BakingJourney: Mango cheesecake bars

This is going to be an experiment for father's day which is on Sunday.
I will use the paneer and curd bought last week after checking the dates.
Recipe for mango cheesecake is from divine taste blog, being made for FondBites Bake Along.
I will be using a 10" square pan for the cheesecake bars.

Mango Cheesecake Recipe

This is a cheesecake which is just about sweet. If you like your desserts sweeter then increase the sugar by about 1/4 cup. You might also have to do this if your mangoes are less sweeter. Use a deep dish 8” round springform pan or any pan with a removable bottom or a 9” regular round pan for this recipe.

Ingredients:

For Crust:

160 gm (1 1/2 cups) digestive biscuits or any other fairly plain sweet biscuits, crushed
100 gm (1/2 cup) butter (preferably salted butter), chopped

For Filling:

160 gm (1 cup) fine sugar or powdered sugar
800 gm (3 cups) thick full cream yogurt
400 gm (2 cups) panir cheese or cottage cheese*
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) water
10 gm (10 tbsp) Chinagrass or Agar Agar or Kanten* (use 15 gm if you want a cheesecake that won’t crumble at all)
2 mangoes (1 cup), peeled, chopped and pureed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Mango Glaze:

1 mango (1/2 cup), peeled, chopped and pureed
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice

Method:

Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth lined colander over a container and allow to drain overnight to get half the quantity ( 400 gm or 1 1/2 cups) thick yogurt.

Prepare the crust:
Place all the biscuits in a sealed plastic bag (Zip loc) and with a rolling pin beat (does it sound violent?) until the biscuits are powdered. This is more easy than it sounds. Once this is done put the biscuits in a large mixing bowl. Put in the butter and with the help of a pastry blender or with your hands rub the butter into the biscuits until the mixture is well mixed. Alternatively, process the biscuits in a food processor until fine, drop in the butter and process again until the mixture is properly blended.

Remove the mixture and press it evenly into the base of an 8” deep round springform pan or any pan with a removable bottom or a 9” regular round pan. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Prepare the filling:

Break the china grass into small pieces and soak in 1 1/2 cups water for about 10 minutes until it becomes soft.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade or blender place the strained yogurt and panir cheese or cottage cheese and process until smooth and creamy. Transfer this to a mixing bowl.

In a sauce pan, heat the mango puree over a medium flame. Do not allow this to boil.

In another saucepan place the chinagrass and water mixture and stir on low heat until it melts completely, about 5 to 6 minutes. Do not allow this to boil.

After the chinagrass melts completely, pour the hot china grass solution into the hotmango puree, stirring all the while.

Slowly add the mango mixture into the yogurt and cheese mixture, stir in the sugar and vanilla extract and beat well with a wire whisk until well blended.

Pour this mixture over the prepared crust, level with a spoon and chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.

For the Mango Glaze:
Place all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. When it begins to boil, reduce the flame and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Allow to come to room temperature and then spread the glaze over the cheesecake with a spoon. Allow the glaze to set over the cheesecake for 2 to 3 hours or more before slicing it. Allow the cheesecake to set for an hour or so before spreading the glaze over it.

* If using cottage cheese make sure the water is completely drained and the cheese is dry to get a perfectly set cheesecake. Try and use panir cheese blended into a puree for this recipe.

*A few notes about cooking with chinagrass or agar agar or kanten.

China grass or Agar Agar or Kanten is a sea weed and completely vegetarian. It gives a smooth, glossy finish and many chefs prefer to use it over gelatin. China grass, if used properly sets easily at room temperature.

1. China grass needs to be broken into pieces and softened by soaking in water for atleast 5 minutes.
2. Heat chinagrass on a low flame for it to melt completely.
3. The dissolved chinagrass liquid should be immediately mixed with another portion of hot mixture. Remember that both the mixing agents need to be hot for the china grass to set properly. If either of them is cold, then the dessert wont set properly.
4. If the china grass solidifies before you add it into another mixture, then reheat until it melts completely and use as required.

Recipe update: After some concerns about the texture of this cheesecake and the varied quality of chinagrass and after considerable thought I have come to the conclusion that it is better to use 15 gm of chinagrass for this recipe to get a a stiff textured cheesecake that won’t crumble.

Beat the remaining half cup whipped cream to stiff peaks and pipe on the cheesecake bars.

Inspiration pictures from Divine Taste and also cheesecake bar pictures from Brown Eyed Baker