Lemon cheesecake with fresh fruit topping

             This is my favorite cake, cheesecake, it is New York -Style cheesecake. Special thanks to my friend, Jenifer Maslow for teaching me how to make this cake. It has been passed on over a few generations of women in her family. I went to learn how to make it at her house, I took the cheesecake home to share with my husband and my friends, they all loved it and we all agreed this is the best cheesecake we had ever had. One month later, I took my Thai friends, P'Nok, Natalie and N'Pae, Tanasirin to learn to make cake with Jenifer again. We had so much fun and learned so much. We loved every minutes of it. Once again, thank you, Jenifer for all you did. You are a great teach.
            I make cheesecake from my food processor,  I don't have those stand or hand mixer. It works  fine and I know I am going to have a nice one of stand mixer someday. I think I love to learn to make cake.

Ingredients: 

Crust

1) 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2) 1 tsp cinnamon

3) 8 Tbsp melted butter

Filling 

1) 3 8Oz packages Philadelphia cream cheese (at room temperature)

2) 1 1/4 cups sugar

3) 4 eggs (at room temperature)

4) 2 cups sour cream

5) 1 cup whipping cream

6) 1 Tbsp lemon juice

7) 1/2 tsp vanilla

8) 1 zest of lemon

Lightly grease the bottom and a side of 11" spring form pan.

Parchment baking paper.

I show you how to make a parchment paper circle in a spring form pan.and how to put a parchment paper on a bottom of spring form pan.

Graham crackers. I used 9.3OZ or 2 cups.
I start with preparation of crust

Break a graham crackers into small pieces and place into a food processor. 

Melt 8 Tbsp butter 

In a mixing bowl, mix together  ingredients for crust and press into prepared 11" spring form pan. 

Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until it smells good.

While baking a crust and letting it cold, prepare the filling
3 Packages Philadelphia cream cheese.

In a large food processor, beat cheese until smooth, add sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

Scrape the side down and add another one of egg.

Add the remaining of ingredients, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix until they are blended in.

Now, pour the filling into spring form pan onto a crust.

Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour. Turn the oven off and allow cheesecake to bake in the oven for an additional hour, don't open the oven door.

The cheesecake will not fully set until chilled, remove the cheesecake from the oven onto a cooling rack. 

Refrigerate overnight before serving.

This picture I show how to put fresh fruit on top of the cheesecake. There are mango, strawberry, kiwi and blueberry. 

I made for my friend, Tanasirin's  birthday. 

 I made for my lovely brother-in-law, Darren's birthday. 

I made for my wonderful mother-in-law, Carolyn's birthday. 

Blue Sticky Rice with Mango

 Blue Sticky Rice with Mango or " Khao Nieow Ma Muang :ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง " in Thai.

Ingredients:
1) 2 cups sticky rice
2) 15 Centrosema or the butterfly peas "Dok Un Sun: ดอกอัญชัน" + 2/3 cup of water
3) 1  cup coconut milk
4) 1/4 tsp. salt
5) 1/2 cup sugar
6) 2 pandanus leaves
7) 4 mangoes
8) 1 Tbsp roasted sesame seed ( Optional for garnish )
Topping 
1) 1/2 cup of coconut milk
2) 1 Tbsp rice flour
3) 1/8 tsp salt
4) 1/3 cup of sugar

 Preparation:
1) Wash sticky rice until water is clear and soak with the warm over night.

 2) Drain and bring to steam, Wash and cut pandanus leaves into 2" length then put on the bottom of sticky rice.

 3) Place the soaked sticky rice on the top then bring to the steamer for 30-45 minutes.

 4) Centrosema or the butterfly peas , Dok Un Sun: ดอกอัญชัน in Thai

 5) Add Centrosema or the butterfly peas to boiling water for 3-5 minutes to get a very, deep blue extract so I can make blue sticky rice.

 6) Bring the blue extract from Centrosema or the butterfly   to strain through a very fine sieve or cheesecloth

 7) Steam sticky rice for 30-45 minutes or until grains look clear

 8) On the mean time, we can prepare the sweet coconut milk for the cooked sticky rice. In a pot, add 1  cups of coconut milk, salt and sugar.

 9) Add natural blue food coloring butterfly pea flower.

 10) Stir frequently until sugar dissolves.

 11) When the sticky rice is cooked. Mix the steamed sticky rice in the mixture.

 12) Mix the steamed sticky rice in the mixture

13)  And cover it to let the coconut milk get in the rice for 15-20 minutes.

 14) Making the topping, add sugar, salt and rice flour to sit well on medium heat until sugar dissolves and rice flour is cooked.

 15) Peel mangoes and wash them well. First you have to slide through the top at the stem. Then you use the peeler to remove the skin

 16) Hold mango with your hand, and slide from the top to the bottom. And slice it again on the other side of mango. Discard the seed, Hold mango with your hand, and slide from the top to the bottom. And slice it again on the other side of mango. Discard the seed for serving with blue sticky rice.

 17) Place sweet sticky rice in a plate

18) Spoon the topping  on top of the blue rice.

 19) Sprinkle with roasted sesame seed and enjoy.