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To make cheesecakes

To make cheesecakes is a traditional British recipe, based on Hannah Glasse's recipe of 1747, for a classic method of making a cheesecake with a cottage cheese, biscuit, egg yolk, sugar, butter and currant filling baked in a puff pastry crust. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: To make cheesecakes.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

35 minutes

Total Time:

55 minutes

Additional Time:

(+cooling)

Serves:

16

Rating:

Tags : Cheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Hannah Glasse's 1747 volume The Aft of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the classic Georgian cookbook.

Original Recipe

To make cheeſecakes.


TAKE a pint of cream, warm it, and put to it five quarts of milk warm from the cow, then put runnet to it, and juſt give it a ſtir about ; and when it is come, put the curd in a linen-bag or cloth, let it drain well away from the when, but do not ſqueeze it much ; then put it in a mortar, and break the curd as fine as butter, then put to your curd half a pound of mackeroons beat very fine. If you have no mackeroons, get Naples biſcuits, then add to it the yolks of nine eggs beaten, a whole nutmeg grated, two perfumed plumbs, diſſolved in roſe or orange-flower water, half a pound of fine ſugar ; mix all well together, then melt a pound and a quarter of butter, and ſtir it well in it, and half a pound of currants plumped, to let ſtand to cool till you uſe it, then make your puff paſte thus : take a pound of fine flour, wet it with cold water, roll it out, put into it by degrees a pound of freſh butter, and shake a little flour on each coat as you roll it. Make it juſt as you uſe it.
     You may leave out the currants for change, nor need you put in the perfumed plumbs, if you diſlike them ; and for variety, when you make them of mackeroons, put in as much tincture of ſaffron as wil give them a high colour, but no currants. This we call ſaffron cheeſecakes ; the other without currants, almond cheeſecakes ; with currants, fine cheeſecakes ; with mackeroons, mackeroon cheeſecakes.

Modern Redaction

This recipe makes the cottage cheese from scratch. There is no need to do that these days, however it is necessary to convert this recipe based on the quantity of curds that would be expected to be produced from 5l of whole milk. Typically 2l of whole milk will yield about 200g of curds (about 10% by weight). As a result, 5l will yield about 500g of curds (or cottage cheese).

The perfumed plumbs referred to in this recipe are also known as 'kissing confits' (or kissing comfits in Georgian spelling) and are sugar plums flavoured with ambergris, musk, peppermint etc. They were used as breath and mouth fresheners, hence the alternate name of 'kissing confits'.

Ingredients:

500g cottage cheese
225g mackeroons (or Naples biscuits) broken into crumbs
9 egg yolks, beaten
1 nutmeg, grated
2 sugar plums flavoured with ambergris, musk etc
4 tbsp rose water or orange-flower water (optional)
225 powdered sugar
565g butter, melted and cooled
225g currants
450g puff pastry (ie, made with 450g flour)

Method:

Place the currants in a bowl, pour over just enough warm water to cover then set aside to plump up.

Beat the cottage cheese in a large bowl until smooth then work in the mackeroons or Naples biscuit crumbs and the grated nutmeg. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl then work into the cottage cheese mixture until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Pound together the flavoured sugar plums and rose water or orange-flower (if using) in a mortar then add to the cottage cheese mix. Now work in the powdered sugar, followed by the melted butter. Drain the plumped currants then work these into the cottage cheese mix and set aside.

Prepare the puff pastry according to the recipe then roll out and use to line about three deep pie dishes or patty pans. Pour in the cheese mixture, filling no more than 2/3 full then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the cheese filling has set and is golden brown on top. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Find more Hannah Glasse Recipes Hereand more Traditional Georgian Recipes Here.