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Welcome to this new show of Les Rencontres du Chef!
Today, I'm delighted to have Eric Léautey for a new recipe.
Hello Philippe. Hello Eric.
So you're going to show us the recipe for a warm starter. Yes, exactly!
We're going to give a savoury twist to a classic dessert... the cheesecake.
So we're going to cook a savoury version
and serve it as a starter.
It could also be served as a main course,
it's only a matter
of quantities.
We're going to prepare these cheesecakes into moulds. I chose this shape called
manqué moulds.
Very convenient, they are made of Exoglass®.
They are not very deep, which allows a quick cooking process
and a great look in a large plate.
This special material ensures an easy release from the moulds
as you will see later.
So for this recipe,
we need various herbs, chervil and chives,
cream cheese with herbs,
ricotta cheese,
one egg,
walnuts that we're going
to crush a little,
crackers that we're also
going to crush,
melted butter
and of course, smoked salmon.
We're going to start with the biscuit base.
This will give a crunchy texture
to this recipe.
Let's place the crackers into a bowl.
Now we're going to
crush them coarsely
using a pestle
or a rolling pin.
It's important to have
a coarse grind with bigger pieces.
This is what gives the cheesecake
this unique crunchy texture.
It's always interesting to have different textures in one preparation.
And it's delicious!
Then let's pour
the melted butter
on the ground crackers
to make the base
that will go at the bottom of the moulds.
So we're now adding
the melted butter
to bind the crackers preparation.
We'll continue
grinding the preparation
a bit,
and we're going to spread the preparation
at the bottom of the moulds.
Let's place some biscuit preparation
at the bottom of each manqué mould.
Like this,
we're going to spread it
to a thickness of about 3 or 4 mm.
Press gently with the back of a fork
to have a regular layer. And we can set it aside.
Later we will pour the cheese preparation on top.
This recipe is very, very easy.
So now the base is ready and reserved.
Let's make the cheese preparation.
In a bowl,
we're going to start by
stirring the ricotta a little.
When the ricotta is softer,
we can add the cream cheese with herbs.
If you wish, you can add some fresh herbs
for more intensity
using chives
or chervil
or even some coriander.
To continue working
with different textures,
we're going to add
crushed walnuts.
I'll use a corner of the chopping board to slice the chives.
We can crush the walnuts
with a knife.
Let's add the chopped herbs
to the ricotta preparation.
I was saying, you can crush the walnuts with a knife,
but you can also use
a rolling pin.
The rolling pin
will create pieces
of a more regular size.
So let's crush the walnuts
by applying a slight pressure
to flatten them.
As you can see on the rolling pin,
this releases the oil from the walnuts.
This will bring extra flavour to our preparation.
It will actually taste like roasted walnuts.
When the walnuts are crushed,
we can add them to
the ricotta preparation.
Easy as a breeze!
It's now time
to add the egg
to the cheese preparation.
A little note
about the egg,
I recommend
beating it first.
Let's crack the egg
into a separate bowl
and make sure
it looks fine,
without any blood spots.
So let's beat the egg
to make it a bit more liquid.
Beat the egg
like you would for an omelette.
For even better results,
I recommend
passing the egg
through a fine sieve
or a fine strainer.
The mesh on the strainer should be very fine.
This also helps
to remove the germs
inside the egg,
as well as any remaining shells.
It is essential for any pastry preparation.
The white tissue inside the egg,
also called 'chalaza',
will also be filtered
for a smoother consistency.
This operation is essential for preparations containing eggs.
And eventually,
we're going to add
the smoked salmon,
good quality, organic salmon
if possible.
Cut the salmon into strips
then pieces and add to the preparation.
Make sure to remove
the fatty bits
(the grey part)
from the fillets.
The salmon pieces
should not be too small
as it will cook quickly. 0:07:22.610,0:07:25.759. Cutting the salmon into large pieces will bring a better texture.
We're also going to reserve
a few strips of salmon
that we will use
for decorating the plate at the end.
The salmon pieces are now incorporated.
The preparation is really smooth.
We're going to preheat the oven
to 150°C (gas 2).
Low temperature cooking
is a method I really like.
It cooks the ingredients gently, without causing the preparation to disintegrate.
We're going to bake this
for 10 or 15 minutes, according to the size of the moulds.
Fill the rest of the moulds
with the cheese preparation.
Distribute the preparation
evenly in each mould
by gently tapping the bottom of the mould
on a flat surface.
This will remove
any air bubbles.
Now let's pour
the rest of the preparation.
According to the size of the moulds,
we can prepare 2 or 4 cheesecakes.
We're making this recipe for two, one for Philippe and one for me!
Let's place the moulds in the oven
at 150°C for 15 minutes.
And we'll be back when the cakes are done...
So, the cheesecakes are now ready.
Cooked through,
but not overdone!
We can see the surface remained pale,
that's due to the low temperature cooking.
The preparation didn't dry out.
To check whether the cakes are sufficiently cooked,
gently insert the blade
of a knife
for a few seconds, and if the blade is clean when you take it out
then the cakes are perfectly cooked.
See, with this special Exoglass material,
the cakes come off really easily.
I've stretched some cling film
onto a big plate.
This allows me
to remove the cakes from the mould
very easily
but also to do it
on a flat surface
without having the curved shape of the plate.
It also prevents the cakes from sticking
to the plate
and makes it easier
to lift.
So we can clearly see the biscuit crust on top,
it is nice
and regular,
with a perfectly golden surface.
We're going to
gently lift
the cakes
with a spatula.
And simply place it
in the centre of the plate.
It is best to place
the biscuit crust
facing up,
for a better tasting experience I think.
A sweet cheesecake is usually served with the crust at the bottom
but we still have the two different textures.
Now, let's add some colour
and contrast
by placing a few salmon pieces on top.
Like every recipe,
the salmon can be replaced with another ingredient
like smoked trout or swordfish,
no problem.
We're now going to decorate
with a few chervil leaves or some dill
lightly sprinkled with olive oil.
Let's place a few leaves first,
selecting the best ones,
for a decoration that is
both simple and sophisticated.
If you wish, you can add some cream,
or even some cream with herbs... cream with dill for example
and serve it in a separate bowl so that we don't have too many ingredients on the plate.
We can prepare it with our herbs
and whipping cream, seasoned with
chopped chives.
I'm just going to serve this cheesecake
with a small side of seasoned herb salad.
For a more graphic effect,
we can pour a dash of balsamic vinegar,
just a little,
on the salad.
Then pour some more vinegar
on the edge of the plate.
Very simple
with a beautiful touch of green colour.
Here is a simple, savoury version
of the traditional cheesecake.
A light recipe, perfect after the festive season
and to indulge at the same time!
Eric, thank you so much for this original recipe!
I hope our followers will enjoy this delicious starter.
I'm sure they will!
All you need to do is to start cooking... and share a family moment!
It really is so easy, so go ahead!
Thank you Eric, I hope to see you again soon on our show.
Thank you very much for the warm welcome!