Curry Cheesecake Is The Perfect Blend Of Sweet And Savory

Was there ever so playful a duo as sweet and savory? The give-and-take culinary relationship has delighted extensively within the dessert realm, producing everything from chocolate-dipped pretzels to capriotada. It's even widely known in non-desserts like salsas, salads, and fried chicken dishes. Yet there is still some seldom-charted territory left in the sweet-savory realm. Case in point? Curry cheesecake.

This unexpected dish is a fantastic and unconventional way to unite sweet and savory. Traditional cheesecake can be a lot on the palette, producing a cloying, sickly effect without any counterbalance (other than the occasional raspberry drizzle) to rein it in. Curry powder, the British interpretation of a spice mix hailing from the Indian subcontinent, is just the ingredient to do some reining. Indian flavors and cheese, as well as the other potential components of cheesecake like fruit, have a long history of compatibility, as in the case of paneer. As curry powder embodies the best of both savory (thanks to its turmeric, bay leaf, and cumin) and sweet (thanks to clove and cinnamon), it's not a total blindside to the sweet composition of cheesecake. Curry cheesecake is a nuanced, more dynamic dessert because of its contrasts and complements.

Although this doesn't seem like the kind of dessert upgrade to take a blind stab at, curry cheesecake thankfully need be no more difficult than adding and adjusting spices. This classic New York-style cheesecake recipe is a great foundation upon which to experiment; try mixing in some curry powder — between a teaspoon and a tablespoon — to the cheese mixture, or the crust. Or to experiment with a more playful cheesecake recipe, try baking these mini-fig cheesecakes and instead of sprinkling the finished product with raw crushed pistachios, you can give them a curry roast for a small boost of savory.

Adding ingredients cooked in curry is, on the whole, a great way to add this savory element to your cheesecake. Baked or roasted curried fruit will make an excellent accompaniment to various cheesecake dishes, or you can add some curry-roasted pepitas on top of this recipe for pumpkin cheesecake. If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, check out this guide on what to keep in mind when using curry powder in desserts.