Mango Cheesecake

Its been raining here from past one week and the temperature has dropped to around 15 degrees and some days even less, and the worst part is the wind. The cold freezing winds blowing all day long.
We removed the winter clothes, sweaters, pullovers and jackets from the bottom racks... the autumn is here and winter is not very far.
The starting of autumn and winter is very depressing, I miss the sun, the warmth.

So to make us feel better, I baked this cheesecake last weekend. You all must know how much we love mangoes, in this post. So I have mixed my two loves, mangoes and cheesecakes and the result was divine taste.

What you need:

For the Crust:
Graham Cracker Crumbs or any mild sweet cookies : 100 gms
Almonds ground to powder : 75 gms
Sugar : 2 Tbsp
Butter : 3 Tbsp

Cheesecake Batter:
Mascarpone : 250 gms
Sugar : 100 gms
Eggs : 3, at room temperature
Vanilla Extract : 1 tsp
White Chocolate : 100 gms (optional)
Mango Pulp : 250 gms

Mango Gelee:
Mango pulp : 2 cups
Gelatin : 3 sheets
Sugar : 2 Tbsp

1. To prepare the crust: Blend all ingredients together in a food processor and press it onto the bottom of 9" round spring-form pan and bake for about 12 minutes or until slightly brown. Keep aside to cool.
2. Cheesecake will shrink as it cools. Generously greasing the sides of the baking pan before pouring in batter will allow the cake to pull away from the pan as it cools and shrinks instead of pulling apart from the middle.
3. To prepare the cheesecake batter: Whip mascarpone, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth. Make sure that there are no lumps, before you add the eggs.
4. Add the egg, one at a time. Whip well for 1 or 2 mins on medium speed.(Over-beating incorporates additional air and tends to cause cracking on the surface of the cheesecake). Keep the beater aside.
5. Melt the white chocolate(if using) and with a rubber spatula, mix it into the batter.
6. Now, add the mango pulp and mix well.
7. Pour onto the prepared crust.
8. Bake in waterbath(wrap the bottom of your springform pan in aluminum foil and place it in a larger pan with water in it, just halfway up the outside of the springform pan) at 210 degrees C for about 40 minutes(+ or - 10 mins : every oven is different so check in between), or until the edges are set but the center is slightly jiggly when shaken gently.
9. After about 40 minutes, turn your oven off and leave the cheesecake inside the turned off oven for another 30 mins. Cool at room temperature with a plate or cookie sheet inverted over the spring form. (loosen the cake from the edge of the pan by running the tip of a knife between the cake and the side of the pan.)
10. For the Mango gelee: Dissolve sugar in the mango pulp. Soften gelatin in half cup water. Squeeze and add it to 1/2 cup of warm water. Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add it to mango pulp.
11. After the cake has cooled, pour the prepared mango gelee on the top.
12. Refrigerate overnight and serve chilled.

Mom's Tips:
A spring-form pan (with removable side and bottom) is the most preferrable pan for making cheesecakes.
Avoid over-baking. The cheesecake will continue to bake after it is removed from the oven. The center of the cheesecake should be just slightly moist when it is ready to be removed.
Bake the cheesecake in a water bath to keep the oven moisture high and the heat gentle.

Mango Mousse

I love mangoes in any form. Back in India, during Mangoes season there used to be a competition between me, my mom and my grand-mom, about who eats maximum number of mangoes per day. We even used to select the ripe mango before the other got up and hide it in a safe place :-) It all seems so silly when I think of it now, but it is those silly moments I enjoyed the most :-)
When my mom was first diagnosed diabetic, the first question she asked the doctor was, "Can I eat Mangoes?" And the doc answered, of-course you can eat mangoes, one or two pieces per day, or at the maximum 1 per day, and seeing the confused expression on my mom's face he asked how many she ate per day, and she coolly replied around 6 to 8. I can still remember the face of the doctor, with his jaw dropped.
Yeah we used to eat around 6 to 8 and sometimes 10 mangoes per day, skipping lunch and dinner. That is the love we have for this particular fruit.
After coming to Germany I always missed them. The mangoes we get here do not have the taste of the mangoes in India.
Whenever I crave for mangoes I get the canned ones in Indian store. Well, something is better than nothing :-)

Coming to the recipe, I made this when my friends visited us for dinner, and it was a huge hit. Luckily I made extra portions, because most of them ended up having two portions.

What you need :

Mango Pulp : 500 gms ( I used canned, you can even used fresh mangoes)
Egg whites : 4
Cream : 500 ml ( I used 38% fat cream)
Gelatin leaves : 4
Powdered Sugar : 1 cup
Lemon Juice : extracted from 2
Mango pieces and raspberries to decorate

1. If using fresh mangoes, puree the mango cubes in a blender along with sugar and lime juice, or if using canned pulp, mix together mango pulp, sugar and lime juice well. Keep aside.
2. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
3. In another bowl beat cream till soft peaks form and is fluffy.( Before whipping, it is better you put the bowl and cream in freezer for 5 mins)
   
4. Soak gelatin leaves in cold water. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, squeeze gelatin leaves and dissolve them in hot water and add it to the mango mixture.
5. Add cream to the mango mixture and mix gently. Then add egg whites to this and fold till well combined.
6. Pour this into a dish and and refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours. Alternatively you can even spoon the mix into individual cups or glasses and refrigerate.
7. Serve chilled and enjoy !!
   

Verdict :
Utterly Heavenly. It a treat especially for a Mango lover like me.
Make sure you have extra portions, because I can ensure you no one can stop having just one portion. :-)