Dulce De Leche Cheesecake SquaresPrint Recipe

Time in our beloved Australia is almost up and we are happily busy with a few farewell dinners. Tonight is no exception, it is our final night in Canberra and we have both of my brothers here so a big family dinner is in order.

Canberra is quite beautiful at the moment, Spring has sprung and there are blossoms, magnolias and camelia’s in abundance. My parent’s garden is full of heady scents, blooming buds and fallen petals – nature’s signs of a Summer to come.

So in keeping with the Spring theme we are having a dinner that makes the most of the seasonal produce. Pea and Asparagus soup (thank you for the tip Mary-Claire!), lamb with roasted spring vegetables and strawberry shortcakes for dessert. Everything seems to take on a lighter note when it’s Spring, don’t you think?

I know Mr Man is going to want a chocolate fix , not to mention his football team didn’t make it into the grand final last weekend so he needs some cheering up. I didn’t want to make a pudding or a cake so I whipped up these little dulche de leche cheesecake squares that I thought might make him happy. Oh and I forgot to mention that we had made dulche de leche a couple of days ago and I wanted to use it for something before I ate it all (I will post some recipes in a day or two).

So, if you enjoy a nice piece of cheesecake every now and then you should love these. The Dulce De Leche flavour is subtle but the milky caramel goodness makes these cheesecake squares that little more heavenly.

Base
99 grams/ 3.5 ounces wheatmeal/digestive crackers, crumbled (1cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup whole milk
227 grams/8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup dulce de leche/caramel (354 grams/ 2.5 ounces)

Glaze
85 grams/3 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped
56 grams/2 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons light corn syrup or liquid glucose

Base
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325f/170c. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of foil (crisscrossed), leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
Finely grind crackers with sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor. With motor running, add butter, blending until combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

Filling
Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Beat together cream cheese, eggs, salt, and gelatin mixture in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, then stir in dulce de leche gently but thoroughly. Pour filling over crust, smoothing top, then bake in a hot water bath in oven until center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 2 hours. Chill, covered, at least 6 hours.

Glaze
*These are best glazed within 2 hours of serving* Heat all glaze ingredients in a double boiler or a small metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, then pour over cheesecake, tilting baking pan to coat top evenly. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Lift cheesecake from pan using foil overhang and cut into squares with a thin knife, wiping off knife after each cut. Cut into desired size pieces – I usually get 16 – 4 x 4.

Note: When it comes time to glazing these little beauties, the recipe suggests 30 minutes in the fridge – this with give you a hard chocolate shell as a topping. I prefer to put them in for 15 minutes only so the chocolate is semi set. It’s a lot easier to cut and I think if you are going to serve them immediately, the slightly softer glaze is prettier and seems to compliment the filling more….it’s totally up to you.

Source: Adapted from Gourmet, December 2003

© 2010, Michelle. All rights reserved.