serves
12
prep
1:30 hour
cook
45 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
12
people
preparation
1:30
hour
cooking
45
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
Skyr
- 8 cups (2 litres) skim milk (organic preferred)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) skyr, 0% Greek yoghurt or other natural, fat-free yoghurt
- 4 drops vegetable rennet (available at health stores or on-line)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) warm (49°C/120°F) filtered (not tap) water
Blueberry sauce
- 3 cups fresh blueberries, divided
- ½ cup (125 ml) maple syrup
- 2 tsp (10 ml) finely grated lemon zest
- 1½ tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- pinch ground cardamom
Crust
- 1¼ cups (200 g) whole almonds, lightly toasted and cooled
- 1½ cups (200 g) coarsely chopped pitted dates
- 1 cup (100 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp (1 g) ground cardamom
- ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
Cheesecake
- ½ cup (125 ml) skim milk
- 1½ tbsp (12 g) unflavoured gelatine powder or agar agar powder
- 2 cups (500 ml) skyr
- ½ cup (125 ml) maple syrup, divided
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 tsp (10 ml) finely grated lemon zest
- 2 large egg whites
- Fresh berries and mint leaves, to decorate
Standing and draining time: 1 day. Chilling time: 6 hours.
Instructions
1. To make the skyr, pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat up to 90°C (195°F) stirring occasionally (this can take 30-40 minutes – do not rush this and risking scorching the milk). Remove the pot from the heat and let the milk cool to 43°C (110°F) – this takes about 20-30 minutes.
2. Ladle about a cup (250 mL) of the milk into the skyr or yoghurt and whisk, and then add this back to the pot of milk, whisking well. Use an eye dropper to measure the rennet into the warm water, stir and then pour this into the milk, whisking to combine. Pour the milk into a stainless steel or glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit out on the counter for 12 hours.
3. Place a large strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with dampened cheesecloth. Spoon all of the milk curd into the strainer, cover with plastic wrap and chill the skyr for 8-12 hours as it drains. A lot of whey (clear liquid) will drain away, so you may have to change out the draining bowl once or twice (the whey can be saved for smoothies). After draining, the skyr can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
4. For the blueberry sauce, bring 1 ½ cups (375 mL) of the blueberries up to a simmer over medium heat with the maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice and cardamom, stirring often, until the blueberries are tender, about 10 minutes. Purée this mixture, then add the remaining 1 ½ cups (375 mL) of blueberries and stir over medium heat for just a minute (but do not overcook). Strain off ½ cup (125 mL) of the blueberry liquid (not the berries) to use in the filling, and then chill both until ready to use.
5. For the cheesecake crust, pulse the almonds, dates, coconut, cinnamon and cardamom in a food processor until the almonds are quite finely chopped (but they will still be visible and have texture). Add the maple syrup and pulse until the mixture comes together in a ball. Press this into the bottom of a 23 cm (9 inch) greased springform pan that has the sides lined with parchment paper. Chill while preparing the filling.
6. For the filling, place the milk in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin (or agar powder) over and stir in. Let this sit a minute, then heat it on medium and stir until the gelatin has dissolved, about 2 minutes. (If using agar, then heat the milk over medium until it reaches a boil, and then simmer while whisking for a full minute to activate it.) Set the pan aside to cool to room temperature – but the time you complete the other steps, the milk will be cooled.
7. Whisk the skyr, ¼ cup (60 ml) of the maple syrup and the vanilla to smooth it out and, if there are lumps visible, whisk the skyr through a mesh strainer to ensure it is lump-free. Whisk in the reserved ½ cup (125 ml) or strained blueberry sauce and lemon zest and set aside.
8. Place the egg whites and remaining ¼ cup (65 mL) of maple syrup into a metal bowl and place this over a pot of gently simmering water, whisking until the whites are warm and reach a temperature of 160 °F (71 °C) Using electric beaters or pouring the whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the whites on high speed until they hold a stiff peak when the beaters are lifted.
9. Whisk the cooled milk into the skyr and fold in the egg whites in two additions. Pour the filling into the pan and chill, uncovered, for at least 6 hours.
10. When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan and peel away the parchment. Spoon some of the blueberry sauce on top of the cake (save to rest of the sauce to serve on the side) and dot the cheesecake with fresh berries and mint leaves. If making the cheesecake well in advance, avoid putting on the blueberry sauce until within 4-5 hours of serving.
Note
• The cheesecake will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
