recently
hubster returned from a meeting
raving about the dessert
one of the attendees
made a guava cheesecake
blush pink
and
light as a mousse
he declared
it was
blog-worthy
several days later
a large piece of cheesecake
was hand delivered
to my kitchen
it was every bit as good
as hubster described
definitely
blog-worthy
i asked my friend
odie tollefson
if she would share her story
and a recipe
lucky for us all
she agreed
Odie was born in Cuba and enjoyed the combination of cream cheese and guava as a child ...
One of my families’ favorite desserts when I was growing up was guava and cream
cheese…a true Cuban delight! My dad would buy the guava paste in bars, slice it in
about a ¼ inch thick slices and take a bar of cream cheese and slice it in about the
same size. Other times we’d sandwich the guava between two slices of the cream
cheese. Another Cuban favorite is a “refugiado” pastry (literal translation…refugee.)
Porto’s bakery in Glendale makes the best! It’s a light, flaky pastry filled with guava.
No Cuban get-together is complete without these! As the stories I’ve heard go, the
pastry got it’s name because it’s what the Cuban refugees back in the 60’s could
readily afford to make and eat.
So when I ran across this guava cheesecake recipe many years ago in a cookbook
entitled Miami Spice, I knew it would become a favorite in our household and it
certainly has brought smiles to both family and friends over the past decade and a
half.
Enjoy!
Guava Cheesecake
from Miami Spice
1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
Filling:
1 cup guava paste
2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, or to taste
4 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Glaze: (optional)
¼ cup red currant jelly
About 1 tablespoon water
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9” springform pan.
2. Prepare the crust. Mix together the cookie crumbs, melted butter and
sugar in a mixing bowl to form a crumbly dough. Press the dough over the
bottom and up the side of the springform pan. Bake the crust until almost
dry, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Melt guava paste in the lemon juice in a
nonreactive heavy saucepan, whisking steadily, over medium heat, 2 to 3
minutes. Let the mixture cool slightly.
4. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer. Add the sugar and
beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, adding one at a time, beating
until each incorporated before adding the next, and scraping down the
sides of the bowl frequently. Beat in the vanilla, lemon zest, and melted
guava. Pour the filling into the prepared pan.
5. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil.
6. Wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around the bottom and sides of the
springform pan to prevent water from seeping in. Place the pan in a large
roasting pan and pour 1 inch of water.
7. Bake the cheesecake until the top is firm and the filling no longer jiggles
when the pan is shaken, about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. If the top of the
cheesecake begins to brown before the filling sets, tent the cake with
aluminum foil. When the cake is done, turn off the heat, open the oven
door a few inches, and let the cheesecake cool for 20 minutes.
8. Transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover and
refrigerate for at lest 6 hours, preferably overnight.
9. Prepare the glaze: melt the red currant jelly in the water in a small
saucepan, over medium heat, until the mixture is the consistency of heavy
cream. Thin with additional water, if necessary.
10. Gently brush the top of the cheesecake with the glaze. Cover and chill for
at least 30 minutes.
11. To serve, run a slender knife around the sides of the srpingform pan.
Remove the sides and serve.