Cheesecake

Happy New year!!!! Let's welcome 2013 with lots of hope and dreams to come true.  I very badly, wanted to have cheesecake. I have been overwhelmed many times looking at the cheesecake and not being able to have it because of egg or gelatin in it. I experimented with agar agar and Philadelphia cream cheese here. I have never used agar agar in any way. Since agar agar has a tendency to set even in normal temperature, tried doing all steps and kept my fingers crossed thinking of the results. To my temptation and eagerness the cheesecake turned out so good and had set so nicely.

Surprisingly, the gelatin desserts are passed of as vegetarian. Gelatin is obtained from various animal by-product. If you are so specific use agar agar which is obtained from plant - a natural gelatine.

This is a no-bake cheesecake. If you don't have springform pan, take a normal baking or any pan, line up with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Overhang on all sides. After the cake is set, using the foil lift it up and serve. This is the cool technique that you can have your cheesecake bars as square or rectangle or any shapes.

Ingredients:

• Cream cheese -  3 cups
• Condensed milk - 1 tin or Powdered sugar - 1 cup
• Agar agar - 10 gm or 8 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
• Lemon zest - 1 tsp

 For crust:

• Graham crackers - 1.5 cup, crushed
• Butter - 1/2 cup

Method:

For crust:

Place all the biscuits in ziploc bag, and using a rolling pin powder it. Transfer to mixing bowl. Put butter (room temperature or microwave it) and mix it.

Press in a springform pan evenly. (use any cup to press evenly) and refrigerate it for half an hour or freeze for 15 minutes.

For layer:

Break the agar agar into small pieces and soak in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes. In a saucepan place the agar agar and water mixture and stir on low heat until it melts completely, about 5 to 6 minutes. Do not allow this to boil.

Grate the lemon for zest. Heat a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of water and add the lemon zest. After the agar agar melts completely, pour the hot agar agar solution into the hot lemon zest water, stirring all the while.

In a processor or blender combine cream cheese, condensed milk or sugar and process until smooth and creamy. Gradually add it to the cheese mixture. Stir until blended. Pour this mixture over the crust and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight for best results.

Serve as a plain cheesecake or with blueberry sauce on top.

Blueberry sauce:

Ingredients:

• Blueberry - 1/2 cup, divided
• Blackberry - 1/2 cup, divided
• Cornstarch - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
• Lemon zest - 1 tsp
• Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Method:

Heat a sauce pan, with cornstarch, brown sugar, zest, lemon juice. Whisk together. Add 1/4 cup of both berries, salt and vanilla extract. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add the remaining berries and cook for 2 minutes.

Cool and store in refrigerator for a week.

Note:

• I used honey maid graham crackers, you can use any crackers of your choice.
• Agar Agar also known as china grass helps to set when both the liquids are hot, so make sure both the temperatures are right.
• This is just a plain cheesecake, you can use your imagination to make them with any fruit like mango, strawberry, blueberry,..... Same with sauce you can prepare mango sauce or any fruit with the same method in the place of berries.