Lemongrass Cheesecake
serves 10-12
Combining lemongrass and coconut milk with cheesecake creates a fusion that would be fun to serve after a Pacific Rim meal.
Read more about this recipe in George Geary's The Cheesecake Bible.
Crust:
1 1/4 cups butter cookie crumbs
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and ground
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 packages (each 8 ounces/250 grams) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Decoration:
Whipped cream
1/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut, toasted
prep: 25 minutes
total: 1 hour 20 minutes, plus 2 hours to cool and 6 hours to refrigerate before serving
mixing bowl
cheesecake pan or 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch sides
saucepan
mixer with paddle attachment
wire rack
plastic wrap
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. For the crust: In a bowl, combine cookie crumbs, pecans and butter. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.
3. For the filling: In a saucepan, cook lemongrass and coconut milk over medium heat until milk starts to bubble. Strain milk and discard lemongrass. Set aside.
4. In a mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until very smooth, for 3 minutes. Add whole eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in coconut milk and vanilla.
4. Pour over frozen crust, smoothing out to sides of pan. Bake in preheated oven until top is light brown and center has a slight jiggle to it, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating or serving.
5. For decoration: Ice top of cake with whipped cream or pipe rosettes around the top of the cake, if desired. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
