No Way Jose Cuisine

This is the cheesecake you will find in most Mexican bakeries; nowadays, plenty of bakeries use cream cheese, but the Mexican cheesecake is traditionally made with queso fresco, panela, or any similar cheese. If the cheese is old or air-dried, it's better because the saltiness goes away, the creaminess is better, and it is not very moist after baking. The condensed milk gives extra creaminess, but sugar can be substituted as traditionally is made with it. Add fresh strawberries with jelly or only dulce de leche on top! This recipe is for 2 pies.

Pay de Queso (Mexican Cheesecake)

To make the crust, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and break the butter and shortening into it very well; add the eggs and vanilla extract; knead until everything incorporates and you get a smooth dough ball.

Divide the dough into two equal parts, dust with flour the surface you are working on, place the dough and dust the top as well, and roll it up into a circle of about half a centimeter in thickness. 

Then dust the top with more flour and wrap it around the rolling pin to place it over the pan you are using, I used a glass pie pan but metal, ceramic or any oven-safe dish works too, no need to grease it. Ensure the dough does not leave any air space between the pan, so arrange the dough not to press too much and thin it up. 

Pinch the edges creating a border, and at the same cutting the excess dough and reserve. 

If you have a blender big enough to fit all the ingredients for the filling, fine; if not, blend everything in two or three parts, then mix everything in a bowl.

Pour the mix evenly into the two pie crusts. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until the center gets firm.

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