sunday afternoon snack in photos

My first cheesecake attempt hehe and it turned out really well, if I may say so myself.  We saw the berries in the supermarket and I just had a hankering for some good old cheesecake. 

The holiday was great, took both our minds off things and it was good to catch up with the inlaws and our godparents (last time we saw them was at the wedding) and just walk around the shops.  We caught the fireworks display on Australia Day, but it was a bit surreal to sit on the banks of the river and watch it along with a lot of other Ozzie families.  It reminded me of this illustration in an American children's book I used to love when I was little, except that the women/girls in the drawing had those cute little bell-skirt dresses with pouffed sleeves and sashes around the waist and pinafores.  But this being Oz, people were in tanks, singlets, board shorts and flipflops.  And some, in true blue Ozzie fashion even had eskis and stubbies in hand.  And there in the middle of it was me, the transplant.

EDITED to include recipe:

You will need:

For CRUST: 

1 pack granitas (or digestives or vanilla wafers or grahams) finely ground in a food processor (2 1/3 cups)
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
 

 FOR FILLING:

2 packages, cream cheese softened (I used Philly)
8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature (about 1 cup) (I used an ozzie brand -forgot which but it was ok)
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

 FOR TOPPING: 

 1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Make crust:

Spray sides and bottom of 9-inch springform pan, preheat oven to 180°C.

Combine crushed granitas and butter in a bowl, leave 1/4c. crumb mixture to sprinkle on cake, pat the remaining mix into the bottom of the springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes or until done, cool on a rack, roughly 25 minutes.  

Make filling while crust bakes:
Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar with an electric mixer at medium high speed until fluffy, around 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and salt and mix at low speed until combined. Pour into cooled crust and bake until cake is set and puffed around edge but still jiggly round the middle.  Took around 30 minutes. Cool on rack, about 20 minutes.

Make topping:
Stir together sour cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl and spoon over cheesecake.

Bake cheesecake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle top with reserved crumbs.  Once completely cooled, cover with cling and put in fridge to chill (8 hours is best).  Top with favorite fruit, run a knife along the sides of the springform to help it retain its shape when you need to take it out of the pan.  Enjoy.

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