Cheers to a new Friendship!!! Blueberry Cheesecake for Nachiketa ~ By my Guest Gauri

This is my celebrations for reaching 200 blog posts.... A lot of you will wonder, why am I not making something fancy to celebrate it. Getting to the 200th post has been a journey full of wonderful people who walked with me in life and some joined me thru the blog world.

So I thought of having an event called 'Celebrations' where I would open out my blog to some of my friends who would share some parts of their journey with me as Guest Posts......

My guest today is Gauri. She's less Shuchi's cousin and more a friend now. Have known her over the years but the last few months have seen us bond like no other chemical reaction... [Terrible Pj.. I know]. She's so forthcoming, gregarious and fun to be with. Her super creativity obviously makes her associated with the advertising profession.

Her reputation as a baker precedes her in any gathering.... This was the first time I tasted her Chocolate Cake... being the calorie counting person that I am, won't eat dessert for the heck of it[why? cause I need to watch the calorie meter]... But t-h-i-s cake... 1 bite and I was sold.... I couldn't stop till I finished all that was in front of me....[Read, H-U-G-E helping] It was absolutely amazing [Should ask her to share the recipe on her blog... what's the url? we are trying to get her to start one...SOON]. At Shuchi's place she treated us to her famous Blueberry Cheesecake... Drooooooooolllllll... Was so yummy.... had to close my eyes n relish it......[Recipe below]. Thanks for sharing it.

Our umbrella girl has a lovely garden in her tastefully done up home. She's uses fresh produce in her kitchen and grows her own herbs like parsley, mint, basil and oregano. Someone who bakes her own Bread.... Bow down... Bread is still uncharted territory for me.... the first n singular attempt was a futile flop for me. I need to take lessons from her.

She's married to Kartick... [total techno geek material, nice guy, fun to be with :) ]. They make such a lovely couple. He even makes her breakfast occasionally...... Am going to invite myself over soon.... :)
Hoping to see your blog soon....

A small something for the Indian readers of Gauri.... She will select 1 lucky commenter to win complimentary meal vouchers of Mist at The park, CP, New Delhi. It's inspired by the element of water, a 24 hour dining restaurant. So be sure to leave a note at the end of this post with your location. Readers in other countries can share the same with anyone in proximity of the restaurant.

Gauri Writes.....

"Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable." Ina Garten, 'The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook'

- Thats what this wonderful girl does to all of us !!!

I have known Nachiketa now for almost 8 years, but only as Shuchi’s (my cousin) bum chum buddy. We met a couple of times at Shuchi’s parties or family gatherings limiting our conversations to ‘polite conversations’.

However it was Shuchi’s birthday this year when I discovered a new friend in Nachi.
We were all out partying and celebrating Shuchi’s birthday……..Awe, such a ball we had, and by the end of those rolling 3 hours, Nachi and I had mutual admiration for the Chef in us.

A couple of drinks and some appetizing recipe exchanges did the trick. She’s a gem to cherish, bubbly, strong headed, amazingly gorgeous, full of warmth, wonderful fun loving person.

Nachi’s was one of the first blogs I started reading and frequenting. Love the way she weaves a story around the most simple things in life…….Simply beautiful!!!
She is a great source of inspiration for a non blogger like me who’s never confident with what I write….. (just like right now) and is always full of encouragement for everyone.
She not only writes well but also bakes well. I do refer to her blog every time I want to try out a new recipe. Nachi is someone who is open and honest about her recipes, she shares whole heartedly. I love this thing about her………..like she says…… “why hide!!!” I agree with you Nachi, we owe it to the very ‘Art of Cooking’ that we spread and share correct knowledge…..after all we have also learnt it from someone……whoever…… a book, a cookery show cookery class or our mothers or grandmothers.

When Nachi asked me to write a blog post for her 200th Post Celebrations, I was quite excited and felt honoured…….

Congratulations on your 200th Post Nachi……
Happy Blogging Always……….
Love you loads !!!


Blueberry Cheesecake
I have tried many variations of the blueberry cheesecake. This is my own variation / adaptation and by far is the most appreciated version. Like my best critic (my husband) would say this is the most yummilicious version with the right balance of tanginess and sweet and the just the right texture. It feels creamy but at the same time not heavy.

Ingredients:
Base
20 Digestive Biscuits
4 tbsp Melted Butter
8-9” Diameter loose bottom cake tin

Cheesecake
500g Cream (I use Amul cream)
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
6 tbsp of Cream Cheese (Homemade, which is essentially hung curd)
5 tsp Gelatine soaked in about ½ cup water
Juice of I fresh lemon
1tsp Vanilla Extract

Topping
½ bottle or about 5-6 tbsp of blueberry jam
2 tbsp of cornflour

Procedure
1. Grind the digestive biscuits to a coarse powder.
2. Add the butter and mix well. Spread this mixture on the base of the loose bottom cake tin. Press well with the back of a spoon or a katori. Keep in the fridge to set for an hour.
3. Soak gelatin in ½ cup water and heat it till it dissolves completely. Make sure the gelatin DOES NOT come to a boil. Keep aside.
4. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. To it add the lemon juice and vanilla extract. One the mixture becomes nice and creamy, add the amul cream and beat well with a hand mixer. Now add the gelatin and mix well again, till the gelatin blends in completely.
5. Pour over the biscuit base and keep in the fridge for 3-4 hours to set.
6. Topping: Mix cornflour with ¼ cup water. Keep aside.

In a pan heat the blueberry jam, add the cornflour and mix well. Keep the flame low and keep mixing till the jam thickens slightly.
Pour this mix over the already set cheesecake. Spread it evenly and let it set for another 3 hours.