Green Tea Cheesecake

140g (2/3 cup) fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
Hint: Eggs separate easier when they're cold, but the whites whip better at room temperature.
1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1/2 tsp white vinegar or 1/2 tsp lemon juice
100 ml (3/8 cup) milk
6 green tea bags
50g (1/2 stick) butter
250g (1 8-oz. package + 1 tbsp) cream cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
60g (3/7 cup) cake flour
Hint: 1 cup cake flour equals 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons, and then add in 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
20g (1/4 cup) corn starch
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper. If using a springform pan, line the outside with foil so the batter doesn't leak out. Scald the milk in a saucepan. Do not let the milk boil, or it will make the tea bitter. The ideal temperature is 180 F. Pour the milk in a cup and steep the tea for for 2-3 minutes. Remove the tea bags and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk-tea mixture over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Combine the flour, corn starch and salt in a small bowl. To the cream cheese mixture, fold in the flour mixture, egg yolks, 1 tbsp lemon juice and mix until smooth. If lumps remain at this stage, they will not come out later. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar (or vinegar or lemon juice) until foamy. Add in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Lighten the cheese mixture by mixing it with 1/3 of the egg white mixture. Add the rest of the egg white mixture to the cheese mixture and gently fold. The batter should be well combined. Bake cheesecake in a water bath (the water should be warm but not boiling) for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown. Serving suggestion: garnish with a scoop of lychee sherbet (my favorite combination!), red bean ice cream, green tea ice cream, or mango sorbet.

MAIN MENU