Table d’hôte

Me an N we love desserts. Period. We (since, N is pestering me about including him here, I will correct it to I) don’t need a reason to have one. Having said that, I am always looking for guilt-free options to satisfy the cravings of my sweet tooth. So, here is the recipe which I made for N, today being the first valentine’s day that we celebrated together. And the best thing about it, Its a No-Bake, No-Egg, No-fattening-Creamcheese … recipe. Enough of nos, say yes to this cheese cake the next time you feel like having something sweet.
Ingredients:
800 gms – Curd (I used 2 Nestle 400 gms tubs)

Tie the curd in a muslin cloth and allow it to hang with a strainer below it. Leave it this way overnight.
150 gms – Britannia Nutri Choice Classic Lite Cracker (I used about half of a 300 gms pack)
70 gms – Salted Butter
5-7 drops Vanilla essence
1 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp sugar or sweetner
10-12 strawberries
2 tsp gelatin
Strawberry crush – 2 tbsp (optional, use only if your strawberries are tart or sour)

Method:
1.) Crush the crackers coarsely. Add the butter and mix well till the texture resembles sand
2.) Grease the bottom of a spring-form pan well. (If you dont have a spring-form pan, see the note below). Layer the biscuit mixture at the bottom of the pan. Press the layer with a heavy spoon or a steel katori so that almost all the air escapes and you have a firm tight layer at the base. Refrigerate for about 30 mins till its firm and solid
3.) Take half of the hung curd, which will be of a smooth texture by now, in a bowl. Whisk it well, till it is of a slight runny consistency. Add lemon juice and Vanilla essence. Melt 1 tsp of gelatin in 2-3 tbsp of warm water and add to the curd. Whisk this mixture till soft peaks form.
4.) Pour this above the Biscuit layer and form a smooth uniform layer above it. Freeze for about 1-1.5 hours.
5.) Take the rest of the curd and Whisk. Puree the strawberries and add to the curd. Add sugar and strawberry crush if the the strawberries are not very sweet. Melt rest of the gelatin and add to the Mixture. Whisk thoroughly. Pour this above the Vanilla Mixture after the vanilla layer has set properly. Let this set for another 1-1.5 hours.
6.) The Strawberry Vanilla cheesecake is ready to remove from the pan and serve. Garnish with fresh strawberries or strawberry crush or starwberry puree.

Note:1.) I do not have a spring form pan, so I used a normal baking pan and lined it with sturdy aluminum foil. Leave sufficient amount of foil outside the pan. Grease the foil well and when the cake is set, use the foil to lift the whole cake out of the pan carefully. DO this very carefully since a cheesecake is really delicate and melts very fast.
Or else you can set this in individual glasses and serve straight away.
2.) If you want to avoid Gelatin, you can use about 5-10 gms of chinagrass for 1 tsp of gelatin. I have not used chinagrass before so this is just an approx. measure.

Hung Curd/Yogurt takes the place of creamcheese. Good for Him, and even better for his Heart! 😉 😉