It’s been 16 years since I started cooking. One of the main reasons why I took to cooking was to make things the way I wanted to.
I liked the idea of playing with different flavours and giving it a homely touch. I wanted the dishes to be my own creation.
I was barely 10 years old when I cooked for the first time. And it was a complete mess!
I always saw my mother prepare roti and use ghee to make them. The experimentor that I was, I ended up using a lot of oil and burnt my feet!
But that didn’t stop me from entering the kitchen again. Cooking became a regular activity since then.
My grandfather is my biggest inspiration. I loved everything that he used to prepare.
I enjoy cooking with simple ingredients. Using fresh vegetables with very little butter or just olive oil, some amount of salt and pepper is my go-to.
I also love making desserts and cheesecakes. But I know that everyone cannot consume cream cheese, so I decided to make a yoghurt version of it.
It took a lot of trial and error to perfect it though.
While it tastes great by itself, it pairs well with a glass of wine, mocktails or whiskey.
Chef Shyam Prasad Pandey, Executive chef of Uru Brewpark, JP Nagar
Greek Yoghurt Cheesecake
Ingredients for the mixer
Low-fat Greek yoghurt: 525 gm
Refined Flour: 50 gm
Custard Sugar: 250 gm
Lemon Zest: 1 no
Egg: 6 nos
Vanilla essence: 8 ml
Ingredients for the sweet crust base
Butter: 50 gm
Refined flour: 200 gm
Custard sugar: 50 gm
For the topping
Strawberry compote and fresh mint leaves, or just mixed berries compote.
Method
Prepare the sweet crust base:
Mix all the ingredients mentioned and prepare the base.
Add an even layer along the bottom and one inch up all sides.
Bake this for 8 minutes, until
the crust is lightly golden and fragrant.
Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the spring form pan to a wire rack, and let the pan cool to room temperature. (Once the pan has cooled a bit, you can also place it in the refrigerator or freezer to speed along the cooling process).
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Prepare the cheesecake filling:
Add the Greek yoghurt into the food processor. Add the custard sugar and blend until perfectly smooth and blended.
Scrape down the bowl then add the eggs, one at a time, blending between each.
Once the eggs are incorporated, scrape down the bowl again.
Sprinkle in the flour, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Process until very smooth, creamy, and completely blended, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
Pour the batter into the cooled crust and smoothen the top.
Place the spring form pan back on the rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F in the center of the oven, for 40-50 minutes.
Final preparations
Remove the cheesecake pan and let it cool at room temperature, at least for 2 to 3 hours.
Once it has reached room temperature, place it in the refrigerator. Let it cool for an additional 8 hours or overnight.
Take the cake and slice it in desired size. Top it with strawberry compote or the mixed berries compote.