Orange Cheese Cake

When I first saw Michel Roux’s Pastry book at my friend’s house, my eyes caught on this recipe immediately. Few weeks later finally I got the excuse to make it for my dinner guest.

Orange Cheese Cake

Ingredients

for the Pastry

  • 125g Plain Flour
  • 100g Unsalted Butter
  • 50g Icing Sugar
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • Pinch of Salt

for the filling

  • 4 Oranges
  • 350g Fromage  Frais or Cream Cheese
  • 350g Curd Cheese
  • 150g Soured Cream
  • 175g Caster Sugar
  • 4 Eggs

for the glaze

  • Barely warmed Orange Marmalade
  • Candied Orange Peel Sticks (optional)
  • Preparation time: 40 minute
  • Cooking time: 90 minute
  • Serves: 8 person

 

The original recipe has a double amount of ingredients for the dough, but we only need around 280g of it so I’ve adjusted the amount respectively.

For making the sable pastry base put a bit of  flour in a mixing bowl and make a well. Add butter cubes, icing sugar and salt, cream with the egg yolk and work them in delicately with your fingertips. For the pros, do it on the work surface as mentioned in the book.

Gradually add the flour into the mixture, and keep working them delicately with your fingers until you have even dough.

Take the dough out and by using the palm of your hand, push the dough away from you a few times until it is completely smooth. Roll it into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate until ready to use.

Roll out the pastry to a round, 3mm thick. Although the recipes says use a 4cm deep flan dish (which I don’t have), I’ve used a 20cm diameter spring cake tin instead. Chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

“Preheat the oven to 170C°. Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork. Line the inside of pastry case with greaseproof paper and evenly fill with baking beans to hold the pastry down. Bake the case in the oven (this is called baking blind) for 30 minutes. Take the pastry out of the oven, remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool. Lower the oven setting to 140C°.”

For the filling, finely grate the zest from the oranges (don’t use jaffa oranges), then squeeze the juice and strain it through a fine sieve. Set aside. Mix thoroughly the soft cheeses, soured cream and sugar in a large bowl with a spatula.

“In another bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, then delicately fold them into the cheese mixture with a spatula. Add the orange zest and juice and mix with the spatula until evenly combined.”

I was pretty clumsy and managed to knock over my squeezed juice, so I had to cheat and topping up with some extra Tropicana juice.

“Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake in the low oven for 1½ hours.” Check that the cheesecake is cooked with a skewer or knife inserted into the centre; it should come out clean. Leave for about 20 minutes before removing the cake/flan ring. “Let the pastry cool completely, then place in the least cool part of your fridge until you are ready to serve.”

For the glaze I got hold of a jar of honey-whisky orange marmalade. It’s turned out to be quiet strong flavoured. So for my second attempt of this cake I’ve mixed it with a more sour type of marmalade.

To serve, carefully spread an even layer of marmalade over the surface of the cheesecake. Wait until the glaze set before you attempt to cut it. Michel Roux recommends to serve it with confit orange peel sticks, drizzled with a little of their syrup on the side.

Adapted from Michel Roux – Pastry: Savoury and Sweet

Recept Magyarul

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