Strawberry Cheesecake

Yay! Finally got on with my post for January 2013! 

Hope the new year has started on a good note folks :)

December is typically such a crazy, hectic month of celebration, eating out and entertaining....for me, this spirit has carried on to January 2013.

A weekend dinner party I hosted for a dear friend gave me the opportunity to try my hand at a 'proper' cheesecake. And mind you, it was a gelatin free egg less one at that.

With strawberries aplenty these days, and before the season is through, I decided to make a strawberry dessert.

Ingredients:

2 packets digestive biscuits (I used Marie)

2 cups grated cottage cheese (paneer)

1 cup cream cheese (I used Britannia Cream Cheese)

1/2 cup condensed milk

2 table spoons cooking butter

6 to 8 fresh hulled strawberries for blending

20 strawberries sliced for decoration

strawberry syrup for topping

For the biscuit base:

Crush the biscuits in the mixer until it forms a coarse powder. Melt the butter and mix it with the biscuit powder. Grease a spring-form pan or a baking tray and press down the crumbs firmly to form a 1 inch base. Refrigerate.

For the filling:

Combine the grated cottage cheese, cream cheese and condensed milk in a blender and pulse for a few seconds. Add the hulled strawberries and pulse again until it forms a smooth and creamy mixture.

Pour this strawberry cheese mixture on to the biscuit base and bake at 180 degrees centigrade for about 30 minutes. Baking temperature may vary depending on the oven, however you know the cheesecake is done when the strawberry cream bubbles up. Allow to cool completely. Decorate with fresh cut strawberries and refrigerate for about 4 hours. Serve with a dollop of strawberry sauce.