Dol/Holi celebration in Spring, an ancient joyous Indian festival of colors also known as "Phagwa" falls on full moon day in Phalgun month(February or March).The celebration starts on Holi eve with a public holika bonfire in an open space where people gather, sing and dance which signifies "good over evil". Next day it is a riot of colors where people are drenched in colored powder and water. They sing and dance; it's so much fun festival by letting go of past hurt feelings, renewing healthy relationships and sharing sweets with a common greeting "Happy Holi". In west Bengal it is called "Boshonto utshov or Doljatra. Each region has different rituals but the spirit of celebration remains same.
Like any other celebration certain food plays an important part in different regions. In North India an exotic drink called "Thandai" is a must served refreshing drink made of mixed nuts and aromatic sweet spices. Besides drink, Thandai spice is great on many Indian and Western desserts; so I keep it on hand for different recipes and store in the refrigerator for maximum freshness.
I made this Thandai spice infused cheesecake with a nut crust for the first time. It's a fusion kinda East meets West type irresistble dessert. As most Indian desserts are egg less, I made this cheesecake without eggs. I was bit skeptical whether cheesecake would set properly without eggs; but it turned out amazing!
Like my all cheesecake recipes this one is also made of low fat cheese and sour cream. Crust is also made of ground almond but use graham cracker crumbs as well. I try to bake cheesecake in a water bath for a perfect smooth top for an hour, then leave it in the oven with the door closed for one hour and let it cool completely on the counter top. I like to decorate with whipped cream sometimes and cream cheese but it's totally optional. It's a great make ahead dessert and can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator. This cheesecake is grain free, gluten free, soy free. Lets get baking!
Ingredients~
For the Thandai spice:
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup pistachios
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp whole black pepper
4 whole green cardamon pods
One pinch of saffron threads
1/3 cup hot milk
For the crust:
2 cups ground almonds
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup melted butter
1 tbsp milk
For the filling:
3 (8 oz.)pack 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 tsp rose water
For the toppings:
1 /2 cup chilled heavy cram
1/3 portion cream low fat cream cheese of a 8 oz. pack
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar(*for grain free version use powdered sugar with tapioca flour, not the corn starch one)
Thandai spice mix and a few saffron threads
Method~
Grind Thandai mix to a smooth powder, then soak half of the mixture in hot milk at least for 30 minutes and blend it to paste. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat entire 8 inch spring form pan with oil or butter. Combine all crust mixture together. Press mixture into bottom of the spring form pan; wrap bottom and outside of the pan with heavy duty aluminium foil. Bake for 10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, tapioca flour, sour cream and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in rose water and Thandai spice mixture Stir well to combine. Pour into baked crust.
Smooth the top with spatula. Tap 3-4 times on the counter to eliminate air bubbles. Place the cheesecake filled spring form pan in a small roasting pan; pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the foil wrapped spring form pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes until top sets. Turn off the heat and leave cheesecake in the oven for one hour with the door closed. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the room temperature; then refrigerate at least 4-6 hours covered with a plastic wrap.
Chill a medium bowl and wire whisk or electric beater attachment for at last half an hour then whip the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. In another small bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese. Run a plastic knife around the edges of the spring form pan. Remove carefully and place on a nice platter. Pipe the whipped cream cheese around it using a piping bag or ziplock bag with a decorating tip. Sprinkle Thandai spice mix on top and sides of the cheesecake. Enjoy!
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| Happy Baking! |
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