Mr.P Varun of BHM 2nd sem is a rising star in the culinary world, with an impressive grasp of both traditional and modern cooking techniques. He is been selected as ‘Chef of The Day’ at IIHMCA.
Ingredients
For the toffee sauce
- 175 ml Heavy cream
- 125 gms Unsalted butter, sliced
- 197gms Light brown sugar
- 30 ml Dark corn syrup
- 3 gms Kosher salt
- 3 ml Vanilla extract
For the banoffee cheesecake
- 150 gms Shortbread cookies
- 200 gms Granulated sugar, divided
- 30 gms Unsalted butter,
- 240 gms Cream cheese, at room temperature
- 5 gms Kosher salt
- 4 nos Large eggs
- 3 nos Ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- 3 ml Vanilla extract
- 100 gms Corn starch
For garnish
- 50 ml Toffee sauce
- 75 gms Whipped cream
- 40 gms Dried banana chips
Method
Make the toffee sauce:
- Warm the heavy cream until steaming, on the stovetop over medium heat.
- In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Whisking frequently, heat until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup bubbles gently.
- Turn the stove off and whisk in the warmed cream. Add the vanilla extract to the sauce and set the pan back over medium heat. Cook until the syrup is thick. Set aside to cool.
Make the shortbread crust:
- Wrap a 10-inch spring form pan in heavy-duty aluminium foil and set aside.
- Use a food processor to pulse the shortbread cookies into fine crumbs. Add granulated sugar and the melted butter to the food processor bowl and pulse until the crumbs hold together.
- Squeeze a handful of crumbs in the palm of your hand. If the mixture doesn’t hold together, add another tablespoon of melted butter, and re-mix.
Pre-bake the crust and heat water:
- Press the shortbread mixture onto the bottom and an inch or so up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
- While the crust bakes, heat 4 or 5 cups of water to boiling for the water bath.
Prepare the banana cheesecake:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), blend together the cream cheese, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and the salt until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, to the cream cheese mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides after each addition. Mix on low speed for an additional minute.
- Add the banana purée and both extracts. Blend on low for another minute. Scrape down the mixing bowl and add the corn starch. Blend on the lowest speed for 30 seconds, or until no lumps of corn starch are visible, being careful not to over-mix.
Bake the cheesecake:
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set the foil-wrapped spring form pan into a larger pan. Add enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the spring form pan and carefully place the pan into the oven.
- Bake the cheesecake for 55 minutes to an 1 hour, or until the top is a light golden brown and the cheesecake jiggles slightly when shaken. Turn the oven off and open the door a crack to allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 30 minutes.
Cool the cheesecake completely:
- Once the cheesecake has cooled in the oven, carefully take it out of the oven and remove the foil. Cool the cheesecake on the countertop for an hour, and then transfer it to the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Once the cheesecake is cold, remove the collar from the spring form pan. Warm the toffee sauce slightly so that it’s pourable but not runny, then drizzle one cup of the toffee sauce over the top of the cheesecake. Use a piping bag to pipe rosettes of whipped cream around the cheesecake and garnish each rosette with a banana chip.
- Keep the cheesecake refrigerated until ready to serve.