OMG, you need this: Baklava cheesecake
Georgina Hayden’s Greek home cooking is characterized by simple everyday meals that require little effort but are incredibly delicious: from weekday meals such as chicken schnitzel with halloumi, lamb meatballs and this delicious baklava cheesecake.
Georgina: ‘I don’t want to overpraise this recipe, but I’m obsessed with it. This cheesecake combines all my favorite flavors (honey, nuts, rosewater, cinnamon) and textures (crunchy, creamy, chewy), and it looks fantastic. I will never forget the first time I made it and presented it to my family, my toughest critics. First, they looked intrigued, and then nodded approvingly.
My yiayia (grandmother), usually the first to offer constructive criticism, was speechless – she had nothing to criticize. There were only smiles. That’s when I knew I had reached the pinnacle of baklava.’
How to make baklava cheesecake
First, make the syrup. Add 100 grams of superfine sugar, 125 ml water and two strips of lemon zest (use a vegetable peeler for this) to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar and reduce the heat slightly. Simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup is thick but not discolored. Stir in the rosewater and leave to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Grease a 20 cm springform pan with butter. Add the walnuts to a dry frying pan and toast for a few minutes over medium heat, until they begin to smell nutty. Stir in the cinnamon and 25 grams of superfine sugar and let the sugar caramelize slightly. Tip the nuts onto a cutting board, leave to cool slightly and chop finely.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Place 2 sheets of phyllo pastry in the springform pan, slightly overlapping, so that they completely cover the base and sides, and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle a quarter of the chopped walnuts over the base and repeat the process twice more with the phyllo pastry, butter and walnuts (set the rest of the walnuts aside). Cover with a final layer of phyllo pastry, push the edge of the pastry down to the base of the pan and brush with butter. Trim the overhanging pastry at the top and bake
the pastry base in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and drizzle the cold syrup over the hot pastry, especially around the edges. Leave to cool.
For the cheesecake filling, break the white chocolate into small, even pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave or au bain-marie – make sure the bowl does not touch the water in the pan, otherwise the chocolate will split. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted.
Meanwhile, crumble the feta into pieces over a large bowl. Add 100 grams of superfine sugar and blend until smooth with a stick blender. Add the cream cheese and grate the remaining lemon zest over it. Preferably beat until smooth with an electric hand mixer or a whisk; in any case, do not use a stick blender. Add the heavy cream, beat until you have a light cream cheese mixture and then stir in the melted white chocolate.
Spoon the filling into the baked and cooled phyllo pastry base, cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (but preferably overnight). Just before serving, drizzle with a little honey and sprinkle with the reserved walnuts and, optionally, the pistachios.
Title: Greek!
Author: Georgia Hayden
Price: €27.50
Publisher: Good Cook
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