Orange Mint Cheesecake

Hey you! I hope this blog post finds you well. Today, I am going to be showing you how to make a wonderful orange and mint cheesecake (yum!) This recipe has been wandering around my brain for a few weeks and I am finally writing it down. Another reason I am publishing this recipe is that in HK it is “Orange Season” (what I mean to say is we are getting AMAZING oranges and the fruit is summer-suitable) And the reason I am using mint is that – well it’s fabulous. So for this recipe, I put together this summer’s “trendiest” ingredients to produce a simple yet flavorsome cheesecake. Since this recipe is quite long, I won’t spend too much time talking!

For the crust:
2 graham biscuits (we use Digestive ones)
3 dates (without seeds)
10 – 15 pieces of almonds
5-6 mint leaves
For the filling:
3/4 cup orange pulp
145 grams of cream cheese
35 grams of sugar (take some extra for later)
160 grams of heavy cream
100 grams of water
7 grams of agar-agar
6-7 mint leaves

Take all of the ingredients in the “crust” section above and grind them together until you get a crumbly texture.
Now take a cheesecake-mold and cover the base with aluminum foil.
Next, put the crumbly mixture inside the mold and press it down nicely with either your spoon or hands. Now place the dish inside your fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, let’s prepare the filling. Using a food processer, blend cream cheese and sugar together until it becomes a smooth paste. Set it aside.
Now soak your agar-agar in warm water for 10 minutes.
While you are waiting for you agar-agar to soak, we are going to make an orange and mint puree (which we will later mix into the filling)
Grind your mint leaves and orange pulp together. (If there are a lot of lumps, strain your filling)
Now, take a pot, and pour your filling into it. Put your pot on the stove and turn up the heat to medium flame.
After a few minutes of your puree cooking, add 1 tbsp. sugar and let it cook for 2 minutes.
Now take your pot off the stove and let it cool.
Your agar-agar should now be soaked. Don’t take out the water yet!
Put the bowl that you soaked your agar-agar in (along with the water) on your stove and turn up the heat to medium-flame and leave your agar-agar for cooking for a few minutes.
Now take your agar-agar off the stove, and pour it inside the puree (which should have cooled down by now.) Mix it.
Now let’s take the filling that we set aside before (the cream cheese and sugar one) and mix it together with the puree (orange, mint & agar-agar one). Make sure you use a blender! Set this filling aside.
Now take your heavy cream and whip it until you get a peak. (If your heavy cream doesn’t contain sugar make sure you add 2 tsp. icing sugar, we are using a heavy cream that already has sugar)
Now fold your whipped heavy cream and the filling we set aside before together.
Now take out your crust from the fridge and stuff the mixture we just folded inside it until it perfectly reaches to the top of your mold.
Use a knife to smoothen the top. Now put your cheesecake in the fridge for 2 hours to let it set.
After 2 hours, when you want to take our cheesecake out of the mold use gentle hands otherwise it may break!
Your cheesecake is ready!