Blackcurrant Mascarpone Cheesecake Food

MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan., In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cheeses, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer., Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Before serving, prepare topping mix according to package directions. Garnish cheesecake with whipped topping; drizzle with caramel. Refrigerate leftovers.

BLACKCURRANT CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Put the topping ingredients into a pan and heat gently until syrupy. Leave to cool.
• Whizz the biscuits in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter and then press into the base of the cake tin and smooth with a back of a spoon. Chill in the fridge.
• For the filling, melt the chocolate over a pan of barely simmering water, then leave to cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, beat together the mascarpone, cream cheese, double cream until smooth. Whisk in the chocolate until thick.
• Briefly fold half of the blackcurrant topping into the cream cheese mixture so it makes a ripple effect, but doesn't turn it purple. Spoon into the cake tin and chill in the fridge until set.
• Transfer to cake stand and spoon over the remaining blackcurrant topping allowing the juice to drizzle over the whole cheesecake.

BLACKCURRANT MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Melt the butter and sugar in a pan over gentle heat then take off the heat and stir-in the biscuit curmbs. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a greased loose-bottomed 20cm cake tin. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours.
• Remove the vanilla seeds: Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways, leaving the tip intact, so that the two halves are still joined. Holding onto the tip of the pod, scrape out the seeds using the back of a kitchen knife.
• Make the filling: Place the soft cheese, sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix.
• Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
• Carefully lift from the tin and set on a work top. Pipe the whipped cream as a border around the edge of the top of the cheesecake then fill the centre with the stewed blackcurrants. Chill in the fridge for about 3 hours and serve.
• To stew blackcurrants: use 250 gms blackcurrants (tinned, frozen or fresh) add 3 Tbs water and 3 Tbs sugar, bring to the boil and then simmer until the currants burst and then reduce down slightly to get rid of most of the liquid.

MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE WITH ALMOND CRUST

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the almonds, cracker crumbs, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• For the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
• Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold). Transfer the cake to a rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
• For the topping: Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until warm, stirring every 20 seconds to blend, about 1 minute.
• Cut the cake into wedges. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the wedges and serve.