Cheesecake Mosaïc

This is an interesting and delicious variation on cheesecake, a recipe by pastry wiz Pierre Hermé in his latest book “Pastries”. The base is made with a sweet pastry dough turned into a powder and used like the Graham crackers crumbs of New York cheesecake, it’s topped with a pistachio cheesecake layer which is baked at low temperature until set. Sour cherries that have been poached in a vanilla syrup are arranged on top of the pistacho cheesecake layer and the whole thing is covered with a pistachio-cream cheese mousse. When the cheesecake is set it’s finished with shards of salted white chocolate around the edge and a dusting of pistachio powder. I’m a big fan of pistachio-anything so I just had to try it but what’s fun it’s the clever contrast between layers that opens the door to many interpretations. Check out what Tina of Wandering Eater did following the same concept.

I didn’t take a photo of the inside of the cake BUT there’s one in the book “Pastries”. You can see those delicious layers if you click here. It may look as a fancy and complicated cake but when you break down the work it’s really not that bad, and this one is actually fun to make. Just take it one step at the time. Enjoy!

  • Cheesecake Mosaïc

    • Serves 8
    • Recipe by Pierre Herme in “Pastries”
    • Sweet Tart Dough (for the base):
    • 1 stick + 2 tbs (150g) butter at room temp’
    • 3/4 cup (95g) confectioners’ sugar
    • 1/4 cup (30g) ground almonds
    • 2 dashes fleur de sel
    • 1/4 vanilla bean
    • 1 large egg
    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 7 tablespoons butter
    • Poached Sour Cherries:
    • 1/3 cup still mineral water
    • 7 tablespoons (100g) superfine sugar
    • 1 cup (250g) frozen sour cherries
    • White Chocolate Squares:
    • 1 teaspoon fleur de sel or fine sea salt
    • 9 1/4 ounce (260g) white chocolate (Vahlrona)
    • Cream Cheese Filling:
    • 3/4 cup (75g) shelled pistachios
    • 1 3/4 cups (450g) Philadelphia cream cheese
    • 1/2 cup (125g) superfine sugar
    • 2 1/2 tablespoons (20g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
    • 2 1/4 tablespoons pistachio paste
    • Cream Cheese & Pistachio Mousse:
    • 5 gelatin sheets
    • 1 tablespoon (15g) still mineral water
    • 1/4 cup (50g) superfine sugar
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 4 teaspoons (20g) pistachio paste
    • 3/4 cup (160g) Philadelphia cream cheese
    • 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • For decoration:
    • 1 1/2 cups (150g) shelled pistachios
    • white chocolate squares (see recipe above)
    • fresh cherries
  • For the sweet tart dough:
    • In the bowl of a food processor beat the butter until smooth. Add, in the following order, the sifted confectioners’ sugar, ground almonds, and sea salt. Split the quarter vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the egg, then sift the flour and add it. Process until the dough forms a ball.
    • Divide the dough into three pieces, each weighing about 7 ounces (200g). Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Keep one portion out ready to work with and place the other two in the freezer to be used another time.
    • Preheat the oven to 350’F. Butter a baking sheet. Roll out the dough into a round until it is 1/16 inch (2mm) thick. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
    • Allow the dough to cool, then break it into pieces and place in a food processor. Grind it to a powder. Incorporate the soften butter and blend until the butter is fully incorporated into the crumbs.
    • Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. On the paper place a 9 1/2 inch diameter pastry ring 1 1/2 inches high. Spread the dough mixture inside the ring, patting it down with your hands. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 325’F.
    • Place the baking sheet with the pastry ring in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
    • For the poached sour cherries:
    • The night before boil the mineral water with the superfine sugar. Place the sour cherries in a bowl and pour the boiling syrup over them. Set aside to macerate until the following day.
    • For the white chocolate squares & pistachios:
    • Sift the fleur de sel and use only the smaller crystals, or use fine sea salt. Chop the white chocolate and place in a bowl to melt over simmering water.  Let the chocolate cool to 55’F. Return the bowl to the bain-marie, when it reaches a temperature of 86’F to 91’F pour the chocolate onto an acetate sheet or parchment paper and spread to form an 8-inch square or larger. Place another strip of acetate paper or parchment over the top, then the flat side of a baking tray to prevent the shape of the chocolate from warping. Refrigerate until use.
    • Toast the pistachio for the filling on one baking sheet, and those for decoration on the other in a 200’F oven for 20 minutes. Crush the pistachio for the filling with a rolling pin and grind those for decoration into a powder. Sift the powdered pistachios and set  aside.
    • For the cream cheese filling:
    • In the bowl of a food processor, process the cream cheese and superfine sugar for 2 minutes. Add the flour, egg yolk, eggs, cream, pistachio paste, and crushed pistachios. Process until the mixture is smooth.
    • Pour the cream cheese filling onto the cooled pastry base in the ring on the baking sheet. Place it in the oven at 300’F and bake for 1 1/4 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
    • For the cream cheese & pistachio mousse:
    • Soak the gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes. In a saucepan, boil the still mineral water with the superfine sugar to a temperature of 250’F. Put the egg yolks in the bowl of a blender. Pour the boiling syrup over the egg yolks, beating at high speed. Beat until the mixture cools.
    • Melt the pistachio paste with the cream cheese in a large bowl over simmering water. Add the confectioners’ sugar, the drained and squeezed gelatin, the beaten egg yolk mixture, and combine. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it in.
    • To assemble and finish the cake:
    • Drain the sour cherries and pat them dry with paper towels. Arrange them over the layer of filling in the pastry ring. Cover with the cream cheese & pistachio mousse and smooth the top with a cake spatula. Freeze for 3 hours.
    • Before serving, unmold the cheesecake by heating the pastry ring with a hair-dryer or kitchen torch. Arrange the cheesecake on a serving platter. Sprinkle the top with the powdered pistachios. Cut the white chocolate into regular or irregular pieces and arrange around the edge of the cheesecake. Top with fresh cherries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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  • http://twitter.com/gastromony Moni M

