Flea Market Finds - Passionfruit Cheese Slice - 1 - $ - V

My Flea Market Find this week is an absolute gem! The Australian Women's Weekly 100 Fabulous Cheesecakes cookbook - for the bargain price of $2 from the Salvos on Chapel Street.
On further inspection I thought I had been ripped off because the inside cover showed an asking price of $1 written in lead pencil BUT the next page showed another pencil price of $2.99 so I am happy to go with the split-the-difference two bucks.

When I flipped through the pages of this comprehensive guide to cheese-based desserts I was delighted to find a flyer for a 'handsome recipe box' valued at $6.00 that could be mine free if I was OK about 'examining' the first set of recipe cards. I really want to post it and see if I can still score the recipe card holder even though the offer was printed in 1971.

I was also delighted to see how to make an old-school biscuit base with some smashed up biscuits, melted butter and a glass. I was instantly transported back to my mum's kitchen: standing on a chair in order to the reach the table, wearing a massive apron and helping make a non-baked cheesecake (lemon flavoured being my mum's signature dish that was only busted out on special occasions).

This book basically has 4 recipes and then you just change the hero ingredient to come up with 100 variations. It's genius!

The following is my favourite cheesecake slice recipe - one of the 16 slices rounding out a century of cheesecakes fabulousness. There's a conversion chart over here should you need it.

Ingredients - Passionfruit Cheese Slice


Crumb Crust
6 oz. coconut biscuits
3 oz. butter

Topping
8 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tsp vinegar (oh yes, you read right)
1 dessertspoon gelatine or agar-agar (the latter my modern addition)
3/4 cup cream
4 passionfruit

For the crust: Crush biscuits and combine with melted butter. Press mixture onto the base of a 7 inch x 11 inch slice tin, lined with foil. Refrigerate until firm.

Topping: Soften gelatine or agar-agar in water according to packet directions. Sieve cheeses and beat together until smooth. Add condensed milk, lemon juice and rind, gelatine/agar-agar and vinegar. Continue to beat until creamy and fold in whipped cream.
Very carefully fold in the pulp of two passionfruits and then pour the mixture onto the crumb base, spreading out evenly and smoothly.
Spread the pulp of the remaining passionfruits on top and then refrigerate until set.
Cut into slices, pour some Crème de menthe and serve after the fondue.

Enjoy!