Real Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
14 oz/400 g plain flour
8oz./225g. unsalted butter
4oz./125g.icing sugar
sieved
pinch salt
2tbsp/30ml. grated lemon
rind
4 egg yolks
4tbsp/60ml. dry white
wine
Filling
4 egg yolks
10tbs/150ml. sour cream
2 ½lb. 1.1kg.ricotta or cream cheese sieved
2oz./50g. melted butter
12oz./350g. caster
sugar
grated rind of I orange
6oz.175g. fresh candied peel
6oz./175g. sultanas
sieved icing sugar
Method
Sieve the flour. Roughly chop butter and place in
a bow with sugar, salt, flour and lemon rind.
Using hands, rub ingredients together until mixture resem
bles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolks and the wine to the mixture. Using a fork or a knife, gently
work the ingredients until they begin to bind together. If the mixture' is too wet, add another tablespoon of flour
Using one hand with a little flour on it, gently
form the mixture into a dough. knead it lightly to form a ball. Wrap the dough in grease proof paper or oiled foil and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to Mark 4/350F/180C
Using an electric beater or wooden spoon beat the egg yolks, sour cream, ricotta or cream cheese, but
ter and caster sugar lightly together until smooth.
Mix together the orange rind , mixed peel and sul
tanas. Gradually add the dried fruit to the cheese mix
ture and, using a large metal spoon, mix thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the fruit.
Take out chilled dough
and carefully roll out on
a floured surface. Roll pastry
round the rolling pin and
gently lay it in the tin. Using
your knuckles press the pastry well to the sides of the tin so that it fits snugly.
Using a sharp knife, trim away the excess pastry hanging over the edge of the tin. Smooth the edge.
Gather up the excess pastry. Lightly knead it again and reroll into a rectan
gular shape. Cut it into long thin strips. Prick the base of the pastry case.
Spoon
the creamy cheese filling into the pastry case and, using the back of the spoon, smooth the surface.
Arrange the pastry strips across each other in an even lattice design on top of the cheesecake (see photo-graph above). Trim the pastry strips. Seal to the edge of the pasty case with a little water. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1-1 ½ hours until golden and the top of the cheesecake feels firm. If it's browning too quickly, cover with foil.
The cheeseake will
not feel totally firm when it is removed from the oven. Allow it to cool, then place it still in the tin in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. During this time the cheese will set and become firm to the touch. Carefully remove the cheesecake from
tin and serve it lightly sprink
led with sieved icing sugar.
Cheesecake
variations
Ingredients
Instead of home made pastry, using 1 lb/450g. of bought shortcrust pastry works just as well. But remember to chill first.
Try a different mixture of dried fruits. Combine some of the following ones: chop
ped glace cherries, dried apricots, raisins, stem ginger, dried figs or crystal
lised pineapple.
if you can get curd cheese, use a mixture of curd and cream cheese to give a slightly stronger flavour to the filling.
Toppings
In place of the latticework on top of the cheesecake, try 3-4 slices of tinned pineap
pie. Drain the fruit and dry with a piece of kitchen roll. Lay the slices on top of the cheesecake and then cook as instructed.
Reroll the remaining pas
ty to fit the top of the tin. Place the pasty over the fill
ing but do not press down. Cook the cheesecake follow
mg the instructions given. Do not cut until cold.
Serve it with single cream or with some crème fraiche
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