I love cheesecake.
Bored of banging out the same tired old vanilla cheesecake recipe I started to think what the best combinations might be for the ‘ultimate’ cheesecake. At the moment I am a HUGE fan of ginger, be it in a revitalizing ginger tea, in a Thai style dish, a sneaky little treat involving ginger biscuits or (as I have recently discovered) in a lovely long glass of Pimms as it adds a delicate spice to this refreshing summer drink.

This is where my mini cheesecake ‘brainstorm’ led me:

RECIPE (Serves 12-14)

Base
300g ginger nut biscuits (McVities are fine – the more gingery the better!)
50g butter

Mixture
900g cream cheese
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 balls of stem ginger in syrup finely sliced and cubed (this can be tricky to find in your average supermarket unless around Christmas time – you can buy it in Waitrose all year round though)
2 tsp ginger syrup

Optional:
1 small punnet of blueberries (favoured so you are on your way to ‘5 a-day’ and for aesthetic reasons when you slice)

• Grease flan dish (28cm diameter, rounded or equivalent)
• Melt butter in saucepan - remove from heat (NB. Be careful not to burn)
• Put biscuits in a plastic bag and roll into fine crumbs with a rolling pin (or blitz in a blender)
• Add biscuit crumbs to butter, mix well then press into the greased dish
• Put ginger base in the fridge for at least 30mins until firm
• Mix cheese and caster sugar together with a big spoon or an electric whisk
• Add stem ginger, lemon and ginger syrup (to taste) then add the eggs and beat well
• Pour mixture into the dish and cook at a low temperature 130 °C (fan) for 1 hour or until set. You can test this by putting your finger lightly in the middle and it should feel set not runny (make sure it doesn’t brown on the edges)
• NB. From previous experience if a cheesecake has been baked and is still too soft for serving it is best left in the fridge for 24 hours+ as it will naturally set in the cold temperatures
• Leave to cool

Give this recipe a go if you are a cheesecake fan. For those fortunate enough to work in the London branch of Wild Card there is a little afternoon treat in store as I’ve brought one in for you all to try. Constructive criticism welcome – as are suggestions for other cheesecake recipes. Anyone?

Eddie