Guest Post: Mango Mascarpone Cheesecake with Cardamom Whipped Cream

The Harried Cook is a fairly young blog. Only a few months old. I'm still learning, and have a long way to go! Every blog I visit, I learn something from that talented blogger. One of the first people who visited my blog, and left me a comment, and some really good advice about Foodbuzz, was the wonderful Chef Dennis. His blog is wonderful & he is such an awesome chef! I am so glad that today, I have the opportunity to guest post on his blog "More than a Mount Full". He does some wonderful work among students at The Mount, and is a great help to so many bloggers out there. His 'Ask Chef Dennis' column has taught me SO much, and I know that many people will agree.

When I started my blog four months ago, I had no clue what I was doing. I knew I wanted to chronicle my recipes, but that's about it. I had no idea about all the things that went into a good blog. More importantly, I had not clue about the incredible sense of community that existed among food bloggers. Every single person who has visited my blog, and left a kind word for me has given me the motivation to keep going, and I thank each of you today.

And thank you, Chef Dennis for all the support and for inviting me to guest post on your blog!

On Chef Dennis' blog today, I am sharing my recipe for a Mango Mascarpone Cheesecake with Cardamom Whipped Cream. It is a light, creamy cheesecake with some amazing flavors. You should go check it out on More than a Mount Full, and don't forget to leave Chef Dennis a comment telling him I said 'hello'! :)

This has been my busiest week in a long time. So busy that we have eaten out most of our meals. I haven't spent much time in the kitchen & I miss it! I hope I will be able to get back to it soon. I must apologize to all my blogger friends. I just have not had the time to visit your blogs and read the wonderful posts you have shared this week. My Google Reader is overflowing, and I don't know where to start. But I can't wait to visit and read your posts and yummy recipes soon!

Mango Mascarpone Cheesecake w/ Cardamom Whipped Cream

IngredientsCrust

3oz ginger nut cookies

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp salted butter

Filling

4oz mascarpone (I used homemade)

4oz cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Mango Gelee

½ cup pureed mango, strained

1 tbsp powdered sugar (more if the mango is sour)

1 tsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp powdered gelatin

2 tbsp water

Cardamom Whipped Cream

½ cup whipping cream

1 tbsp powdered sugar (or more if desired)

½ tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp fresh cardamom powder

Method
Crust

1.  In a blender or food processor, powder the ginger nut cookies and oats until fine, and transfer

to a bowl.

2.  Pour in the melted butter and stir well to combine.

3.  Divide the mixture among the four mini pie tins,and press into the base and the sides of the

tin.

4.  Refrigerate until required.

Cheesecake Filling

1.  In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese and mascarpone until light and fluffy.

2.  Add the sugar and continue whipping for another minute.

3.  Add the egg. Beat well to incorporate.

4.  Mix in the vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Whip until evenly blended.

5.  Spoon into the prepared pie crusts, making sure each crust is about ¾ full.

6.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until the filling has puffed up slightly and the centers of the

cheesecakes wobble slightly when shaken gently.

7.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The cheesecakes will continue to cook and firm up

while cooling.

8.  When completely cool, top with the mango gelee and refrigerate at least 3 hours, until the gelee

has set.

Mango Gelee

1.  In a small bowl, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the 2 tbsp of water and allow the gelatin to

soften for a few minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the mango puree, sugar and lemon juice.

2.  Place the bowl with the gelatin in a larger bowl filled with warm water and allow the gelatin to

melt.

3.  Stir the liquid into the mango puree and stir well to combine.

4.  Spoon ¼ of this mango mixture over each cheesecake and refrigerate to set.

Cardamom Whipped Cream

1.  Whip the cream till it forms soft peaks.

2.  Add the vanilla, sugar and cardamom powder and continue to whip for a few minutes until well

combined. Do not over-whip the cream.

Serve the cheesecakes chilled (maybe garnished with a sprig of mint) and spoon some of the cardamom whipped cream alongside each cheesecake.

This cheesecake is really, really creamy because of the mascarpone. The gelee is supposed to be just set, and still creamy and not rubbery or chewy. The mango flavor really comes through. To be completely honest– cardamom is my LEAST favorite spice. And so, I don’t know why I decided to use it in this recipe. It just made sense to me when I thought about it, and I hate to admit it works really well with the mango.

I want to remind you that you still have time to enter my giveaway if you haven't. There are TWO copies of Jill Colonna's amazing book 'Mad about Macarons' to be won! More details on the giveaway post HERE.


GIVEAWAY CLOSED!