Do people change with time? I mean their habits, their beliefs, their likes and dislikes change? If you asked me this question, 10 years ago, my answer would be “I dont know about people, but I dont/wont change”. But if the same question is asked today my answer would be “yeah people do change with time and that includes me”. Though the core values and principles in which I believe still remain the same, my outlook towards life have changed quite a bit along with some of my habits, likes and dislikes.
Now coming to some of my likes, as I’ve mentioned a few times before I was kind of a non fruitarian (I kinda made up that word ;) ). If there were fruits somewhere in my vicinity, I refused to enter that place. But today things have changed, I’m like a part fruitarian and yes… I eat ‘some’ fruits.
When I refused the mangoes offered to me, people used to give me strong stares. Some of them even went to the extend of saying “you are wasting your life by not eating mangoes, you dont know what you are missing in life!” I used to think, what’s the big deal, after all its some fruit and not ‘amrit’ or something. All this changed when one of our friend’s gifted us a carton of mangoes from their farm. Like always, I never bothered with them. Then one day, Jose got down to it and the moment he opened the carton, the fruity smell of mangoes took over the kitchen. For the first time in my life, I loved it and at the same time I panicked, how can I ever like a fruity smell? I’m no fruit person, fruits and me cant have a relationship, it doesn’t feel right. Forget about eating them, I dont even touch them! It almost felt like confessing your love to somebody after so many years of denial!
As Jose progressed with his mango venture, I became restless. when I saw him enjoying the mangoes to the core, that was the limit. I wanted to taste it, but my ego was too huge. How can I, a person who denounce fruits at any given opportunity, ask to taste the same? But I had a ray of hope. Since Jose wasnt very happy with my non fruit diet, he always tried to make me a fruit convert. So I was patiently waiting for him to ask me, but that day the question didnt come. He was busy enjoying it himself. Suddenly I thought of the “reverse tactic”. I just casually said “I really cant understand why people make all this fuss about mangoes, what’s so great about it, after all it’s just a fruit”, hoping that he would take my bait.
He just looked at me for sometime and then asked “do you wanna try some, it’s good”? How can I give up so easily, so I decided to continue with the game for some more time… Though in the end, I did eat the mangoes, only because “he insisted that I should have them” ;) There was no stopping me after that! Later on Jose confessed that he knew from the beginning that I wanted to try it, but he was just waiting to see my course of action, so much for my “reverse tactic” plans!
So these days I’ve a good relationship with mangoes and I decided to take it a bit further with this cheesecake. Every relationship needs some work to keep the spark alive right? This is my attempt to keep my fruity relationship alive :) It’s a perfect dessert for summer and the fact that it doesn’t have any cooking and baking is like an extra brownie point! Mangoes with cheese, cream, icing sugar… sounds like a winning formula right?
Btw, you didnt tell me, whether you’ve changed your habits/likes/dislikes over time?
Here you go with the step by step pics…
Add melted butter to crumbled biscuits and combine. Press this mixture to the cheesecake dish you are using and refrigerate it while you continue to make the rest of the cheesecake…
Dissolve gelatine in hot water. when it becomes warm add to mango pulp…
Combine cream cheese and sugar till smooth. Add mango gelatine mix to this and combine…
Add whipped cream to the cheese mango pulp mix in two parts and combine. Add fresh mango pieces (if using) and combine well…
Pour the cream cheese mix over the refrigerated biscuit base and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Once it is set, pour the glaze topping over it and chill for another 3-4 hours…
Recipe adapted from here.
- Digestive biscuits – 250 gms, finely crumbled
- Butter – 100 gms, melted (I used unsalted butter)
- Philadelphia full fat cream cheese – 340 gms/ 12 oz (refer notes for substitute)
- Whipping cream – 250 ml (1 cup approx)
- Mango pulp – 1½ cup
- Mango – 1-2, cut into small bite size pieces (optional)
- Gelatine – 1 tbsp/10 gms
- Hot water – ½ cup
- icing sugar – 2-3 tbsp
- Sugar – ⅓-1/2 cup (refer notes)
- Mango pulp – 1 cup
- Gelatine – 1 tbsp/10 gms
- Hot water – ½ cup
- For the base:
- Combine the finely crumbled biscuits and melted butter. Press this mixture to a loose bottom tin or the dish you are using. Refrigerate it while you make the rest of the cheesecake.
- For the filling:
- Dissolve gelatine in hot water. Whip the whipping cream with 2-3 tbsp icing sugar, till soft-medium peaks form. Combine the cream cheese and sugar, till it becomes smooth. Combine the mango puree and warm gelatine mixture. Add this to the cream cheese mixture. Mix well. Add the whipping cream to this in two batches and combine well. Add the mango pieces (if using) and mix well. Pour this mixture over the biscuit base and return it to the fridge. Make sure that this layer is refrigerated for a minimum of 2 hours, before adding the glaze topping.
- For the glaze topping:
- Dissolve the gelatine in hot water. When it is warm, add it to mango puree and mix well. Pour this over the cream layer, once it is set. Refrigerate for another 2 hours or till you serve. Garnish with strawberry/ mint leaves.
- Keep @ room temp 10 mins before serving, so that the biscuit layer softens a bit.
- You can store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Pingback: No Bake Layered Pineapple Bread Pudding With Praline | Marias Menu