Ever since I sampled a tiny, yuzu scented chocolate in the glorious food hall of Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tokyo I’ve gone a little mad for the mysterious, aromatic, citrus flavour. I seek it here, I seek it there.
I’ve had yuzu sake, yuzu gin and tonic, yuzu ramen, yuzu chilli relish, yuzu on mushrooms, yuzu ice cream, yuzu puddings, and sauces and salads seasoned with its juice and zest.
To add to my obsession I’ve created a dessert matching a light cheesecake with a crème Anglaise, both scented with yuzu. Very west meets east.
Let us know if you enjoy them as much as I do.
Caren
YUZU CHEESECAKE WITH YUZU CREME ANGLAISE AND SESAME SEED BRITTLE
Serves 10
50 gm butter, melted and cooled
50 gm Revenge Gluten-free Almond Plain Flour, plus extra for dusting, see below
30 gm cornflour
250 gm cream cheese, at room temperature, chopped
100 ml buttermilk
1 lemon, zest only
3 tablespoons bottled yuzu juice, available from Japanese grocers
6 large eggs, separated
165 gm caster sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Boiling water
Icing sugar for dusting
Yuzu Crème Anglaise, see below
Sesame Seed Brittle, optional, see below
Preheat oven to 125°C fan-forced. Grease a 22cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Dust the tin with a tablespoon of gluten-free flour. Tip out any flour that does not adhere to the side of the tin.
In a food processor, process the melted butter, flours, cream cheese, buttermilk, lemon zest, juzu juice, egg yolks and 85gm of the caster sugar until well combined.
Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer for 2 minutes then gradually add the remaining 80gm sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form. Stir in a large spoonful of the cream cheese mix and then fold in the remaining mix.
Pour into prepared cake tin and place the tin in a baking pan. Place in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the baking pan to come half way up the side of the tin.
Bake for 1 hour or until the top has browned lightly and a skewer comes out clean. Turn off the oven, open the door a bit and leave the pan in the oven for an hour. Remove from the baking pan and allow to cool before turning out onto a platter. Serve with crème Anglaise and Sesame Seed Brittle if using.
The cheesecake can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Take out of the fridge an hour before serving.
Yuzu Crème Anglaise
375 ml milk
1 slice fresh ginger, peeled
1 split vanilla pod, seeds separated
4 egg yolks
120 gm caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon yuzu juice
Heat milk in a medium saucepan to simmering point, add ginger and a split vanilla pod and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Discard the ginger and vanilla pod.
Beat egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl until creamy and pale. Add cornflour and vanilla seeds and stir to combine.
Take a cup of the warm milk and stir into the egg mix. Stir the egg mix back into the milk and place the saucepan over medium-low heat. Continue to stir until the crème Anglaise thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Be careful not to let it catch on the bottom of the pan. Take off the heat and stir in the yuzu juice. Strain into a jug.
Serve the crème Anglaise warm or refrigerate and serve cold.
Sesame Seed Brittle
85 gm white sesame seeds
40 gm black sesame seeds
50 gm unsalted butter
100 gm caster sugar
100 gm liquid glucose
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon crushed sea salt
Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine the seeds and spread them out on a large baking tray. Roast for 10 minutes until the seeds are just beginning to colour.
Meanwhile, prepare 4 pieces of baking paper to fit 2 large baking trays.
Put the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Over high heat stir the ingredients until they are combined and bubbling.
Tip the warm seeds into the hot sugar mixture and stir to combine.
Lay two pieces of paper on the bench. Pour half the mix onto each paper. Cover with the other two pieces of paper. Working quickly with a rolling pin, spread out the seed mix to about 2mm thick. You should have 2 shapes of mixture roughly 2mm x 25cm x 35cm. Remove the top layers of paper by peeling from the ends. Transfer onto the 2 baking trays.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown and just beginning to darken. Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes and then remove the brittle from the paper and cool completely on a rack.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
TIPS: Use other seed or nut combinations, just ensure the combined weight is 125gm and the pieces are small. The brittle can be broken into pieces and processed in a food processor to make praline.
Revenge Gluten-free Almond Plain Flour Mix
280 gm almond meal
210 gm besan flour
280 gm fine white rice flour
175 gm cornflour
Mix up a batch and store in the fridge.