Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake

Submitted by ericjoonho

"Nothing against baking a cheesecake from scratch, but these days such an ordeal must be planned weeks in advance. There are serious questions to be considered: Am I ready for that kind of commitment? Do I leave the oven door ajar by 45 degrees or 50? Will there be a devastating fault line in the middle of my cake or will I, just this once, have it all? A deconstructed version, instead, leaves room for error and in a way forces the cook to let go. A no-bake cream, flavored like cheesecake, serves as the base for fresh summer berries, store-bought sorbet, graham cracker sand, and freeze-dried strawberry dust, all arranged haphazardly (or artfully, depending on the painter). This way, you get all the tastes and textures of a classic strawberry cheesecake without the constraints of temperature, gravity, or form. This is formless content—the clumsy pastry chef's excuse for laziness."

 

• Ready In: 10mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• fresh strawberries
• freeze-dried strawberry, crushed
• strawberry sorbet or ice cream

directions

1. Cohere the graham cracker crumbs and butter into a dampened sand.
2. In a bowl, cream together the cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. In a larger bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the cheese mixture into the whipped cream until combined.
3. To plate, start with a portion of the cheesecake cream, smearing it with a spatula. Next, decorously arrange the fresh berries and dust with the graham cracker sand and crushed freeze-dried strawberries. For a temperature contrast, finish with a scoop or two of the sorbet or ice cream.