Say cheesecake!

When a photographer wants to make his subject smile for the camera, he tells him to say "Cheese." May I suggest that he say "Cheesecake" instead, and a photographer is sure to catch his subject breaking out in a shamelessly wicked grin. I may not be a professional lesman, but I am pretty sure that a foodie will lick his lips and smile with glee at the sound of… "Cheesecake."

Yup! Cheesecake ranks right up there along with the native bibingka and suman as one of the country’s all-time favorite desserts. This indulgence is on the menu of any well-known bakery, coffee shop or fine dining restaurant within the metro. A melt-in-your-mouth slice of cheesecake is the perfect ending to a full-course meal or a decadent afternoon treat served with a cup of mocha java and stimulating talk among girlfriends.

Astonishingly, for such a contemporary bistro favorite, the cheesecake actually hails from days of old. In fact, it is one of the earliest of all baked desserts. The moment man learned to transform milk into cheese curds was the moment the cheesecake came into creation.

The cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece. History records a mention of cheesecake being served to athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C.

However, cheesemaking goes back as far as 2000 B.C. with anthropologists discovering cheese molds dating back to this period. The Romans later spread the art of cheesemaking from Greece to the rest of Europe. Centuries later, the cheesecake appeared in America from recipes brought over by immigrants.

The modern day version of the cheesecake – a pastry with a biscuit crumb base and a creamy topping – was perfected by the Americans, who created this culinary creation and made the New York cheesecake a classic. In 1872, American dairymen, who were trying to recreate the French Neufchatel cheese, invented cream cheese instead.

Most people assume that the cheesecake was christened as such and not as cheese pie because it is usually made with a biscuit and not a pastry base. The name cheesecake also implies sweetness and not the savory tang most would find in a cheese pie.

There are now a hundred and one ways of preparing this sweet indulgence, depending on one’s taste, preference and lifestyle – from purist plain to decadently rich and creamy, from organic to sugar-free, and even dairy-free for the health conscious.

Of course, it goes without saying that cheese is the common denominator in all cheesecakes, with choices ranging from cream cheese, ricotta, mascarpone, yogurt and other various combinations.

How about kesong puti for that native flavor? It has been done with great success, and even with the tangy taste of guava as a fab topping for a truly Pinoy twist.

The variety of topping that can be used on a cheesecake is as many as one’s imagination can think of. It can be a decadent topping of fruits and ganaches, layers of mousse, a sprinkling of chopped candy bars or even cream mixtures. In fact, such versatility has caused this sweet treat to consistently top Gourmet Magazine’s annual survey of favorite desserts, with crème brulée and fruits trailing behind it.

Yes, you, too, can create the perfect cheesecake! Here are some valuable hints and tips to help you along.

Cheese: Unless the recipe provides for alternative ingredients, use the cheese prescribed in the recipe because soft cheeses have different moisture and fat contents and are not interchangeable. Using the wrong type of cheese may result in a cheesecake that separates or sinks.

To soften cream cheese in the microwave: Place an unwrapped 8-oz. cheese in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 15 seconds. Add 15 seconds for each additional bar of cheese.

Mix filling only until it is combined. Don’t overmix. Use a springform pan, so the sides can be removed easily.

Butter the sides of the pan or run a metal spatula around the edges immediately after removing the cheesecake from the oven.

Cooling: Cheesecakes should be cooled slowly before refrigeration, ideally for an hour on a wire rack, away from drafts or preferably in the oven with the heat switched off and the door ajar. A cheesecake that is cooled too quickly may develop a crack across the top.

Cheesecakes need about four hours of refrigeration to ensure it reaches the desired firmness. They taste best when brought to room temperature. This takes about 30 minutes.

Garnishing a cheesecake should only be done within one to three hours of serving.

A securely wrapped cheesecake can be kept for up to two months in the freezer. (Does that ever happen, I wonder. I don’t think a cheesecake would last a day in our ref… Certainly, not with me around the house!) Thaw frozen cheesecakes overnight in the refrigerator.

Food trends may change, but cheesecakes will never go out of style – silky-smooth and velvety. A slice of cheesecake caresses and leaves me feeling warm and contented. Where others find solace in long hours of meditation, searching for inner peace, I find instant bliss in a slice of this decadent temptation… even if it means spending hours sweating out in a gym afterwards. The experience is well worth it.

I’d like to share one of my favorite cheesecake recipes, which is of Japanese origin. This cheesecake is very light and can be topped with your desired topping because it is not so sweet.

Japanese Cheesecake
250 g. softened Magnolia Cream cheese
1 cup fresh milk
87.5 g. all-purpose flour
90 g Magnolia Gold butter, melted
8 egg yolks
1-1/4 cups egg whites
112.5 g. sugar

Put cream cheese and milk in the mixing bowl.

Boil water in a stainless steel pan. Before the water starts to boil, put the mixing bowl on top of the stainless steel pan. Leave it to cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the mixing bowl from the stainless steel pan, then put the cheese mixture in the mixer. Stir at low speed.

Add butter, egg yolks and flour and beat for 1 minute at low speed. Stir until smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and sugar until smooth, glossy and thick.

Fold the cheese mixture into the egg whites, manually folding with a spatula, turning clockwise (in one direction only) until it becomes sticky.

Pour into an 8- or 9-inch springform or cheesecake pan. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for about 50 to 60 minutes.