Durian Cheesecake

Durian is the king of fruits in Malaysia. Most Malaysian will claimed that this is the best fruit amongst the countless varieties available here. This fruit has a creamy texture and its fragrance lingers on long after the fruit has been digested. Good quality durians are usually sold by the roadside stalls and many Malaysian do not mind setting aside their elegance to eat durians in a squatting position at these stalls. Same goes for Hubby and Sydney. But as for me, you will never catch me at these stalls eating durians either dead or alive. I must confess that I am not a durian fan.

Sydney has been bugging me to make Durian Cheesecake after tasting one made by her friend's mother many years ago. She even boldly asked her friend's mother for the recipe. Somehow I never had the opportunity to make one or to be honest refused to even attempt since I do not like durians *selfish*.

Last week, my babysitter gave us some very good quality durians which Hubby and Sydney could not finish. After some persuasion from Sydney I decided to try out the Durian Cheesecake. I must admit that durian and cheese are like a marriage made in heaven, this combination tasted just divine. Although I may still not like durian as a fruit but I certainly don't mind having Durian Cheesecake.

This recipe that I used is by Catherine Lau and was published in Flavours Magazine (Sept - Nov 2001) but I have made some changes according to the ingredients that I have.

Base

200g digestive biscuits

50g cornflakes

20g brown sugar

125g melted butter

Filling

500g cream cheese

80g castor sugar

20g honey

10g custard powder

50g cornflour

4 large eggs

350g durian pulp

120g whipping cream

To assemble base

1. Put all ingredients except butter in a food processor and process till fine.

2. Pour the processed ingredients in a bowl and stir in butter.

3. Grease the side of a 23cm springform and line the base with aluminium foil.

4. Press mixture evenly and firmly on the base of cake pan.

5. Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To prepare filling

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until mixture is smooth.

2. Pour onto prepared base.

3. Bake at 150C for 1 hour or until the cake is firm in the centre.

Note - I prefer using food processor for making cheesecake as less air is incorporated that will result in lesser crack on the cake.