AVOCADO & STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
Working on the new LaFresca brand website I had to come up with an interesting way to use the avocado pulp in a dessert and here is one I am most proud of. Brought this in to the office the next day and don't think people could really believe it, even the avocado haters had a bit!
Ingredients:
Cheesecake Base
- 150g ginger biscuits
- 50g butter, melted
Avocado cheesecake half
- 3 eggs
- 125g caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
- 400g mascarpone
- 200g avocado pulp
- 50ml double cream
- juice of 1 lime
Strawberry cheesecake half
- 3 eggs
- 125g caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
- 100ml strawberry puree
- 50ml double cream
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 150 degrees.
- Put ginger biscuits into a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb.
- In a small pan, melt the butter over low heat.
- Transfer the biscuit crumb to a mixing bowl and add the butter, combining well.
- Add the biscuit/butter base to a buttered 9inch springform cake tin, pressing down on the mixture. Chill until ready.
- For the avocado half, puree the avocado pulp together with the double cream in a food processor.
- Add the avocado and cream puree to a mixing bowl, gently whisk in the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour, mascarpone and lime juice.
- Whisk the 3 egg whites until light and fluffy, and when the whisk is lifted out the peaks stand up slightly.
- Gradually and gently fold in the egg whites to the avocado mix.
- Remove the base from the fridge and pour on the avocado & egg white mix, filling the tin about a third of the way & place in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for the strawberry half, separate 3 eggs.
- Mix together the yolks with the sugar, cornflour, double cream and strawberry puree.
- Whisk the egg whites as at step 8 and gently fold in to the strawberry yolk mix.
- Remove the tin with the avocado half from the oven and very gently pour the strawberry mix on top of the avocado, leaving room for the cheesecake to rise.
- Cook for about 90 minutes in the middle of the pre-heated oven. After 90 minutes, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake to cool.
- Refrigerate until serving.
Tips Two serving suggestions:
Vodka poached strawberry with vodka-strawberry sauce & whipped cream quenelle:
- Poach strawberries in 100ml vodka, 100ml water, 200g sugar for 5 minutes
- Remove strawberries to cool (they should be a lot softer)
- Gently boil the remaining liquid until preferred sauce consistency
- Hand whip 50ml double cream with 10g sugar until light and fluffy, and mould between two spoons into quenelle shape
- Serve cheesecake slice with strawberry on top, drizzled with the strawberry sauce and cream quenelle on side (as pictured)
Balsamic strawberries with balsamic glaze:
- Repeat the above method, replacing the vodka for balsamic vinegar
- Serve with balsamic poached strawberry on top of cheesecake slice, with a drizzle of Balsamic Syrup
