Rose water cheesecake

For the Baha'is all over the world, the Ridván Festival is the biggest one all year. Why? Because the Messenger of God for today - Bahá'u'lláh declared during those days that He was the Promised one of all ages. So there, enough reason to celebrate!
It is called the Ridván festival because these events took place at a garden called "Ridván". This festival lasts from the 21st of April until the 2nd of May. Roses were Bahá'u'lláh's favourite flower and this garden had an abundance of them.

"Every day,... ere the hour of dawn, the gardeners would pick the roses which lined the four avenues of the garden, and would pile them in the center of the floor of His blessed tent. So great would be the heap that when His companions gathered to drink their morning tea in His presence, they would be unable to see each other across it. All these roses Bahá'u'lláh would, with His own hands, entrust to those whom He dismissed from His presence every morning to be delivered, on His behalf, to His Arab and Persian friends in the city."
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 153)

So, remembering those days and the smell and taste of the beautiful fragrance of those roses, we are making this rose water and cardamon cheesecake. This post is part of the collaboration for the "Walking through the garden of Ridván" series.

INGREDIENTS:

- For the crust:
1 pack of Marie cookies
100 gr melted butter
Milk
1/2 tsp cardamon

1. Powderize the cookies and mix with the melted butter.
2. Add the cardamon to the milk and then pour slowly and knead until you reach the desired consistency (if too dry add more milk but be careful not to add too much since you will have to find where to get more cookies from)
3. Once the crust is ready, spread on a pie tray and bake at 180ºC for 5-10 minutes until less wet. Remove from oven.

- For the filling:
1 can of condensed milk
1 pack of cream cheese (250 grams)
2 eggs
2 tbsp of rose water
A splash of lemon juice

1. Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until well combined.
2. Pour onto the baked crust. Burst all bubbles (if possible).
3. Bake for about 30 minutes at 180ºC. The time will vary so you have to check it and make sure it is not under cooked. To do this you have to shake the pan and if the center wiggles, it needs to bake longer.
Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate.
Please note that cheesecake tastes better when it has set so if making for a party or function, you can bake it the night before or early in the morning to allow enough hours for it to set.

Easiest cheesecake!

INGREDIENTS:
- If you want to make the crust:
1 pack of plain cookies (we use Marie)
200 gr melted butter
a bit of milk

- For the filling:
1 pack of cream cheese
1 can of condensed milk
2 eggs
A splash of lemon juice

To make the crust, crush the cookies and mix with the melted butter and some milk until it has a doughy consistency. Press on the pie pan either just on the bottom or the bottom and sides and bake in preheated oven (165 C) for about 10 minutes until the top is no longer shiny. Remove from oven.



While baking the crust put all the ingredients for the filling in the blender and mix well. Spray the edges before adding the cheese mixture so it doesn't stick. Top the baked crust with the mixture and put back in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the middle doesn't shake when wiggled. Remove from oven and let cool.

NOTE: You can add pretty much anything to your cheesecake from fruit to chocolate and nuts. We added Lindt balls to ours. Just spread the toppings you like over the crust and cover with the cheese mixture.

Also, cheesecakes taste best the day after they are made once they have set, so if you're planning to make it for an event, we suggest you make it the day before :)