Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake いちごチーズケーキ

This is based on a dish called “Strawberry Pretzel Salad” which appears to be popular in the South and Midwest. Although the original name includes “salad” this is clearly a “desert”. Reportedly, this recipe first appeared in “The joys of Jell-O” cookbook published by General Foods in the 1960s. There appear to have been some variations on the original recipe “down-the-road” over time but basically all the variations have a crushed pretzel layer on the bottom, a nice cream cheese layer in the middle topped with a strawberry-flavored Jell-O layer (which is red and clear) covering a layer of fresh strawberry slices.

Since my wife happens to be the Queen of aspic salads and other gelatin concoctions, this was the “cat’s meow” for her. We are in strawberry season and have very good fresh strawberries available. She had already made fresh strawberry puree for her other baking projects, and did not go for using “strawberry-flavored Jell-O”*. So, she made the strawberry gelatin layer from all-natural fresh strawberry puree. Since this layer is made with real strawberry puree, it is not clear like the strawberry flavored Jelly-O so a layer of fresh strawberry slices under the puree would not be visible. She used fresh strawberries as a topping and garnish (picture #1). This is a wonderful desert perfect for strawberry season. Although my wife’s modifications may be sacrilege to the devotees of the traditional Jell-O desert/salad, we really like it.

*Looking into the ingredients that make up strawberry flavored Jell-O we discovered that it does not include anything strawberry except the artificial flavoring.

My wife’s recipe is based on a recipe that appeared in the Washington Post. So as not to offend the people who grew up with their mother’s version of this dessert, she change the name to “Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake”.

Ingredients:
4oz (114 grams) pretzels
1/8 Cup Sugar
6 tbs butter

4 oz cream cheese
¼ Cup sugar
I tsp vanilla
1 cup cream

½ lb fresh strawberries made into puree
1 tsp gelatin
1 1/2 tbs water
1 cup of the resulting strawberry puree.

Directions:
Make the crust:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels and sugar until coarsely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Transfer the
pretzel mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. (I used the square pyrex baking dish). Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press into an even layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust is fragrant and just beginning to brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly, about 20 minutes.

Make the cream cheese filling:
Clean out the food processor. Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and process until smooth, about 5 seconds. Add the heavy cream, pulse a few times to blend with the cream cheese, then process until thickened, about 30 seconds. Do not over process. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the pan to completely cover the pretzels. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the strawberry topping:
Cook the fresh strawberries in a pan on low heat until they get soft and exude liquid. Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked strawberries. Bloom the gelatin in the water in the top of a double boiler, Heat until the gelatin is melted. Add the puree stir until the gelatin and puree are completely blended. Cool to room temperature

Assemble the dessert:
Once the cream cheese filling has become firm pour the room temperature strawberry puree over it Refrigerate uncovered until firmly set, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Cut into rectangles and serve chilled (#2).

We can see why this type of salad/dessert is so popular. It is a great combination of flavors and textures. The pretzel crust provides a crunchy saltiness. The cream cheese layer is very light, slightly sweet and very creamy in texture. (For future reference it would be very useful as a creamy layer for other “desert” dishes. You may see it again in other contexts.) The puree layer adds a nice rich tangy fresh strawberry flavor that is a good contrast to the soft sweetness of the cream cheese layer.