Cheesecake – Rhubarb, Lemon, Bay Leaf

Modernist Chef Russell Karath delights us again with an incredible cheesecake with great presentation and flavors. Cheesecake base cream, bay leaf ice cream, lemon curd, rhubarb in three textures (gel, ribbons and compote), Graham cracker crumbles and garnished with micro tarragon.

Cheesecake Ingredients

- 600 g cream cheese

- 2 g lemon oil

- lemon zest from 1 lemon

- 1/2 vanilla bean

- 180 g sugar

- 90 g milk

- 3 gelatin sheets

- 20 g cornstarch

- 39 g egg

Rhubarb Gel Ingredients

- 1/2 kg Rhubarb  puree

- 50 g water

- 50 g sugar

- 4.5 g agar

Lemon Curd Ingredients

- 150 g lemon juice

- 125 g sugar

- lemon zest from 2 lemons

- 0.15 g citric acid

- 150 g eggs

- 175 g butter

- 1/2 gelatin sheet

Graham Cracker Crumble Ingredients

- 340 g butter

- 140 g brown sugar

- 112 g sugar

- 57.5 g honey

- 196 g AP flour

- 140 g cake flour

- 140 g whole wheat flour

- Salt to taste

- 1 Tbs. baking soda

- 1 tsp. cinnamon

Bay Leaf Ice Cream Ingredients

- 1000 g milk

- 1000 g cream

- Bay leafs to taste

- 3 g salt

- 225 g dextrose

- 150 g sugar

- 82.5 g glucose powder

- 10 g ice cream stabilizer

Garnishes

- Micro Tarragon

- Rhubarb compote

- Rhubarb ribbons

Preparation

Modernist Cheesecake

1- Paddle cream cheese, sugar, lemon oil, zest, and vanilla bean until smooth.

2- Heat ½ milk and add gelatin.

3- Slurry the other ½ milk with cornstarch and paddle in both.

4- Paddle in eggs.

5- Steam in a water bath 200 °F for 2.5 hours (covered with aluminum foil).

6- Once cool, paddle the cheesecake base smooth and pass through a chinoise.

7- Reserve in a piping bag with a straight tip.

Rhubarb Gel

1- Weigh agar on precision scale.

2- Whisk agar into water and bring to a slight boil.

3- Add puree and sugar.

4- Bring mix to a full boil while whisking constantly for 30 seconds.

5- Pour into a shallow hotel pan and reserve in the fridge until set.

6- Once completely set and cooled, blend smooth and pass through a chinoise.

7- If you have a vacuum chamber, use it to take any air bubbles out of the gel and reserve in the fridge until needed.

Lemon Curd

1- Cook lemon juice, sugar, zest, citric acid, and eggs over low heat.

2- Let mix come to a slight boil (1 or 2 bubbles).

3- Pass through a chinoise into a blender.

4- Blend in gelatin and butter.

5- Pour curd out into a shallow hotel pan and cover directly with plastic and cool in the fridge.

Graham Cracker Crumble

1- Cream butter, sugar, brown sugar and honey.

2- Add dry ingredients and paddle smooth.

3- Bake at 325 °F until golden brown.

4- Once cool, process in a food processor and reserve in an airtight container.

Bay Leaf Ice Cream

1- Cold infuse bay leaf into the milk and cream, let rest 24 hours.

2- Pass the bay leafs out and heat milk and cream.

3- Whisk in dextrose, sugar, and glucose powder.

4- Once mix comes to a slight boil whisk in stabilizer.

5- Pass the base through a chinoise and ice bath.

6- Spin in the ice cream machine once cool.

Enjoy this modernist cuisine dessert! Thanks Chef Karath for sharing this recipe with us.