Lemon Non-Bake Kwark-Cheesecake

From unpleasant to plate licking good!
Kwark.
This is a very intriguing product, what exactly is kwark? Well actually it's a soft curd cheese (in French it is Fromage Frais, in English Quark) with a slightly grainy texture, a little bit similar to Ricotta. It is low in calories and cholesterol, sounds very healthy but how does it taste? Hmm well actually…very strange indeed.
During my weekly shopping trips I have often wondered who actually buys 'kwark' and what on earth they do with it. (Until today coincidentally), I have never seen a person with plain French kwark (low or full fat) or in their shopping trolley, or in their fridge come to that. Yet surprisingly it has remains on the shelves of the supermarket, (practically in the same packaging) for decades. One day my curiosity got the better of me and my first purchase remains grafted in my memory forever, oh boy what a surprise! It tasted horrible, sour and very unpleasant. Now I generally like natural yoghurt and never add sugar, but with kwark it was necessary to add heaps of sugar before it was even palatable (and it still remained unpleasant). I have hardly ever come across it in recipes; it remains very much a mystery.
Incidentally it must not be confused with Creme Fraiche which I would compare to sour cream, with the benefit that it heat tolerant, it never separates. If you buy a very good one, it can be almost compared to Mascarpone and is delicious with fresh fruit.
Last weekend I decided to put together a recipe with kwark. In the supermarkets you can buy packet mixes for 'kwarktaart' by Oetker. Since I never use mixes, as they seem to contain absolutely nothing judging by the list of ingredients you need to add yourself! I created a recipe, my twist on a kwark come cheesecake, and do you know I think it worked!
I chose to make a non-bake cheesecake, without eggs (unfound or not I still worry about eating raw eggs no matter how fresh they are!). It is lighter than a normal cheesecake; you could substitute the cottage cheese for Monchou or Philadelphia for a richer taste with more calories.

Lemon Kwark-Cheesecake.
10 digestive biscuits (180gr)
85gr butter
2-3 tsp sugar (optional)
500gr kwark (low of high fat to choice) I used organic kwark, low fat
200gr cottage cheese, sieved
1 small carton cream (200ml)
80gr castor sugar (or more for a sweeter cheesecake)
Juice and grated rind of 2 small or 1 large lemon
Gelatine, 6 sheets (about 10gr, more as desired, depending on how firm you prefer)
Water
1 spring form, lined.
Compote (topping)

Method:
Break up biscuits in a plastic bag with rolling pin (or pestle, which I prefer to use)until they resemble breadcrumbs. Heat butter in a small pan until melted. Add biscuit crumbs and sugar (optional). Press in the base of a spring form (mine was 24cm) with a spoon. Cool in refrigerator. Beat the kwark until smooth. Add the sieved cottage cheese, sugar and lemon rind, mix. Soak the gelatine in a little water for 5 minutes. Heat the lemon juice (do not boil!) stir in gelatine and mix until everything has dissolved, heating if necessary but do not boil. Leave to cool slightly. Whip the cream until stiff, being careful not to over whip! Add cooled gelatine to kwark mixture and stir carefully but thoroughly. Fold in cream. Pour into baking tin. I lined the sides of mine with Teflon foil but you could use baking paper. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Add topping just before serving. I used a mix of compote and jam.
Apologies for the poor photograph. I was anxious to tuck in!