cooking challenge week ten: ginger and lemon cheesecake

You will need:

For the base

300g digestive biscuits (I used ginger snap biscuits)

1 cup caster sugar

150g butter, melted

For the filling

400g Philadelphia cream cheese (low fat is fine)

250g Marscapone cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (essence, at a pinch)

2 thumb size nobs of ginger, peeled

1 cup caster sugar

2 large lemons

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

250mL pouring cream

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What to do:

To make the base you need to turn the cookies into coarse crumbs. You can do this in a food processor, or stuff them in a freezer bag and bang them between a rolling pin and a chopping board. As I have a seriously rudimentary kitchen at the moment, I put the cookies in two plastic bags and rolled a Guiness pint glass over them until they were pulverised ! Put them in a large mixing bowl and add the sugar and melted butter. Use a spoon to combine thoroughly, then finish with your fingers to form a coarse, thick dough.

Preheat the oven to 220'c (fan forced).

Lightly grease a 22cm spring form tin and spoon the cookie crumbs into the tin. Use your fingers to mould it to the sides and base, and then a glass to pack it tightly. Keep it about a centimetre from the surface. Put it in your freezer for 20 minutes, then remove it and use a sharp bladed knife to trim the top so that it is perfectly straight (or as near to it as possible). Return the pie crust to the freezer.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, marscapone, sugar, lemon rind and the juice of both lemons, ginger and vanilla and beat with electric mixers. Once this has reached a just smooth consistency, add the egg yolk, then the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.

Liquid proof the cake tin. Everyone has their own way of doing this. You can wrap foil around the base. I wrap baking parchment and use twine to secure it, so that it covers the base and 1.5cm or so up the side.

Pour the cream into the mix and stir with a spoon until combined. Pour the cream cheese mix into the base and use a spoon to smooth the surface. Lightly bang it on the work surface so that it doesn't crack during cooking.

Bake the cheese cake at 220'c for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature to 150'c and bake for 40 minutes. Check the cake. It should be firm for 5cm or so on the edge, and wobbly in the middle. Don't worry about the wobbles - it sets further in the fridge. Turn the oven off, open the door a fraction and leave the cake to cool for an hour or two. Once it's near room temperature, cover it and put it in the refrigerator.

I served it with a sauce - made with sherry, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg and ginger (yummy), strawberries and cream.

Make this - it's great !!