Sunday 31 May 2009

Mini Cheesecakes

These are very easy to make, but I do have to say that lining the mini-muffin tins with the digestive biscuit crust can get a little tedious. This is where your darling children come in - their little fingers are made for the job - Nigella Lawson

The verdict:
I agree entirely with Nigella - these really are very easy to make. Not having any darling children though meant I had to struggle a little with the tin lining. Not to worry, it was worth it!

Unusual or substituted ingredients:
No unusual ingredients at all - although I've got to say that either Nigella has way overestimated the quantity required for the biscuit base, or underestimated the amount of filling required. If you are going to make these, either halve the amount of the biscuit base, or double the amount of the filling (that's what I'll be doing!) .
I also found the amount of butter specified for the biscuit base wasn't quite enough to get the right consistency of "sand" for the base - it did stick, but not as much as I'd have liked - thus making the lining of the teeny tiny muffin forms even harder!

Special utensils or cookware: I don't have mini-muffin tins, so I used a cupcake tin, silicone mini-cupcakes and individual tart cases. I spooned the mixture in and pressed it down with the spoon and then my fingers - getting it up the sides was the hardest, but it was ok in the end.
I used the magimix to crush the biscuits and add the butter to a sand-like consistency, and then washed it and reused it to mix the filling - very easy. It is a baked cheesecake, but only for 10 minutes, so it keeps a nice consistency.

Repeatability: I made these for a playdate with a couple of friends, and I think they were a good choice - can be made the day before, are very easy to transport, no annoying cutting required, just the right size for an after-lunch dessert or with coffee. I would definitely make these again. Just with more of the filling!

Sauciness: These are light and tasty - and would be very easy to modify by adding some berried to the mixture (either before cooking or just on top), or perhaps swirling some melted chocolate through the mix.

Overall pleasure level: Hmmmm, I think these are a 7.5 out of 10 for me. Sweeeeeet!