314. Lemon poppy seed cheesecake

August 23, 2013

Happy Raksha Bandhan

My post is a bit late for Raksha Bandhan day but these days in a fast hectic life with all modern technology, late posts are normal. Imagine, the rakhi that should have reached the earliest will probably reached last. The distance to cover was just Mombasa Nairobi. My foreign residing brothers and cousins have all got their rakhis but not my local cousin. As they say snail mail, but according to a BBC report, snails are not as slow as we imagine them to be. They can cover large distances in a short period. Coming back to Raksha Bandhan day, its been ages since I have physically been with my brothers and cousins to tie the rakhis. Perhaps next year. When I was growing up, we all spent a lot of time together as we all lived in Nairobi. Back then the word cousin was rarely used, it was either sisters or brothers. The special bond we all formed then, has remained and though we may not see each other so often, we do have a big family together whenever I am in UK. We did have our fair share of bullying, fights and secrets back then. Now everyone is all grown up with their own families but that special bond still exists and its one huge family that I can count on.
As most of cousins and brothers do not like indian sweets that much, I decided to make a yummy cheesecake for them to drool over when they see the blog. I bet you I will get comments as to when I will go to UK to make it for them or when will I post it etc etc..... but dear brothers print out the recipe and hand it to my sweet bhabhis. If you have been good to them they may just make it for you. On a serious note, Raksha Bandhan day is also a day when we appreciate our dear bhabhis (sister in laws) for being good and loving wives to our brothers. They help to keep the special bond alive and shower equal or sometimes more love on us sisters.

LEMON POPPY SEED CHEESECAKE
Serves 6 to 8

For the base:
100g digestive biscuits
2 tbsp soft butter
1 tbsp black poppy seeds

For the cheesecake:
85g lemon jelly (jello) packet
150ml (⅔cup) hot water
225g (about a cup) cream cheese or curd cheese
150ml (⅔ cup) fresh cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest or peel
1 tbsp black poppy seeds

Topping:
½ tsp lemon zest
1 tsp poppy seeds

6 to 7 inch round loose bottom cake tin

Crush the biscuits in a food processor or by putting them in a ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin. I prefer a coarse texture. Add the poppy seeds and mix well.
Melt the butter and add it to the crumbs. Mix it well.
Spoon the crumb mixture into the tin, spread it out evenly and gently press it down.
Put the tin in the fridge for the base to set.
Heat 150ml of water. Add the jelly crystals to the hot water and stir till it melts. Set it aside till it becomes cool.
Whisk the curd cheese till you get a smooth consistency. Add the cold jelly liquid and lemon juice. Blend it well.
Add the lemon zest and poppy seeds and mix gently.
Beat the cold fresh cream in a separate bowl till it is fluffy. Add it to the curd cheese mixture. Whisk it with a hand blender or a whisk.
Pour the curd cheese mixture gently over the base. Using a spoon or spatula, level it out. Sprinkle with extra grated lemon peel and poppy seeds if you like.
Let it set in the fridge. This will take about 6 to 8 hours.

Tips:

The amount of butter required for the base will depend on the biscuits. This time round I bought the UK digestive biscuits and I required more butter. The local variety takes only 1 tbsp.
As a topping can use whipped fresh cream and serve. Or sprinkle some roasted nuts.
Indian vegetarian jellies do not set well, so don't use that.

Sending the recipe for the following events: