A Bra Full Of Handkerchiefs & A Tummy Full Of Cheesecake (Cakes)

Member Name: Sexy Kay

Product:	Cakes
Date:	03/05/02 (733 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty

Disadvantages: Cooking

Knobbly knees, skinny legs, handkerchief enhanced bra, best clobber and off on the bus I'd go, with my friend Sue, to one of the nearby shopping centres. What could be more perfect for a Saturday? You know: trying on clothes you don't have the money to buy, giggling about the boys you see and generally just hanging about to see what happens. But best of all a window seat in the cafe, with coffee and cheesecake and watching the world walk by - hoping the world would also see us. So it was expensive, so I was now skint, but so what. This was pure sophistication as far as I was concerned, a bit posh even. I would manipulate the cheesecake with a delicate fork, little dinky in the air when slurping the coffee and dabbing my mouth with a serviette - sorry napkin - even when it wasn't necessary.

Happy days and this was just last week! Well it doesn't really seem that long ago since I was fourteen, even though a heck of a lot has happened since. I've filled out now, the knees are fine and I no longer need the help of handkerchiefs for padding. But I still like cheesecake!

I sometimes wonder who thought of using strange things like cheese, and also carrots, in cakes. Have there been many failures in the past as someone tried to make cabbage croissants or beetroot biscuits, perhaps?

Right, back to the subject, it seems that cheesecakes are a fairly recent concoction and originated from the traditional Yorkshire Cheescake. This was made from a local curd cheese, eggs and lemon and then baked in a pastry case. Nowadays there is a huge range of different sorts, there must be millions of variations - a lot anyway. But, before I move on, I'll give you an up to date version of the Yorkshire Cheesecake, so here goes ...

•Yorkshire Cheescake

You'll need:

3oz (75g) currants
8oz (225g) cottage cheese, sieved
half pint (300ml) soured cream
2oz (50g) castor sugar
2 egg
s
1 egg white
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
and
some shortcrust pastry which has been chilled for 30 minutes - I'm sure you'll have your own version of this.

What to do:

Roll out your pastry to line a 10 inch flan dish or tin. Give the base a good pricking and chill same.

Once chilled (brrrr) scatter your currants carefully over the pastry base. Mix together the cottage cheese, soured cream, sugar, eggs, egg white and lemon rind until blended beautifully. Now pour into the pastry case.

Bung this in an oven, at 425F (Gas 7), for ten minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325F (Gas 3) for 20 minutes or until the cheesecake is firm. Serve cold.

So there you go!

Those of you paying proper attention will notice that the above cheesecake went into the oven. Yes? There are, however, also two other ways of making cheesecakes. You can set them with gelatine (or veggie equivalent) or chill them to make them go firm - mmmm, there's an interesting thought.

Now personally I prefer the baked sort as they tend to be richer and heavier, a bit rougher in texture and something more substantial to get your teeth into. Here's one I like. It hasn't a name but, as I learnt it from my mum, with great originality I'll call it ...

•Kay's Mum's Cheesecake

You'll need:

4oz (100g) digestive biscuits
half teaspoon cinnamon
1.5oz (38g) butter (melted)
12oz (350g) cottage cheese
Yolks & whites of three eggs
4oz (100g) (castor sugar)
2 tablespoons custard powder (or cornflour)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 tablespoons double cream

What to do:

Crush those suggestive digestives and mix with the cinnamon and melted butter. Use this mixture to cover a 6 inch, loose bottomed, buttered round cake tin - which isn't easy to say (or even write) after a glass of wine.

Okay,
now rub your cottage cheese sensuously through a sieve. To this add the egg yolks, 3oz (75g) of sugar, custard powder, lemon peel and double cream - mix it all well.

Take the naughty egg whites and beat them until they are stiff, like snow. Fold in the rest of the sugar, ooh gently does it. Now fold this lot into the cheese mixture with a large metal spoon. Pour into your cake tin - on top of the delighted biscuit mix - add a sprinkling of love - ding!

Bake in the centre of a cool oven, say 300F (Gas 2) for about one hour. Then turn off the heat, open the oven door, enjoy a blast of warmth, and leave the cake to stand in the oven for a further 30 minutes. Gently remove from the tin when cold. You can then top with your choice of fruit if so desired. The favourite seems to be blackcurrant, but live dangerously! Cherry is quite succulent.

So there you go again!

One of the good things about cheesecakes is that they all freeze very well. If I'm in the mood I knock out a couple and pop one away for another time. I find they are best frozen uncovered and without the topping. Once nice and hard they can be wrapped and sealed until temptation calls. A baked cheesecake takes about 3-4 hours at room temperature to thaw (the other types 2-3 hours, my boyfriend 3 minutes) or they can be left in a fridge overnight. I plonk the topping on just prior to serving.

If you have the urge to make several, perhaps cheesecakes that don't need baking are easier. And here is such a recipe ...

•Banana Cheesecake

You'll need:

3oz (75g) butter
8oz (225g) gingernuts
8oz (225g) cottage cheese, sieved
5 fl oz (150ml) orange yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 mashed bananas
juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons gelatine (or equivalent)
4 taplespoons hot water
quarter pint (150ml) double cream, whipped

What to do:

This is easy peasy - the bottom or b
ase first. Melt the butter and mix with the gingernuts. Press this into an 8 inch fluted flan ring which is sitting comfortably on a greased baking tray - chill until firm.

Mix the cottage cheese, yogurt, honey, bananas and lemon juice. Dissolve the gelatine (yuk!!), or similar, in the hot water and allow to cool - stir into the cottage cheese mixture. Pour this lot into the flan case and leave to set.

Decorate with the whipped cream - serve chilled.

So there you go for a third time. Which can't be bad for one evening!

There are so many variations of cheesecakes and, as in life, bottoms don't have to be all the same. Try mixing a few squares of melted chocolate into the standard scrunched up biscuits and melted butter or mix melted butter, sugar and golden syrup with roasted chopped hazelnuts and some puffed rice cereal for a bit of a crunch taste. Another one is flour, butter and sugar rubbed together until like breadcrums - then knead together and roll this shortbread style mixture to line the base. Spread with black cherry jam and then put your choice of cheesecake mixture on top. And then there is ...

No - I'd better call it a day, otherwise someone might start to imagine that I'm domesticated and can actually cook. As you may have read elsewhere, I did once use salt instead of sugar in a cheesecake! Actually, I'd rather really just slope off to some nice coffee shop that also serves cheesecake ready made. Much nicer to sit, relax and enjoy without all the hassle - so uplifting, and all without the aid of handkerchiefs!

;- Kay

Summary: