Seasonal Delights
After all those winter warmer meals, and ignoring the blowy, chilly, and wet weather outside, it is high time that we start embracing the sunny season. Obviously, we mostly feed on salads, serano ham and melons these days, but here’s a seasonal delight that, in a single meal, can counter-balance all those light and healty meals:
Strawberry Cheesecake
Clean and wash 500g ripe Strawberries. Put half of the strawberries into a saucepan, add 200g caster sugar and 150ml cold water. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, and simmer for 6..7 minutes. Soak one sheet of gelatine and work into the mix, following the instructions on the gelatine packet (You may also use arrowroot, agar-agar, cornflower or other starch if you disapprove of gelatine). When finished, strain through a fine-meshed sieve, and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, put 250g Hobnobs (or similar biscuits) into a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin. Mix the crushed biscuits with 80g melted butter – use unsalted butter if you are using Hobnobs (as those are fairly salty to begin with), and use slightly salted butter for most other types of biscuits.
Line a 20cm deep baking tin (one of those with a removable bottom with greaseproof paper. Whichever tin you use, make sure it has detachable sides.
Make a very firm and even base from the biscuit and butter mix, pushing and compacting the mix with a spoon, or some other suitable kitchen tool.
Whip 300ml double cream and 75g caster sugar. In a second bowl, whip 500 Philadephia cheese. Carefully fold the cream into the Philadelphia cheese, add the zest of one lemon, and finally stir in two thirds of the strawberry sirup. Make sure to stir in the sirup very carefully and not too thoroughly, as you want to get a marbled effect between the white cheese and the red sirup.
Spoon the mix onto the base, and chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
Remove cheescake from tin, decorate top with halfened remaining strawberries, and dribble the remaining sirup across the top.
You’ll never understand how you could ever have done without this cheesecake.