STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

This cheesecake is so good that when it was first made for a staff tea at my pub The Hand and Flowers, not a single person thought it was low- carb. It takes a bit of effort to knock up, but it’s really worth it, particularly for a special meal.

CARB COUNT: 10-8g per person Serves 6-8 For the base

110g (4oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the tin

100g (3½oz) ground almonds, toasted in a dry frying pan until light golden

100g (3½oz) ground flaxseed 12g (½oz) Erythritol

(or alternative sweetener, see box below right)

1tsp flaky sea salt

For the cheesecake layer

500g (1lb 2oz) strawberries 350g (12oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

125g (4½oz) Erythritol (see box right)

6 sheets of leaf gelatine 280ml (10fl oz) double cream

150g (5½oz) free-range egg whites (about 4 eggs) 4 free-range egg yolks 2 vanilla pods, split lengthways, seeds scraped out

To serve (optional)

Blueberries and halved strawberries

Lightly butter a deep, 20cm (8in) springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. To make the base, put the ground almonds, flaxseed, Erythritol and salt into a bowl and stir until well mixed. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Press the mix over the base of the prepared tin, right into the edges. Chill for about an hour.

For the cheesecake, blitz the strawberries in a food processor then pass through a fine sieve; you need 300g (10½oz) purée. Using a stand mixer or an electric hand whisk and bowl, on a low speed, beat the cream cheese with the strawberry purée and 80g (3oz) of the Erythritol to combine. Scrape into a container. Wash and dry the bowl well.

Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Whip the cream in a large bowl to soft peaks; set aside. Whisk the egg whites with 30g (1oz) of the remaining Erythritol in the cleaned mixer bowl to firm peaks; set aside. Put the egg yolks, remaining 15g (½oz) Erythritol and vanilla seeds into a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk for about 5 minutes to a rich, thick sabayon (a sort of light custard); do not overheat or the eggs will scramble. Remove the bowl from the pan.

Drain the gelatine, squeeze out excess water and put into a small pan with 2tbsp water. Warm over a very low heat just until it melts, then carefully fold into the warm sabayon. The elements need to be combined lightly but thoroughly, keeping the mixture as light as possible. Fold the sabayon into the whipped cream, then fold this into the strawberry cream cheese. Finally, fold in the whisked egg whites, half at a time. Pour the mixture onto the base in the tin, cover and chill overnight. Serve as it is or topped with berries.

NOTE: This recipe contains raw egg so is unsuitable for pregnant women, children and the unwell.