Junior's Cheesecake with Umeboshi Sauce

A while back, I purchased a cookbook at the bargain basement price of US$2.00.  It was called, "Welcome to Juniors!  Remembering Brooklyn With Recipes and Memories from Its Favorite Restaurant".

Years ago, I had often stopped at Junior's Restaurant on the corner of Flatbush and DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.  It was right across the street from the DeKalb Avenue subway station that I used to take to work in midtown Manhattan.  What I remembered most about Junior's was my time spent there with friends over a cup of coffee and a slice of cheesecake.  The really special thing about the cheesecake at Junior's was the thin layer of sponge cake that was used in place of the traditional graham cracker crust.

Well, as luck would have it, I was craving cheesecake and since I had the Junior's cookbook I decided to try and bake one of these special cheesecakes myself.  Call me sacrilegious for performing this "experiment", but I thought it worked quite well.  The slightly sour saltiness of the umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) sauce contrasted well with the sweet, creamy cheesecake.  If you'd like the recipe to Junior's cheesecake, it can be found here. 

Here is the recipe that I used for the umeboshi sauce.

Umeboshi sauce:  (enough for one 9" cheesecake)

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon ultrafine sugar*
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon shiso leaves*(from your jar of umeboshi)
3 umeboshi*, pitted

**NOTE**

• Shiso leaves (salted beefsteak plant leaves) are not required, however, I felt it gave the sauce added saltiness.
• Number of umeboshi used depend on the size and the amount of flavor you'd like your sauce to have.  The umeboshi I used were about an inch in diameter.
• Adjust sugar to the desired level of sweetness. 

Combine water and sugar in a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil.  Stir until sugar is dissolved, then turn down the heat to simmer.  Add in umeboshi and shiso leaves (if using).  Simmer for about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and strain liquid through a sieve, reserving umeboshi and discarding shiso leaves.

Pit umeboshi and discard the seeds.  Combine flesh with the reserved liquid and purée until smooth using a hand blender (about 10 seconds).  Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight -- sauce should thicken slightly.  Spread evenly over cheesecake before serving, drizzling any remaining sauce on dessert plates.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Nic]

Wow, Reid. That cheesecake looks perfect!

[Kathy]

I didn't know you used to live in New York! I went to Junior's a few times last year, though I stopped ordering their cheesecake the minute I discovered how crazy delicious their rice pudding is!

[renee]

ooh! ume!!! =) sounds like a winner! guess i know what i'll be doing this weekend...

[grace]

that looks great! and i don't even like cheesecake (;

[santos.]

oohweee. i love ume-flavoured anything. i have been contemplating making a poppyseed cheesecake recipe i've been eyeing for some time, and i was all set to make it after reading your o's bistro post. now, i'm not so sure! i might have to do an umeboshi flavoured one next.

[Reid]

Hi Nic,

Thank you for the compliment. It was far from perfect and I'm going to try and make it again soon.

Hi Kathy,

I lived in New York for about 10 years back in the 80s-90s. When I first moved to New York, I lived in Queens. Then I moved to Brooklyn where I lived for 3 years before heading into the city. The apartment I lived in was on Carlton Avenue right near the corner of Myrtle. It was right near Fort Greene Park.

Hi Renee,

I like ume too! I also made some azuki sauce to eat with this cheesecake, but I didn't like it as much. I'm going to make another cheesecake this weekend and try a matcha sauce recipe.

Hi Grace,

Thank you! I love cheesecake. In moderation of course. =)

Hi Santos,

I like ume flavored anything too. I used the large soft umeboshi as I thought the flavor was a little more pronounced. In the end, I though that I should have tried to do a swirl type of cheesecake with the umeboshi sauce mixed into the cream cheese batter.

I just didn't want to do that and end up not liking it. But since I tried this, I think that will be the next step.

[Melissa]

Hi Reid, that does look absolutely delicious! I've never tried umeboshi, but I like the idea of a sweet-and-salty sauce with cheesecake. I'll have to keep a lookout - what else can you do with them?

[Reid]

Hi Melissa,

Umeboshi are Japanese pickled plums (they are actually apricots). They get their pink/red color from shiso leaves (beefsteak plant) which are normally pickled with the umeboshi.

I normally eat them with rice, much like a condiment. You can also have them in chazuke. To make umeboshi chazuke, take a bowl of rice, pour some hot green tea over it, then add as many umeboshi as you want. Yummy!

[milgwimper]

Reid,

That cheesecake looks excellent! I think the cheesecake with the umeboshi sauce seems intriguing. I will have to save this and try it. Man my list of recipes to try is getting larger and larger

[Courtney]

I love to stuff umeboshi inside balls of rice, wrap them in a layer of nori, and have em' about for a satisfying on-the-go nosh.

I've never imagined them with cheesecake! Way to go, Reid!

[keiko]

Hi Reid - $2.00! Isn't that great? I guess they treat umeboshi like plums, I'm very curious what it tastes like... Your cheesecake looks light, fluffy and perfect!

[Jo]

Very nice looking cheesecake! You got a great color on the top. I thing you lived pretty close to where I lived back in the late 70s. I used to go to the White Castle that was under the tracks. I don't remember much else. To bad I didn't have a notion about Junior's at the time. You got more cheesecakes coming?

[cookiecrumb]

Aw, man, I paid full price for that cookbook!
Well, this certainly makes my expenditure worth it.
(Ooh, I said "expenditure"!)
xx

[Reid]

Hi Milgwimper,

Nice to hear from you! I hope everything is OK. I thought the idea of cheesecake with umeboshi was interesting and now that I've tried it, I discovered that I actually like it. I hope you do the same.

Hi Courtney,

Welcome!

Umeboshi is often eaten covered with rice (musubi) and it's something that I enjoy to this day.

What I really wanted to do here was make this a little unusual and I liked the way it turned out.

Thanks!

Hi Keiko,

I like browsing the bargain books bin at the local bookshop. You never know what you might find. US$2.00 was indeed worth it.

The reason why I chose to use umeboshi is exactly the reason you described. You should try it sometime and let me know how you ilke it.

I was very happy with the way this cheesecake turned out. Most often times, it has been a disaster!

Hi Jo,

Thanks! The color on top actually came from the umeboshi sauce. I should have posted a photo of the cheesecake without the sauce.

Yes, there might be more cheesecakes forthcoming, however, next time, I think I'm going to make mini matcha cheesecakes.

Hi Cookiecrumb,

Thank you for dropping by and leaving me a comment.

I think this book would have been worth full price too. I was extremely lucky to get it at that price. When I purchased the book, the girl told me that she had just marked it down five minutes earlier as it was the last copy on the shelf. Lucky me!

[babe_kl]

i never eaten umeboshi before... hmmm....

[Jo]

::eyebrows arch with intrigue:: Matcha cheesecake? ::data flow:: Gonna go creamy or a bit of a crumb? I vote creamy (in case you want my opinion ::laughs::) What sort of crust? A 50/50 mix of gingersnaps and Lorna Doone comes to mind. yummmmm

[Reid]

Hi babe_kl,

Umeboshi are salty and sour Japanese pickled plums. They are actually small apricots that are preserved. The ones used here are a bit large and very soft. There are also the small hard ones that are normally served on top of rice or placed in the middle of a musubi.

Hi Jo,

Matcha cheesecake will be creamy and I used the same sponge cake in lieu of a crust. It was delicious. =)

I was going to post, but it was gone before I knew it. *sigh* That's why I need to stop inviting friends over.