Quince And Mascarpone Cheesecake
4
- Prep Time1 h 30 min
- Total Time4 h 30 min
- Makes12 servings
Recipes and text by Camilla Wynne. Photography by Mickaël A. Bandassak. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
Cookbook author Camilla Wynne doesn't like to pick favourites...but this might be her favourite recipe in her latest cookbook, Nature's Candy. "Not only is it positively stunning," she says, "but I could eat the whole thing myself."
Crust
230 g (2 cups) digestive biscuit crumbs
115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
Cheesecake
500 g (two 8-oz packages) brick-style cream cheese, at room temperature
250 g (1 cup) mascarpone
1 (398 mL/14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 g (1 sheet) gelatin, soaked in cold water for 10 min to soften (optional)
60 mL (1/4 cup) lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
To finish
310 g (1 cup) quince jelly
2 g (1 sheet) gelatin,soaked in cold water for 10 min to soften (optional)
1 quince, sliced into chips and candied but not dried (see below), preferably in syrup, drained
Instructions
Grease a 9-in. springform pan. To make the crust, in a bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs, melted butter and salt. Press firmly into bottom of pan. Refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hrs.
To make the cheesecake, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Gradually add the sweetened condensed milk.
If using the gelatin, warm the lemon juice in the microwave or in a small pot over medium heat.
Dissolve the gelatin sheet in the lemon juice, then beat into the bowl of the stand mixer. Otherwise, beat in the cool lemon juice.
Add the vanilla and salt and mix. Pour onto the prepared crust, smoothing the top with a small offset spatula. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2 to 3 hrs.
To finish, gently melt the quince jelly in a small pot over medium-low heat or in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 30-sec increments. Stir in the gelatin sheet, if using. Let cool until no longer hot but still pourable. Meanwhile, arrange the candied quince chips in a decorative pattern on top of the cheesecake—you will have extra chips, which can be stored for later. Pour the melted jelly evenly overtop to cover. Chill in the refrigerator until set, about 1 hr.
Unmould the cake and serve cold, using a hot, dry knife to cut clean slices. The cake will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Kitchen tips
No digestives? Use graham or arrowroot crumbs. No quince jelly? Use crabapple or another tart red- or orange-hued jelly. No mascarpone? Use labneh. No quince? You can use apples instead.
Candied fruit chips
This dessert calls for candied (not dried!) quince chips. Get Camilla Wynne's candied fruit chips recipe.
Excerpted from Nature's Candy by Camilla Wynne. Copyright © 2024 Camilla Wynne. Photographs by Mickaël A. Bandassak. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
Check out two additional recipes for candied fruit from Nature’s Candy by Camilla Wynne.
Camilla Wynne is a Toronto-based cookbook author, writer and recipe developer. Her most recent cookbook is Nature's Candy.
