Recipe: Date Cheesecake

Innovative recipe using dates

If eating plain dates is boring, you can also add this juicy fruit to different recipes. Chef Parag Joglekar tells you how to make date cheesecake.

For the dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cups of water
1/3 cup butter or margarine — cut into pieces
3 eggs 

For the filling:
6 tablespoons cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
1 egg white
1 cup chopped dates
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon peel

For the topping:
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

- For the dough, combine 1 cup of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Heat water and butter until very warm (120o to 130oF) and add to these ingredients while beating them together. Add 2 eggs and stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic.

- For the date cheese filling, beat 12 ounces cream cheese, add sugar and egg white and beat until smooth. Stir in chopped dates, all-purpose flour and grated lemon peel.

- Divide the dough in half and roll each portion into 12 x 7 inch rectangle. Place it on two greased baking sheets. Spread half of date cheese filling over the centre of each rectangle and fold the dough at an angle across filling. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 30 to 45 minutes.

- Beat the remaining egg and brush it on dough.

- If desired, sprinkle crumb topping prepared by combining flour, sugar and stirring it in butter or margarine.

- Bake at 375oF for 30 to 35 minutes.