian classic and many families like to add their personal touch to the preparation of Tiramisu.

This dessert comes originally from the northern Italian region of Veneto but  it became soon very popular in and outside Italy's borders.

Tiramisu is an easy and elegant dessert and can be served  as a  big non bake cake or in individual portions.

I prefer to serve it in small portions, presented in a glass because I think it simply looks prettier that way.

To prepare Tiramisu you need:

250 g (8oz ) of Mascarpone

1 spoonful of thickened cream, lightly whipped

2 egg yolks

2 spoonful of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1/8 of cold espresso (or strong black coffee)

2 EL of Amaretto or another almond liqueur     

100-150 g (4.8 oz ) of sponge fingers

2 spoonful cocoa for dusting

1 cup fresh raspberries and some mint leaves for decoration

Preparation:

Pour coffee and Amaretto in a pot and set aside.

Beat egg yolks, sugar ,Mascarpone and lemon zest with an electric beater until thick and creamy.

Add the whipped cream, combine gently with the other ingredients.

Place sponge fingers in a large dish and brush generously with the espresso Amaretto mix, until  soaked.

Break sponge fingers into smaller pieces, fit them into a martini glass, pressing down gently.

Cover the layer generously with the Mascarpone mixture.

Repeat layers once.

Dust with Cocoa, top with fresh raspberries and a mint leave.

Serves 4
Enjoy!

See you next Tuesday  :)

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