Vegemite Parmesan Cheesecake

[Shalmanese]

Vegemite Parmesan Cheesecake

Serves 16 as Dessert.

This is dessert 7 of the 7 desserts I made for the Supreme eGullet Pastry and Baking Challenge: Round 4

The inspiration for this came from the observation that at the time of development, there was NO google search results for "vegemite dessert". What you are witnessing is the first documented instance of using vegemite in a dessert setting!

• 2 pkg Philadelphia Cream Cheese
  
• 6 T Vegemite
  
• 1/2 c Cream
  
• Parmesan Rinds
  
• 2 Egg
  
• 3/4 c Sugar
  

Base

• 6 Graham Crackers
  
• 3 T Melted Butter
  
• 3 T Sugar
  

Base:

Crumble up graham crackers, and mix with melted butter and sugar and pack firmly into a 9" Springform Pan. Blind bake the crust at 350F for 10 minutes and then take out and cool.

Filling:

Put the cream and the parmesan rinds in a bowl and heat in the microwave until the cream is simmering. Let steep for half an hour and then remove the rinds. Add 1/2 the vegemite to the cream and mix until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides. Add the sugar and beat until dissolved and then add the eggs, continuing to scrape down the sides every 5 minutes. Add the cream and taste the batter to see the strength of the vegemite flavour and the sweetness level. If more sugar or vegemite is needed, take a bit of the batter into another bowl and stir in more vegemite/sugar and then readd back into the batter.

Pour the batter into the pan and shake to release any bubbles. Cover the outside with tin foil, place in a water bath and bake for 1 hour at 300F or until the centre is just slightly jiggly.

Let it cool in the oven for an hour, then on the counter until it reaches room temperature and then chill overnight.

This cheesecake is VERY rich and VERY overwhelming. Serve only small portions otherwise your palate will rebel. Although there is a definate vegemite flavour to it, it is toned down enough that even people who are put off by vegemite are able to enjoy this dessert. It has a very intriguing flavour, sort of chocolatly, sort of nutty, sort of savoury.

Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Cheese, Plated Dessert

( RG1847 )