Oh cheese! One of our favorite additions to any meal Whether it is a huge pizza or a bowl of creamy pasta, just a sprinkle of cheese makes it all better. But if you have a sweet tooth and still want to indulge in your love for cheese, here are some mouth-watering "cheesy" sweets!
• Cheesecake:
This famous sweet consists of one or more layers of varying types. The base or crust includes crushed cookies, graham crackers, or sponge cake. The main layer has a mixture of a soft fresh cheese, typically cottage cheese, cream cheese, or ricotta, mixed with eggs and sugar. It can be baked, left unbaked, or refrigerated. It is sweetened with sugar and can also be flavored in different ways. Many flavors, like vanilla, spices, lemon, chocolate, and so on, are added to the main cheese layer.
• Kunafa:
Kunafa is an extremely royal Middle-Eastern dessert that has a stuffing of cream cheese and mozzarella cheese and is topped with sugar syrup and pistachios. The spun pastry, called "kataifi," is soaked in a sweet sugar-based syrup called "attar" and finally layered with cheese. Other substitutions include clotted cream, pistachios, or nuts, depending on the region.
• Rasmalai:
This dessert originating from eastern India is certainly well known. Called "Rossomalai" in Bengali, this dish incorporates flattened balls of "chenna" (a type of Indian cottage cheese) soaked in clotted cream (malai) and flavoured with cardamom. The balls are then cooked in milk with saffron, pistachios, and kheer as stuffing. The origin of this sweet is almost impossible to find; however, there are varying stories. The grandsons of KC Das claim that it was invented by their grandfather in Kolkata, while the Sen brothers of Comilla claim to be the original makers of the dessert.
• Chena Poda:
The name of this cheese dessert from the state of Odisha literally means baked cheese in the Odia language. It is made of well-kneaded chenna, sugar, and semolina and baked until it turns brown. It is known for being one of the Indian desserts whose flavor is primarily derived from the caramelization of sugar.
• Kalakand:
This Indian milk dessert was invented by a novice sweet maker in Alwar, Rajasthan, and the more famous version originated in Koderma, Bihar. It is made with paneer (or cottage cheese), full-fat milk, sugar, and cardamom, and topped with various nuts. It is commonly served as individual square-shaped treats. It is unquestionably one of the most popular sweets in Indian mithai shops.
• Rasgulla:
Roshogulla, a Bengali's dream come true, is also made from cheese. It is a syrupy dessert made from chenna (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough and cooked in light sugar syrup. This process is done until the syrup is completely absorbed into the dumplings. It can be easily prepared using a pressure cooker or an oven. While serving, a drop of organic and edible rose water can be added to further enhance the flavor and taste of these delectable rasgullas.
• Sandesh:
This Bengali delicacy is probably the easiest one to prepare. All you need is one cup of ricotta cheese and half a cup of sweetened condensed milk. Mix it all together and cook on a low-to-medium flame until the mixture starts to separate from the pan. Once cooled, just grease your hands with ghee, make flat balls, and enjoy!
With advancements in modern cuisine, many traditional desserts are being modified to meet the cheesy taste buds of the public. Here are a few classics that can be "cheesified":
• Mousse:
Mousse is a soft food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. Most sweet mousses are made with whipped egg whites and cream and then flavored with chocolate, coffee, fruits, or various herbs and spices. But some variations use ricotta cheese to create a soft, creamy, and rich flavor with a subtle tang.
• Tart:
Tart is a shortcrust pastry consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top. The filling can be either sweet or savory. However, some modern tarts, like mousses, make use of cream cheese or any other cheese variation to bring out that tangy flavor.
Cheese-based sweets remind me of George R.R. Martin’s words, "Give me a good sharp knife and a good sharp cheese, and I’m a happy man." Terri Guillemets concurs with Martin: "Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen—a happily-ever-after to supper." Food has no boundaries, and there are few actual cooking rules. I mean, do you care as long as a certain food tastes great? So go ahead and mix your favorite cheese with your dessert of choice. Who knows, you might come up with something as delicious as the sweets mentioned above!