Everyone who has been following the blog for a while knows that I rarely make desserts and I never make cake. There are two reasons for this: 1) I don’t really like sweets, 2) Cake and pastry making is an exact science and seems tedious and boring to me. My family has accepted this and when they get tired of the crumbles, panna cottas and mousses I do make, they make their own cake/cookies/pies.
This is so nerve wracking for me! I lack confidence and am always sure that something will go wrong. I made this cheesecake because Steve, the fishmonger, has been asking me to make it for over a year. I imagine he must have had it somewhere in the U.S. It’s funny, France seems to sell an awful lot of Philadelphia cream cheese. I don’t know what they do with it but it’s in the supermarkets. Anyway. I looked for the easiest, Kraft, old school cheesecake recipe on line and found one that wouldn’t have me jumping through hoops. I’ve never seen graham crackers in France, although they do sell a Dutch cookie called speculoos that is similar but sweeter. I didn’t want to use those, so I just chose a plain, butter cookie called Petit Beurre.
The gariguettes, the Cadillac of French strawberries, are in season and I reasoned that if I screwed the cake up, I would just top it with the gariguettes and Steve would like it 😉
This turned out okay and I’ll probably make one for the family when they arrive. Hit the cheesecake link above for the recipe. The topping is made with about 1 1/2 lbs of strawberries, half made into a compote and the other uncooked half stirred in.
It looks delicious – I’m sure it as a big hit!
I’m surprised that Philadelphia is popular in France now – I couldn’t find it in Paris 20 years ago and used to buy cream cheese from Goldenberg’s wonderful deli in the Marais (sadly now gone).
I was shocked, shocked to find it here but I’ve seen it for a number of years.
I’m surprised that someone French hasn’t created a generic brand, though I’ve no objection to Philadelphia 😉
You can use Kiri as a substitute but it’s not the same.
I suspect that’s a bit sweet and not tart enough.
Not tart enough. Another product of the people who make La Vache Qui Rit.
I’m sure their cheese is intended to be eaten in little pieces by children, who probably have less tart taste buds.
What about St Moret? Before the started stocking Philadelphia here in the south, it was the only cream cheese I could find. I still use it in preference to Philadelphia.
This looks really good, you should do sweets more often 🙂
Thank you fidget, but it’s just not something I enjoy.
Allright, I’ll eat it then – someone has to … ;))
Too late 🙂
Reblogged this on jenniesfoodblog and commented:
What a refreshing Summer dessert or brunch selection.
Re Logged! What a refreshing dessert or brunch item. Thanks.
You are welcome.
I’m the same – am not desperately interetsed in desserts so rarely bother. I do have a very soft spot for cheesecake and they also sell Philadelphia in Spain! Looks gorgeous by the way 🙂
Thank you Chica.
Looks like a damn fine effort to me!
Thank you food is.
I was smiling because I was exploring through your blog and saw several recipes that are drool-worthy, all prefaced that you don’t like to bake! It sure doesn’t seem to hold you back!
The thing I like about cheesecake is there’s lots of room to play with the recipe and it’s all make ahead. It usually serves a lot of people, too, for the effort involved.
I bake under duress 🙂
mmmmmm cheeesecakee (in homer simpson’s voice lol).
gorgeous pictures!
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Love the look of your cheesecake, and I’m very envious of the way it created that perfect rim to hold the strawberries in!! Mine never turns out that way 🙁 I’ll give this one a try, with St Moret or Brousse – but perhaps it is the Philadelphia which makes it turn out so well?
I don’t know. Everyone I know makes cheese cake with Philadelphia or a generic brand. I think once I used Kiri cheese as a cream cheese substitute in West Africa and remember that it was fine but it wasn’t for cheese cake.
Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.