Lemon Cheese Cake, Citrus-Praline Ganach, Raspberries and black sea salt

Now I know that cheese cake ae popular, especially here in Dubai and in the States. I think I have tried many variations over the years, some of them outrages in flavor. My favorit would be Green Tea Cheese cake or any cheese cake made with citrus fruits. Here I have chosen a simple Lemon Cheese cake but added a twist. Normaly one would expect some lemon jelly or even lemon confit but I always loved sour and chocolate. That is why I made a Praline citrus ganach to top the cake in the dish and added some ripe raspberries, dusted with icing sugar, green tea powder and some black sea salt.

The type of cheese not only affects texture and taste but the ability to incorporate certain types of ingredients. When cheesecake batter is too thin, many cheesecakes will not be structurally sound and fall apart at the table. One way to get around this is to use unflavored gelatin or a little cornstarch beaten with the eggs.

A common difficulty with baking cheesecakes is its tendency to “crack” when cooled. This is due to the coagulation of the beaten eggs in its batter. There are various methods to prevent this. One method is to bake the cheesecake in a hot water bath to ensure even heating. Other methods include blending a little cornstarch into the batter or baking the cheesecake at a lower temperature and slow cooling it in the oven, turned off, with the door ajar. If these methods fail, a common practice is to cover the top of the cheesecake with toppings such as fruit, whipped cream, or cookie crumbs.

Another common problem, particularly with baked cheesecakes, is that the biscuit base becomes too soft. For extra crunch, replace around a quarter of the crushed biscuits with Grape Nuts.

Many types of cheesecake are essentially custards, which can lead a novice baker to overcook them, expecting them to behave like true cakes.

A sour cream-style cheesecake uses close to a 1:1 volume ratio of cream cheese to sour cream to make the traditional texture that crumbles like a good roquefort cheese with a distinctive sunken center and a golden-colored top from the Maillard reaction. An extra egg white brushed on the top can achieve the same effect in less time if you desire the cheesecake to be “gooey” when set.

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Splash!

Just imagine; a glass of cold cows milk! Nothing better than what nature provides us. I always loved cold milk, guess coming from Switzerland with all those happy cows, growing up with milk was natural. Still to these days I love a glass of milk. I remember as a small boy going down to the village milk store with my little tin bucket with a lid to buy some fresh milk in the early evenings when the farmer brought in the milk to be collected. Those days no one heard of milk in bottles or even Tetra pack.
I received the other day an e-mail which concerned me. I did know that some Asian could not process milk lactose but I did not know how wide this was spread in some other communities!

More and more people from all regional backgrounds suffer from allergies and food sensitivities. Since I am concerned myself I realize how many people even among our colleagues are concerned. Gluten intolerance is common in up to 15% of the world population, with a high concentration in Europe and North America. About 75% of the world population is lactose intolerant, with almost 100% in Asia and Africa, and 5 – 20% in Europe. That gives some indication how many of our guests might be concerned.

Both lactose and gluten are often used in industrial processed food. The food industry in Europe and America is reacting with more and more products specifically labeled “lactose / gluten free”, which makes life for those suffering from the allergies much easier. Eating out, however, is quite challenging. Menus in restaurants are often rather nondescript, no indication on ingredients for dishes on buffets, and service staff rarely know the exact ingredients of a meal. Having to ask for allergy information before ordering is sometimes an ordeal for the guests.

·         specific dishes, free of gluten and lactose (gluten free bread for breakfast, cakes, lactose and gluten free sauce etc.)

·         easy to obtain allergy information for all dishes on the menu

·         simple symbols (some are internationally used on food products) in menus and on buffet labels, indicating “lactose-free” “dairy-free” “gluten-free”…

·         lactose free milk for coffee/tea as an option

 

Being in Dubai, we could benefit from the use of camel milk, as this is naturally lactose free. There is also lactose free cow’s milk in the market, European dairy producers offer a whole range of lactose free products.

Glass of cold Milk!

