Smoked Trout Cheesecake

To prepare this smoked trout cheesecake recipe, start by preparing all the ingredients.

Biscuit: Place the savoury crackers in a food processor...

...and blend them finely.

Add the Espelette pepper.

For this recipe, I used the ginger powder from my selection.

Add the ground ginger to the bowl...

...and blend again.

Pour the melted butter...

...and blend to incorporate it well.

Add the extra virgin olive oil...

...and blend until homogeneous.

This is what the result should look like.

Line the inside of 4 mousse rings Ø 8cm with an acetate strip.

Divide the cheesecake biscuit mixture into 4, distributing it evenly among the 4 stainless steel rings.

Take a round stainless steel pusher to level the surface of the cheesecake biscuit...

...and press to make it compact.

All four biscuit bases are ready.

Cream: Mix the gelatin powder with the hydration water (tap water or mineral water) and let it hydrate for 15 minutes. Then take the candied lemon and cut it into thin slices.

After removing the seeds, cut each slice into strips and each strip into small cubes.

Chop these small cubes of candied lemons to achieve a finer texture.

Pour the Philadelphia cheese...

...and the Saint Môret cheese into a mixing bowl.

Mix these two ingredients together using a spatula.

Add the finely chopped chives using a pair of scissors.

Heat the whipping cream in the microwave for a few seconds until it is barely steaming, and add the hydrated gelatin. Mix carefully to dissolve the gelatin in the cream completely.

Add the cream and gelatin mix to the cream cheese...

...and mix vigorously with a whisk until smooth and homogeneous.

If necessary, chop some more chives.

Add the chopped candied lemons.

Season with Espelette pepper and fine salt...

...and mix with a spatula.

Transfer the cheesecake cream into a piping bag. Here, there is no need to use a piping tip.

Fill the mousse rings up to 1/3.

Place the slices of smoked trout flat on a cutting board. Use a round cutter Ø 8cm to cut out 8 disks of smoked trout.

Place a disk of smoked trout in each stainless steel ring on top of the cheesecake cream.

Pipe the remaining cheesecake cream over the trout disks.

Cover the cream with a second disc of smoked trout...

...pressing lightly with your fingertips to create an even surface.

Take the round stainless steel pusher...

...and press gently to level each cheesecake.

This is what the result should look like.

Cover the mousse rings with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until firm.

Finish: When ready to serve, remove the stainless steel rings from the fridge and take off the cling film.

Gently release the cheesecakes from the rings. The acetate strip should facilitate the operation.

Here are the cheesecakes out of the rings.

Carefully remove the acetate...

...and slide a mini cranked spatula along the sides...

...as shown in the photo.

Finely chop a few sprigs of chives directly above the surface of the cheesecake...

...and sprinkle pink berries (crushed a little beforehand).

Arrange each cheesecake in a serving plate.

These delicious smoked trout cheesecakes are ready to serve.
For optimal freshness, this recipe should be made on the day (I advise against preparing it the day before). Bon appétit!