    Visually stunning :)) I don’t know if could bring myself to cut a slice… yet knowing how delicious it would be, I would find the courage 😀

  • http://www.tasteslikehome.org/ Cynthia

    A mosaic only you can create.

  • http://cookingweekends.blogspot.com/ Gerlinde in Dallas

    A very lovely looking cake!

  • http://lakocinera.blogspot.com/ Kocinera

    That cake looks so beautiful! Such gorgeous colors! I love the white chocolate shards, too. 😀

  • kitchenriffs

    Wow!  Totally gorgeous. Great use of color in your photos.  And you’re right — when you break down the recipe it’s doable for us mere mortals.  Although a bit more complicated than I typically attempt (though I admit I’m not much of a baker).  Thanks for this.

  • Fatemah Alhusayni

    Oh, this looks so delicious.  I actually love dishes that require multiple steps…stretches the fun and makes the end bite so much more tasty! 

  • Dawn Regan

    That is so beautiful.  I wouldn’t want to cut into it and ruin it, but I’m sure it’s delicious. :)

  • Francine Godoy

    Wowww!! Your final result looks even better than the pic of the book! You really have skills! Congrats!

    I will try this to make it for sure!  Thanks for the post!

  • http://www.trimnhealthy.com.au/hcg-diet-faqs where to find hcg drops

    I wonder, If i could fetch it from the above picture, very nice recipe with affordable ingredients. It looks healthy as well as delicious and the cake is looking great. 

  • http://twitter.com/CutSquash Justin Pinkney

    Wow that topping looks absolutely stunning!

  • shirley@Køkken

    This looks gorgeous, Stephane! I had been wondering about this new book… had read a couple of negative reviews on it alluding to some error in measurements or something in the book. How do you find it? 

  • zenchef

    Hi Shirley, I read some negative reviews on the book too but so far all the recipes that I’ve tried have been great. Plus, there’s nothing that common sense cannot fix. :)

  • zenchef

    Thanks, Justin!

  • zenchef

    Thanks a lot!

  • zenchef

    Thank you, Francine. I hope you do. 

  • zenchef

    Thanks Fatemah, I totally agree with you. 

  • zenchef

    Ah well, that’s the hard part but after the first bite you won’t think twice about it. 

  • zenchef

    I think this is a great intermediate recipe for when you feel ready to tackle something a bit more challenging. 

  • zenchef

    haha.. Believe it or not, I did found the courage to cut a slice. 

  • zenchef

    Thank you, Gerlinde. 

  • zenchef

    I hope not! :) 

  • zenchef

    Thank you! Very delicious too. 

  • Yue Cheong

    Absolutely delish!!!

  • Sandra

    Is the sea salt mixed in with the white chocolate?  The recipe doesn’t seem to mention explicitly.

  • zenchef

    Yes, it is! 

  • http://canalcook.wordpress.com/ Canal Cook

    This looks incredibly elegant. I love the pistachio layer, such a vivid colour and great taste.

  • http://www.tastewiththeeyes.com/ Lori Lynn

    Such an elegant beauty. So glad I clicked to look at the cake’s interior. Fabulous!
    LL

  • Kristen

    Gorgeous! Did you use Bronte pistachios? Just wondering because the color is so intense.

  • http://www.ouichefnetwork.com Oui, Chef

    OK, I have to ask.  How many hours did it take you to make this bad boy?  Stunning, as usual.

  • zenchef

    Yes I did use Bronte pistachios! Only the best. :)

  • zenchef

    Steve, this cake is not as labor intensive as it looks. I would say that I spent 1:30 hour the first day and about 30 minutes on the decoration the next day. It’s not very difficult either. 

  • Colette .

    Sour cherries are very special. Called “albaloo” by the Persians, they’re a treasured pantry item and a gorgeous contrast w the pistachio dust.

  • http://www.theactorsdiet.com actorsdiet

    stunning!

  • http://twitter.com/thetomatosnob Jaime Verk Pérez

    Stunning! 

  • Lynn

    I notice that the temperature you give for cooking the cream cheese filling is significantly higher than that given in the book – 300F vs 200F. You also bake it for longer. Given that the book is notoriously full of errors, are these a deliberate amendment on your part? Thanks.

  • zenchef

    Yes, they are adjustments that I made.