Studies suggest that milk consumption may increase the risk of suffering from certain health problems. Cow milk allergy (CMA) is as an immunologically mediated adverse reaction to one or more cow milk proteins. Rarely is it severe enough to cause death.Milk contains casein, a substance that breaks down in the human stomach to produce casomorphin, an opioid peptide. In the early 1990s it was hypothesized that casomorphin can cause or aggravate autism, and casein-free diets are widely promoted. Studies supporting these claims have had significant flaws, and the data are inadequate to guide autism treatment recommendations. Studies described in the book The China Study note a correlation between casein intake and the promotion of cancer cell growth when exposed to carcinogens. However other studies have shown whey protein offers a protective effect against colon cancer.
A study demonstrated that men who drink a large amount of milk and consume dairy products were at a slightly increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease; the effect for women was smaller. The reason behind this is not fully understood, and it also remains unclear why there is less of a risk for women. Several sources suggest a correlation between high calcium intake (2000 mg per day, or twice the US recommended daily allowance, equivalent to six or more glasses of milk per day) and prostate cancer. A large study specifically implicates dairy, i.e., low-fat milk and other dairy to which vitamin A palmitate has been added. A review published by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research states that at least eleven human population studies have linked excessive dairy product consumption and prostate cancer, however randomized clinical trial data with appropriate controls only exists for calcium, not dairy produce, where there was no correlation. Medical studies have also shown a possible link between milk consumption and the exacerbation of diseases such as Crohn’s Disease, Hirschsprung’s disease–mimicking symptoms in babies with existing cow milk allergies, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease in infants and children hypersenstitive to milk,[citation needed] and the aggravation of Behçet’s disease.

Bovine growth hormone supplementation
Since November 1993, with FDA approval, Monsanto has been selling recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST), also called rBGH, to dairy farmers. Cows produce bovine growth hormone naturally, but many producers administer additional rBGH because it increase milk production. Bovine growth horome also stimulates liver production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). If rbST-treated cows produced milk with higher levels of IGF1 this would be of medical concern, because IGF1 stimulates cancer growth in humans. Elevated levels of IGF1 in human blood has been linked to increased rates of breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Testing has shown that milk from cows given rBGH does not contain more IGF1 than milk from cows that were not given rBGH. No study has indicated that consumption of rBST-produced milk increases IGF1 levels in humans, nor has any study demonstrated an increased risk of any disease between those consuming rBST and non-rBST produced milk. However, many groups remain concerned. The EU has recommended against Monsanto milk. On June 9, 2006 the largest milk processor in the world and the two largest supermarkets in the United States–Dean Foods, Wal-Mart, and Kroger–announced that they are “on a nationwide search for rBGH-free milk.” Milk from cows given rBST may be sold in the United States, and the FDA stated that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-treated and that from non-rBST-treated cows. Milk that advertises that it comes from cows not treated with rBST is required to state this finding on its label.
Cows receiving rBGH supplements may more frequently contract an udder infection known as mastitis. Problems with mastitis have led to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan banning milk from rBST treated cows. Mastitis, among other diseases, may be responsible for the fact that levels of white blood cells in milk vary naturally. Although not considered a human health issue by most authorities, a minority of scientists believe that these cells could contribute to the transmission of bovine paratubeculosis to humans. The existing empirical evidence is largely inconclusive.

Lactose intolerance
Main article: lactose intolerance
Lactose, the disaccharide sugar component of all milk must be cleaved in the small intestine by the enzyme lactase in order for its constituents (galactose and glucose) to be absorbed. The production of this enzyme declines significantly after weaning in all mammals. Consequently, many humans become unable to properly digest lactose as they mature. There is a great deal of variance, with some individuals reacting badly to even small amounts of lactose, some able to consume moderate quantities, and some able to consume large quantities of milk and other dairy products without problems. When an individual consumes milk without producing sufficient lactase, they may suffer diarrhea, intestinal gas, cramps and bloating, as the undigested lactose travels through the gastrointestinal tract and serves as nourishment for intestinal microflora who excrete gas, a process known as anaerobic respiration.
Lactose intolerance is a natural process and there is no reliable way to prevent or reverse it. Lactase is readily available in pill form, and many individuals can use it to briefly increase their tolerance for dairy products.

Ethical concerns
Vegans and some vegetarians do not consume milk for a variety of reasons. They may object to the treatment of cattle or to separating the mother and calf, veal production, and slaughter of “used” cows.

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