I developed this recipe after travelling to Europe several years ago and enjoying something very similar in a quaint French restaurant I visited in Heidelberg, Germany. The texture is exactly like the one I had at the restaurant, primarily due to the use of egg yolks. I know, I know…you’re worried about raw yolks…well, I was too, so when I developed the recipe, I made sure to use some sugar cooked to a softball stage that essentially ‘cooks’ the yolks. Then you let the mixture cool completely before adding the rest of the ingredients.
I have made this with both cream cheese and mascarpone cheese, and either one is delicious. I just happened to have some homemade mascarpone cheese on hand that I had recently made, so I used that.
This is a fantastic recipe and has the texture of both a light and airy cheesecake and ice cream. I wanted my recipe to be true to the texture I experienced in Europe, so I did not add any gelatin. The dessert holds up well, so feel free to mold it into individual shapes. You can serve it on a prebaked cookie base for a beautiful individually plated dessert or serve it as I did with a fine dusting of graham crackers.
I have also included my recipe for the perfect strawberry sauce. Many chefs just puree the berries and the sauce together, but that is not a sauce. Don’t let anyone tell you that it does not have to be cooked because it does…otherwise it will be very thin and runny. Also, cooked fruit sauces develop a deeper color, and look much more appealing on the plate. This is what it should look like…
This makes a great dessert for both a casual or elegant evening, and your guests will be amazed at how simple the recipe is to make…that is if you choose to share it.
No Bake Alsatian Cheesecake
12 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons real vanilla (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
6 yolks
6 oz granulated sugar
3 oz corn syrup (prevents crystallization)
¼ cup water
3 strawberries, finely diced
Strawberry Sauce
2 cups strawberries
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Wash and cut berries and place them into the food processor until you have a thin puree. Remove the puree and add it to a small pot along with the sugar and the lemon juice and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring continually so that the mixture does not burn. You will see it thicken and when it does, pass this through a sieve into a small container, then cover and refrigerate until you are ready to plate.
Before you begin with the cheesecake, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Once it has started thickening, add the mascarpone cheese and incorporate it all well together. Place this in another bowl and keep it refrigerated until the next step is completed. Clean out your bowl, add your yolks and begin whipping. Place the granulated sugar, water and corn syrup in a small pot and cook until softball stage (240°F) on a candy thermometer, then slowly pour this into the yolks. Make sure the beaters are on high speed before you start incorporating the syrup, and be careful that the hot mixture is added carefully into the yolks. Allow this to continue beating until the mixture is completely cool, and then take the cream/cheese mixture out of the refrigerator and incorporate it into the cooled yolks. Use a spatula to make sure it has all been incorporated well before molding into shapes or a large ring, as I did. The filling is quite stiff and you could also use it as a filling for cakes. Freeze overnight for easier handling when unmolding, and by the time the dessert is served it will be the perfect texture. Dust with graham crackers crumbs or prebake a cookie base and place each slice on top of that. It’s very versatile and absolutely delicious.
If you would like to know more about how to cook the sugar syrup, check out my instructional post here.
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