Custard Cheesecake with Ginger Cream

This cake is a wonderful blend of creamy, rich flavours and textures. It combines the richness of a custard dessert with the creaminess of a cheesecake. The gingersnap crust is spicy against the velvety cake, while the ginger cream and currents bring out the orange citrus and vanilla flavours.

A special thank you goes out to the test kitchen at St. Brigid's Centre for the Arts.

Alcohol Pairing: Mort Subite Fruitesse

What you Need:

Crust

1 pkg. (250g) Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese

2 large eggs

1 tbsp. white sugar

11/4 cup cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. orange zest

1/2 tsp. orange rind

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup corn starch

Ginger Cream

1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1 cup whipping cream

2/3 cup white sugar

How to make it happen:

Crust

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Place cookies in a plastic sealable bag and break into pieces using the back of a large spoon.

3.  In a medium sized bowl, combine melted butter with cookie pieces and press mixture firmly into the bottom of a nine inch spring- form pan. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Firmly press cookie mixture into a nine inch spring form pan

  4. Reduce the oven to 325 degrees F and set the crust aside to cool.

Custard Filling

1.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and tablespoon of white sugar together. Add cream, vanilla extract, orange zest and orange rind and mix to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

2. Next, add the Philadelphia Cream Cheese to the mixture and mix on medium speed using a hand blender.

3.  In a separate bowl, mix together a cup of sugar and half a cup of corn starch. Slowly add the sugar and corn starch to the cheese mixture using a hand blender until all the ingredients are combined (medium-low speed). Ensure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared crust pan.

5. In order to ensure the cheesecake bakes evenly and maintains its moisture it must bake in a water bath. Bring a kettle to a boil. Place the cheesecake in a slightly larger pan and fill the space around the cake with boiling water (I find placing the cheesecake in a large frying pan works well). The water should reach the height of the filling. Make sure the water does not spill into the cake.

Ensure the cheesecake evenly bakes in a water bath

6. Bake the cheesecake in a 325 degree oven for one hour.  After one hour, shut the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional thirty minutes.

7. Once the cheesecake is removed from the oven, immediately run a knife around the edges of the spring form pan to avoid cracking.  

Ginger Cream

1.  Peel and grate fresh ginger root into a small bowl. Set aside.

2.  Next, whip the whipping cream using a hand blender on medium-low speed. Combine the finely grated ginger and white sugar into the cream and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

3. Chill in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes before garnishing the cheesecake. Add red or white currents to the top as desired.