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Rhubarb Fool Cheesecake | ZoeBakes by Zoë François

Strawberry Rhubarb Fool Cheesecake

This Strawberry Rhubarb Fool Cheesecake was a happy mistake. You know how they say you learn from your failures? Well, I was going for a tourteau fromage and it went wrong in a big way.
Course: Dessert

Ingredients

Pastry Crust

  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 125 g unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4+ tbsp water

Cheesecake Batter

  • 250 g fresh goat cheese or 225g cream cheese + 25g mascarpone*
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 5 eggs separated
  • 30 g potato starch**
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 vanilla bean split and scraped

Strawberry Topping

  • 680 g 1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch

Rhubarb Fool

  • 454 g (1 pound) fresh or frozen rhubarb cut into 1" long pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tbsp confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • Freeze-dried strawberries for dusting over the top
  • Fresh strawberries for top

Instructions

To make the cheesecake crust

  • Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and butter, until it resembles coarse corn meal. Add enough water until it just holds together when squeezed together. Work the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces (depends on the size of your bowls) and form them into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Can be made 2 days ahead.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly butter three (1/2-Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl).
  • Allow chilled dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling or it may crack. Use a small amount of flour to roll the dough to 1/16-inch-thick circle. Gently press into a lightly buttered metal bowl. Dock the dough with a fork and bake until dough looks dry and golden.

To make the cheesecake batter

  • Turn the oven up to 400°F.
  • In a large bowl mix the cheese, 150g sugar and salt with a spoon or whisk. Add the yolks one at a time, blending well between each. Whip the egg whites with the tablespoon sugar until medium peaks (don't over whip or they will not fold into the cheese smoothly). Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
  • Divide the batter into the baked crust filled bowls. Bake on a baking sheet for about 50-60 minutes. The outer crust will be quite dark and domed, but will collapse as it finishes its baking. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out of the bowl and continue to cool completely.

To make the strawberry sauce

  • In a large saucepan cook the strawberries, sugar and salt until the fruit is soft. Blend together the remaining sugar and cornstarch, then stir it gently into the strawberries. Gently stir and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes or until the juices are clear. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Can be made days ahead.

To make the rhubarb fool

  • Make this right as you are going to assemble the dessert.
  • Spread the rhubarb on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until the rhubarb is just tender. This will take about 30 minutes if frozen and may take longer if using fresh. Allow to cool to room temperature. Can be made days ahead.
  • Whip the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla on medium low speed until soft peaks. Remove from mixer and finish to medium peaks by hand so you don't over mix. Place half the cream in a separate bowl and fold in the rhubarb.

Assembly

  • Divide the strawberry sauce between the cheesecakes. Top with the rhubarb fool, doming it in the center over the strawberries. (you could leave it just like this, as you see in the photo above, for a more rustic version) or Top with the remaining plain whipped cream. Smooth the sides. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving, this will allow you to cut them without them falling apart.
  • Just before serving, grind the dried strawberries in a coffee grinder and dust the tops. Place a strawberry on top to serve.

Notes

*the goat cheese version is traditional and wonderful, but quite strong in flavor. You could always do a smaller portion of goat cheese and make up the rest with cream cheese. Since I am no longer going for the authentic recipe, you have permission to change the cheese as you see fit.
**you can also use corn or tapioca