This is a lighter version of a classic dessert, perfect for these hot end days of summer. It’s a bit specialized, so let me tell you the equipment you’ll need first.
EQUIPMENT
- silicone cupcake molds of some fanciful variety (flowers, here)
- a baking pan deep enough for 1/2 and inch to one inch of water, plus molds
- a mixer or a food processor
INGREDIENTS
CHEESECAKE:
- 1 block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (yes, use this one at a bare minimum, if not better, the others are inferior)
- 1 cup of low to no fat Greek yogurt
- 1/3 a cup of refined sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- the zest of 1/2 a lemon
THE CRUMBLE
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup of processed sugar
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (cold)
THE COMPOTE
- two peaches, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup of water
THE PROCESS
You’re going to want to give yourself about four hours (though most of that time is inactive) for this whole process, because when you use silicone molds for cheesecake, you’ll have to bake them, freeze them, then pop them out of the molds when fully frozen and defrost them in your refrigerator. So is the pain of a beautiful dessert, I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules.
First, you’ll let your cream cheese come to room temperature. This will make it easier to blend and work with. If you don’t have time, feel free to put it in a food processor and blitz the heck out of it. That’ll teach it! Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Then, add your Greek yogurt and blend or mix again. A note here is that this ingredient is what makes it lower fat, but if you’re not going for that, you can use full-fat sour cream, yogurt, or ricotta here. Some folks also stream in a bit of heavy cream for cheesecake. All up to you, chef!
Blend in your sugar, then your eggs. Vanilla and lemon juice get streamed in at the end. Finally, add your zest.
Fill your deep pan with water and put the cheesecake batter into your molds, which you’ll float in there. This will keep the cheesecake from cracking. Bake around 20 to 25 minutes, or until the custard is firm at the edges and jiggles just a little in the middle. This will let it cool without overcooking when you take it out.
When your cheesecakes are fully cool, throw them in the freezer until they are very firm. Then pop them out and put them on plate in the refrigerator to defrost.
Meanwhile, blitz together the cold butter and dry ingredients for your buckwheat crumble. Crumble in hands into chunks and lay across a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
For the compote, put all your ingredients together in a pot and cook on very low heat until the water and lemon juice are reduced and like a thick syrup. This will pack a huge flavor punch, as the sugars will cook out of your peaches, too.
Plate and serve! Enjoy your summertime dessert!
apocalycious 