Question for the culinary queens out there:-)

I use Nigella Lawson's london cheesecake recipe: Ingredients for Crust: • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons or 5 ounces graham crackers • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or very soft • 20 ounces cream cheese • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar • 3 large eggs • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice • 8-inch springform pan • heavy-duty aluminum foil Ingredients for Topping: • 3/4 cup sour cream • 1 Tablespoon sugar • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: 1. Process the crackers until they are crumbs at this point, then add the butter and pulse again. 2. Line the bottom of the springform pan, pressing the crumbs in with your hands or the back of a spoon. Put the pan in the refrigerator to set, and preheat the oven to 350. 3. Beat the cream cheese gently until it's smooth, then add the sugar. Beat in the eggs, then finally the vanilla and lemon juice. Put the kettle on. 4. Line the outside of the chilled pan with foil so that it covers the bottom and the sides in one large piece, and then do the same again and put it into a roasting pan. This will protect the cheesecake from the water as it is cooked in its water bath. 5. Pour the cream cheese filling into the chilled base, and then pour hot water from the recently boiled kettle into the roasting pan around the cheesecake. It should come about halfway up; don't overfill, as it will be difficult to lift up the pan. 6. Put the roasting pan into the oven and cook for 50 minutes. It should feel set, but not rigidly so: You just need to feel confident that when you pour the sour cream over, it will sit on the surface and not sink in. 7. Whisk together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla for the topping and pour over the cheesecake. Put it back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. 8. Take the roasting pan out of the oven, then gingerly remove the springform, unwrap it and stand it on a rack to cool. When it's cooled down completely, put it in the refrigerator, removing it 20 minutes before eating to take the chill off. 9. Unmold and when you cut into it, plunge a knife in hot water first. Recipe serves 8. Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson, from How To Be A Domestic Goddess, copyright 2001.

You have 3 options 1. buy some Kiri cheese (the 24 block pack is fine) and unwrap enough squares until you have the right weight. 2. Visit Safestway on Sheikh Zayed Rd, or multiple branches of Choithrams and Spinneys and stalk the dairy aisles, looking for the US imported Kraft Philly cheese. 3. Or you could just buy the "spreadable" tubs of Philly found in most supermarkets here. I'm an American baker and I've done all of the above while living here. All have produced fabulous cheesecake :) I've even bought Puck spreadable soft cheese tubs at C4 to save some $$ when making big batches for the Arab in-laws, and it still works fine. PLEASE don't use the jars of "cream cheese", they will produce a terrible product. Most of my Arab friends/ in-laws make that mistake when following my recipe because they want to save money, or dont want to make that extra trip to the supermarket, and they call me to complain about how bad the cheesecake turned out.

I saw in a post from February: "You can buy the foil-wrapped Philadelphia cream cheese in Spinneys and other supermarkets; you just have to look for it." So maybe try Spinneys? Hopefully a cream-cheese user will read this and report a recent sighting!

If the spread is the one I am thinking of, it won't work! I wouldn't try it or you risk wasting it and all of the other ingredients. I am not yet in Dubai (just planning my move) but I know there is a Carrefour there-- if they carry the French brand called "St Moret" it will work in cheesecake, it is similar to Philadelphia in the US. (It would be in the refrigerated section with the other cheeses.) Good luck!