Sunday, 14 July 2013

Linda Lomelino's No Bake Strawberry cheesecake




I Love the Swedish way of life, always at one with nature and of course thinking practically. Swedes always have a simple solution to everything, whether it is organisation, kitchen gadgets, homewares etc, I always feel like they are one step ahead of us Brits. I remember my mother bringing home a cheese slicer from Sweden when I was just a tot because they simply did not sell them in England, now they are everywhere, I digress, the point I am trying to make is that style and practicality is a trait that comes naturally to Swedes. I love getting inspiration from fellow foodies but I have to admit that I am tough to please, I am always the worst critic, mainly because I am such a perfectionist when it comes to my own food, but sometimes I need to give respect where it is due and without a doubt Linda Lomelino is a true master. Her stunning cakes and desserts almost look too pretty to eat ALMOST! Each recipe she had created looks so effortless but always very chic, the decorations that she uses are always a natural visual enhancer to the concept of her recipes. 
 Incase you are wondering if it is style over substance I can assure you it is not, I first made her "No-bake cheesecake" exactly as the recipe stated, but if you are a regular reader you will know that I am always tweaking recipes but only very slightly, the original recipe called for a traditional cheesecake base of digestives and butter but I decided to use shortbread and substitute butter for White chocolate, strawberries and shortbread are a natural pairing and the white chocolate binds the biscuit crumbs whilst adding sweetness and vanillary goodness to the base. SUCCESS!! I urge you to look her up.
http://call-me-cupcake.blogspot.co.uk/

For the base:
Ingredients:
340g of short bread fingers
100g of green and blacks white chocolate (melted)
1 tsp of vanilla bean paste

For the filling:
400ml of double cream
300g of soft cream cheese
250g of mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
200g of fresh strawberries
190g of caster sugar
1 tbsp of runny honey
the zest of one lime
the juice of two limes

You will need an eight inch spring form cake tin, grease and line the bottom of the tin with greaseproof or baking parchment.
Crush the biscuits until they are crumbs, you can either do this in a food processor or place the biscuits in a plastic bag, tie the top of the bag so that the biscuits do not come out and lightly bash with a rolling pin until fine. 
 Place the biscuit crumbs in a bowl and add the melted chocolate and vanilla, mix well until all the crumbs are coated and then press it into the bottom of the cake tin until you have an even covering.

Next blend the strawberries, lime juice, zest and sugar in a food processor or with a hand blender until fully smooth. In a Large bowl mix the double cream, cream cheese, mascarpone, honey and vanilla in a bowl, whisk until light and fluffy then whisk in the strawberry puree mixture until fully incorporated. 


Pour the filling into the cake tin and place in the freezer for at least five hours or until fully set, remove from the freezer 20-30 minutes before serving. Decorate with seasonal fruits and flowers.


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