These cheesecakes are so tender they just melt in your mouth

In the third duel of the second season of MasterChef Slovenia, Anna Masieievska and Tilen Zonta competed for a place on the balcony. The contestants had 45 minutes to prepare a dish that best represented them. Tilen prepared mujaddara, a dish made of lentils and caramelized onions, which he supplemented with pine nuts, yogurt with mint and garlic, oregano and pomegranate.

Anna, however, opted for a sweet dish connected to her roots. She prepared cheesecakes with caramel sauce, strawberry sorbet, freeze-dried raspberries, pistachios and mint ice cream. Her dessert impressed Karim Merdjadi: "Wow, Anna, what can I say? I'm impressed. Light, delicate like a cloud, it melts in your mouth. The caramel is as it should be, the sorbet is cold, fresh, it combines beautifully. Congratulations."

Luka Jezeršek also gave her special praise, saying that he was impressed that Anna found inspiration for the dish in her roots and presented it in a modern way. "Oh my god, such a young girl goes to look for a dish in her roots, takes it and interprets it in modern times. This is something so beautiful that I am actually honored to have met you," he said.

After a tough decision, the judges ultimately awarded the victory to Anna, who earned a place on the balcony with her cheesecakes. After receiving such high praise, Anna even joked about her pastry skills. "When Karim retires, I'll replace him as the best pastry chef," she said with a laugh. Would you also try the cheesecakes with which Anna impressed the MasterChef judges? Check out her recipe below and make them at home.

Ingredients

For the cheesecakes:

- 250 g cottage cheese - 1 egg yolk - 2 tablespoons flour - a pinch of salt - 1 tablespoon sugar, if desired

Mix the cottage cheese, egg yolk, salt and sugar with a fork. Add flour to the mixture and knead into a soft dough. Form 6 to 8 equally sized balls and flatten them slightly. Fry the cheesecakes in a pan for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, then let them rest for a while.

For the caramel:

- 100 g sugar - 100 g sweet cream - 25 g butter

Melt the sugar in a pan and wait until it turns a nice golden brown. Add the butter and stir. When the butter has melted, add the heavy cream, stir and remove from the heat.

For the strawberry-mint sorbet:

- 200 g fresh or frozen strawberries - 50 g sugar - 50 g water - mint to taste

First, prepare the sugar syrup. Mix the sugar with water and heat until it is completely dissolved. In a bowl, combine the strawberries, mint and sugar syrup and mix with a hand blender until smooth. Chill the sorbet in the freezer or make it in an ice cream maker.

Place the cheesecakes on a plate and pour over the caramel. Serve the sorbet separately in a small bowl. Garnish with freeze-dried or fresh strawberries, crushed pistachios, or edible flowers, if desired.

Don't miss the new season of MasterChef Slovenia! Follow the intense test of cooking skills every week from Monday to Thursday at 8:00 PM on POP TV.