Hoppo Bumpo (n): A children's game. Played by folding one's arms and hopping on one leg. Aim is to bump opponents, so that they lose their balance. Last person standing wins.


November 29, 2008

A no-bake cheesecake (with free personality test)



Before I took leave of absence from the business world, I worked in corporate training - a field which is rather fond of classifying people. There were multitudes of tests and inventories for personality and behaviour.

These days - left to my own domestic devices - I have developed my own classification, which uses the CM test.

I propose that there are just two types of people in the world: those who like neat condensed milk and those who think they'd rather pull out their own finger nails than drink that sweet muck.

My theory is of course grounded in solid scientific work. Yes, I tried it out on Argy and Bargy at breakfast this morning. Indeed the CM test shows that those two boys are like chalk and cheese. "More, please" said Argy in a scene fitting of Oliver. Bargy, on the other hand, simply shuddered violently.

So this week's recipe is dedicated to those of you in the condensed milk camp. For those of you who are not, don't touch your fingernails yet - you might be pleasantly surprised. The flavour in this lovely dessert really is very subtle. This stand-back-and-throw recipe is based on one from my mum and is the quickest and easiest cheesecake that I know of.

To start, I threw a block of cream cheese (250g/8oz) into the microwave oven and nuked it for 30 seconds. Next I tossed it into the bowl of my mixer, squelched in a tin of condensed milk (375g/) 13oz) and beat the mixture on a medium setting. In the meantime I crunched up some biscuits/cookies (175g/6.5oz) into fine crumbs, sloshed in some melted butter (about 100g/3.5oz, but this will depend on the biscuits you have used) and then pressed the lot it into the bottom of a spring-form tin. Finally I added the secret setting agent, 1/3 cup lemon juice, to the mixture. (If the weather is exceptionally hot, you may also like to add a teaspoon or two of gelatine fully dissolved in a little boiling water.) Finally, I emptied the mixture over the biscuit base, evened out the top, covered it and popped it in the fridge for a few hours. I decorated this cheesecake with some halved strawberries, which I then glazed using a little warm, sieved jam. Easy and delicious.

Note: And if you ever see a woman in your workplace, purporting to be running training and holding a tin of condensed milk, you should be very suspicious.

19 comments:

  1. Seriously? People don't like neat condensed straight out of the tin? How odd!

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  2. I'm definitely in the "More, Please" camp.

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  3. OK here's a confession - I've never tried it so don't know which camp I am in.
    That said, this recipe sounds so easy that I would try it anyway.

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  4. Im with Bargy on this one - pulling my fingernails out now just at the thought.

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  5. Yum...I love condensed milk. I'll eeat it out of the can with a spoon of you let me.
    I've tried cheesecake before with no success, but I think I must have been missing the lemon juice.

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  6. I'll sit over here with Bargy and Ellieboo. Gargh.

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  7. My Mum used to make this same cheesecake every Christmas - tastes way better than condensed milk straight!

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  8. I love condensed milk. Now, the question is, which I was asking myself as I made another pumpkin pie today (which effectively rules out making this cheesecake today, no matter my inclination, sigh), am I weird for loving to drink *evaporated* milk straight from the can???

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  9. I love condensed milk. When we were kids we used to eat it on toast. It was amazing!

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  10. I love condensed milk. My Mum used to give it to us on rice!

    I am going to try this cake, it looks fab. And it contains condensed milk, I can taste it now.

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  11. Fabulous! I've never made a cheesecake before, but this looks wonderfully easy.

    I was definitely in the 'love CM' camp as a child.... my sister and I used to sneak it from a tube in the kitchen, convinced that we were being subtle enough for our mum not to notice that her CM supplies were dramatically depleted, despite the fact that she had done no baking for months....

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  12. I didn't know there was anyone out there who didn't like condensed milk! The things you learn at Hoppo Bumpo....

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  13. I refuse to believe that anyone could not like it.
    Impossible.

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  14. I was just about to ask you for this recipe and here it is!! yum!

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  15. Yes! More please for me too! My husband however, hates it - all the more for me!

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  16. I LOOOOOOOOOOVE condensed milk!
    Hmmm, wish you'd come to my work and run some training involving condensed milk. mmmm.

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  17. definitely love condensed milk...mmm. Makes me want to get a spoon and a can. I will have to try this recipe

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  18. HI,
    Love this cheesecake.Thanks for posting this recipe..Looking delicious...Nice presentation like it....

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