Black Forest Cheesecake

Summer — Chapter Two.

The Black Forest was trying on different costumes for Halloween, from crepe cake to cupcakes. She wasn’t quite sure about the mood she was going for; all she knew was that she wanted something new this year. So when she discussed it with the Cherry during their usual chocolate rendezvous, her friend told her that it was simply too hot to wear anything other than a Cheesecake.

Cheesecake it is.

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The Actors

For the crust:

• 180 g crackers
• 10 g cacao
• a pinch of salt
• 70g melted butter

For cherry purée:

• 300g cherries
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp cornstarch

• 550g cream cheese
• 220 ml heavy cream
• Vanilla extract
• 100 g sugar
• Dark chocolate

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The Story

The first scene is the Crust, who takes the lead: we crush the cookies and mix them with melted butter, cacao powder and a generous pinch of salt to have that agreeable salty aftertaste, then we press the mixture firmly (with a glass) into the base of a springform pan (I used a 20cm pan). Put into the freezer while we prepare the rest.

Now it is cherry purée time to shine: In a small saucepan, we simmer the cherries (fresh or frozen) with the sugar and the lemon juice over medium heat. Off the heat, mix the cornstarch with the water and add it to the purée. Let it cook for one more minute, then remove it from the heat. At this point, it should be thickened. You can blend the mixture or leave it as it is, then let it cool completely. Now the cream wants the spotlight : We whip the cold heavy cream first, and set it aside. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.

Now we combine both; we fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture slowly, delicately, to keep the mixture light and airy. Finally, we pour the filling over the chilled crust and smooth it out with a spatula, then chill it overnight or for several hours so it has time to set.

In the finale, we decorate the black forest with the purée anddes copeaux de chocolat, and she is ready to enjoy.

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The Curtain Call

The perfect dessert that goes well with a cup of coffee or tea, for a tasty summer afternoon.

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Epilogue