If a Cheesecake Married a Creme Brulee...

PROJECT PATISSERIE : Adventure #1

… their baby would be named Crème de Cheesecake.  Really. I know it sounds like a silly portmanteau- like “spork” or “Labradoodle”, but according to the illustrious French Pastry chef Christophe Felder, there is such a thing in the world of French Patisserie- and as it turns out, it’s quite delicious.

   Crème de Cheesecake has components of both desserts: a cheesecake batter that’s baked like crème brulee custard in a ramekin until not quite set. Once at room temperature the cream is topped with strained strawberry puree and a streusel topping that’s akin to a crumbled shortbread cookie. Just before serving, it’s dusted with powdered sugar- that bastion of dessert finishes. The result should be a cream cheese flavored custard reminiscent of a crème brulee with all the fixin’s of a cheesecake.

   While it takes less than an hour to make, has a beautiful presentation, and, with the use of eight ounce ramekins, serves four people there is one caveat:  you can’t chill it. Which means that you can’t really make them too far ahead of time. Monsieur Felder did mention that in his recipe but he didn’t say why and since I was making it ahead of time and I don’t do well with unexplained directives I decided to ignore his warning (intrepid baker that I am)- and off to the fridge they went.

   Luckily, I tasted one beforehand and so I had a basis for comparison. Before they were refrigerated, they really tasted like a cream cheese crème brulee- silky and sweet with a hint of tartness.  After they had cooled the Crème de Cheesecakes were slightly less enchanting- really tasting more like a plain old cheesecake served in a ramekin- the culinary equivalent of Cinderella’s carriage turning back into a pumpkin.

   The moral of this story: listen to the (sometimes) furiously enigmatic directions of French pastry chefs.

The finished Crème de Cheesecake