Cheesecake done light

Cheesecake used to be my fave dessert during the times that I was not a dessert fan at all ( a separate post perhaps on that). I love fruits and I love cheese so a strawberry cheesecake eaten for the first time, where else but in New York was heavenly. The super creamy texture of the cake along with the tartness of the berry topping is some thing to die for.

This was the first time I was baking a  cheesecake and was sure that I couldn't go in for a whole full blown 9 inch dish full of calorie laden goodness, hence this lighter version adapted from Donna hays lemon cheese cake.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 80g cold butter, chopped
• 2 egg yolks
• Softened butter, for greasing

  Mascarpone topping

• 2 cups (500g) mascarpone
• ⅓ cup (75g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Blue berry topping as per preference

  Preheat oven to 160ºC (320ºF). Place the flour, baking powder, sugar,and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the egg yolks and process until well combined. Press into the base of a 9 in round cake tin lightly greased with butter and bake for 20–25 minutes or until light golden and firm to the touch.
  To make the mascarpone topping, place the mascarpone, sugar, egg, flour, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor and process until just smooth. Spoon onto the base and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the edges are golden and the middle is just set. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Slice and serve with blueberry topping.

Product review - Bliss gourmet bread

I love sandwiches and my husband even more. My lunchweek has atleast one sandwich day much to the surprise of some of my colleagues who think that sandwiches can only be snacks and not a meal. My ideal sandwich would be one with fresh veggies and cold cut meat on a hearty submarine bread with a hint of cheese
But finding a good sandwich bread/ submarine/ baguette in india is pretty hard so I resort to grilled sandwiches on whole wheat toast.

On a recent trip to the supermarket I saw these elaborately packed delicious looking breads neatly stacked calling out to be picked up. Conjuring up images of a delectable bruchetta for dinner or a hearty sandwich for lunch, I picked up the garlic bread which claimed to be hand made, organic and preservative free, hoping for atleast a half decent loaf.

Boy was I disappointed, I wish they had paid attention to the taste and texture as much as they did to the packaging. The bread was dense and heavy, with the garlic flavour just limited to the crust. I had it with soup and it was just about palatable. I made the mistake of making a sandwich out of the remaining bread only to repent later.

Bliss is a local foods brand which is known for it's chocolates and has forayed into gourmet breads and baked goodies. Most bangaloreans may have seen the bliss lounge in UB city. I personally do not find their chocolates to be anything extraordinary. Bliss seems like a confused brand that does not know where it stands as its product clearly lacks the the fine taste required to be a gourmet food, yet with it's stylish packaging it aims to be just that.

I'm definitely not picking up any of these anytime in the future. Till I find a better bread or learn to bake my own its the local 'daily bread' or 'modern bread' for me.