Here we are at week number ten of the nailed it or failed it blog series and we are making a Manchego Cheesecake. We are still working from the Bachour book and learning new things weekly to add to our toolbox. If you haven't seen all the other creations I have made from the book you can find them here. This week I wanted to keep it simple while I waited for some parts for my oven to be repaired. Nothing like trying to bake something when your oven is 75° off, and overcooking everything. My fingers were crossed for the entire baking periods hoping I got the adjustment correct for the temperature fluctuations that were going on.
Manchego Cheesecake
This recipe can be really quick if you want, or you can make all the components on the plate and spend a little more time with the recipe. You could easily use store bought graham cracker crumbs and store bought strawberry sorbet and just make the blackberry puree and the Manchego cheesecake. But one thing is for certain. All these ingredients are needed for the perfect taste pairing. The strawberry sorbet and the blackberry puree just make the nutty, rich flavor of the cheesecake so much better.
I did use individual 3" ring molds for this, but there is no reason you couldn't just cook the cheesecake in a square pan, then cut individual squares from that if it is what you have in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- Manchego cheese
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- All Purpose Flour
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Honey
- Cake Flour
- Wheat Flour
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Ground Cinnamon
- Blackberries
Steps to Make the Manchego Cheesecake
What is Manchego Cheese
This recipe uses a special cheese, not commonly used in cheesecakes. Manchego cheese is a Spanish cheese made from Machenga sheep’s milk. It’s known for being a cheese that most all taste palettes love and enjoy. Manchego cheese is a semi-firm cheese with a buttery, rich, and nutty taste. When shopping for Manchego cheese look for fresh (fresco) or curado cheese (aged 2-4 months). The younger the cheese is, the easier and smoother it will be to blend. In this recipe the cream cheese and sugar in the cheesecake mixture balance out the sharper flavor of the Manchego cheese.
How to Make the Cheesecake
For the cheesecake you’ll heat your oven to 325 °F. You’ll blend the chunks of Manchego Cheese and water in a food processor until smooth. Then you’ll slowly add in the cream cheese and sugar. Next, combine the flour and eggs in a separate bowl and then add slowly to the cheese puree. The final addition is the sour cream and you’ll blend until the entire mixture is smooth. Pour into the ring molds and bake for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know if your cheesecake is done if it only jiggles slightly in the middle.
Reasons to Make Your Own Graham Crackers
What is also nice about this cheesecake is that the crumbs are all over the cheesecake, instead of just at the bottom of the cheesecake like a crust. Which is why I would recommend you take the time to make the graham cracker crumbs from scratch instead of purchasing from the store. If you are someone using a square pan and cutting pieces from there, the exterior crumb coating will hide any imperfections with the cut.
How Do I Shape The Graham Crackers
The recipe calls for you to roll out the entire dough and place in a sheet pan for baking. If you find you want some crackers for later, you can use a ruler and knife to cut the dough into even squares. I then use a fork to prick some holes into the dough to give it a graham cracker appearance.
How Long Do Graham Crackers Last?
You should keep the homemade graham crackers in an airtight container for up to a week. If you wanted you could also freeze the cooked graham crackers so you can have them when ever you want.
Blackberry Puree
The blackberry puree is a combo of blackberries with sugar and vodka. I like the flavor of the vodka in the puree, but if you are someone that does not drink alcohol, you could easily make the puree without the vodka.
So go ahead and give this recipe a try, we would love to see how it works for you.
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Nailed It! Manchego Cheesecake
Ingredients
Manchego Cheesecake
- 340 g Manchego cheese cut into ½ inch chunks
- 85 g water
- 340 g cream cheese
- 113.5 g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 medium eggs
- 85 g sour cream
Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 71 g brown sugar
- 56.5 g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 99 g all purpose flour
- 71 g cake flour
- 71 g wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Blackberry Puree
- 50 g blackberries
- 10 g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vodka
Instructions
Manchego Cheesecake
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Blend Manchego cheese and water in a food processor until smooth.
- Slowly add cream cheese and sugar and continue to blend until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and eggs. Add to cheese puree and blend until smooth.
- Add sour cream and blend until smooth.
- Pour into individual ring molds and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Graham Cracker Crumbs
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars and honey.
- In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
- Beat into butter mixture until smooth.
- Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment to ½ inch thickness, remove the top sheet of parchment and bake on a ½ sheet pan until golden and firm.
- Cool completely before grinding in a food processor into crumbs.
Blackberry Puree
- Macerate blackberries with sugar and vodka overnight.
- Heat mixture in a small pot and cook to reduce liquid slightly. Puree in a blender and reserve for assembly.
Assembly
- Roll a Manchego Cheesecake into graham cracker crumbs. Spread blackberry puree over the center of a plate and top with cheesecake. Top with a quenelle of strawberry sorbet and garnish with blackberries before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few of our favorite Cheesecake recipes:
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Chris says
Looks nice. I have both Bachour books and I love them.