Chef Gobu Kumar of Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park tells us that he has a limited edition dessert menu in store for the cooler weather ahead. Titled Autumn’s Sweet Symphony, look out for treats capitalising on a spree of berries — think Strawberry Fool, Cranberry Cobbler and Acai Berry Panna Cotta. He walks us through the steps to creating one of the favourites on the menu, a gorgeous Blueberry Pie.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
2 cups (168 g) cracker crumbs, about 9 whole crackers
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake filling:
8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
Cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Blueberry topping:
2 cups (296 g) fresh blueberries
½ cup (125 ml) water
cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons (1.5 tbsps) cornstarch whisked into 2 tbps water
Instructions
Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together the cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle in the melted butter and toss together with a fork until all of the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for eight minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Make the Cheesecake filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy and no lumps remain. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until set (the top shouldn’t be browned at all). Place on a wire rack and allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least one hour.
Make the Blueberry topping: Combine the blueberries, ½ cup water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for five minutes, stirring once. Uncover, stir in the cornstarch mixture, increase the temperature to medium and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Spoon topping over chilled cheesecake pie. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to five days.
Autumn Sweet Symphony goes on till September 30. At Connexions, INR 349 ++