Tasting the perfect cheesecake

If ever there is a great American dessert, then it has to be cheesecake.  Known as the dessert of decadence, it’s loved by several Hollywood celebrities including Madonna herself. In fact when the Material Girl was last in Mumbai two years ago, she and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie had a multi-course meal at Moshe’s that stretched on for ages and one that ended with Moshe’s famed blueberry cheesecake — which she reportedly said at that table was better than sex!

In this context we asked celebrity chef Moshe the secret to making the perfect cheesecake. He told us that cheesecake comes in two varieties — the baked version and the one that’s unbaked. “While the baked version is more popular, the secret to making a great tasting cheesecake is just one thing — original Philadelphia cream cheese, which also happens to be the main ingredient of the dessert. Substituting that with anything else, which is often done in our country, won’t give you the original taste.”

Agrees foodie, Rashmi Uday Singh, “Philadelphia cream cheese is the most popular ingredient in classic cheesecake. Eggs and a biscuit or sponge base make up the rest of the recipe.  It’s the dense creaminess of the top, the crunchiness of the base and that tiny whisper of lemony tang which I love. While there are many flavoured versions, I prefer the classic variety.”

“When serving perfect cheesecake, allow it to sit overnight in the refrigerator,” says Moshe. “That helps it settle and makes it heavier.”