RHUBARB AND GINGER CHEESECAKE

Baked cheesecakes are best made a day in advance and left to chill and settle in the fridge overnight.

★ Preheat the oven to 170C/ 150C fan/gas 3 ½. Lightly grease the base and sides of a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.

★ Place the biscuits in a food bag and crush to crumbs with a rolling pin (or use a food processor). Mix with the melted butter then tip into the base of the tin and press down evenly and firmly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.

★ In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to beat together the soft cheese and 100g soured cream. Beat in the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth, then beat in the eggs a little at a time.

★ As you will bake the cheesecake in a bain-marie, wrap the outside of the tin in a double layer of foil large enough to cover it completely around the base and up the sides (see tip).

★ Sit the tin in a large roasting tray and tip the cheese filling overthebiscuitbase.poura kettle of just-boiled water into the tray, so it comes about a third of the way up the outside of the cake tin. Bake for about 45 minutes until set with just a wobble in the middle.

★ Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar, allowing the cheesecake to cool inside the oven for 30 minutes.

★ Remove the tin from the oven and the roasting tray and spread the remaining 200g soured cream over the top of the cheesecake. Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight. ★ The rhubarb can also be chilled overnight or made up to an hour before serving. Preheat the oven to 160C/ 140C fan/gas 3. Cut the ball of stem ginger into thin matchsticks and toss with the rhubarb and 3 tbsp of the ginger syrup in a medium baking dish. Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring gently halfway, until tender; set aside to cool until ready to serve with the cheesecake.

Cooking the cheesecake in a bain-marie ensures a lovely smooth texture and no cracks on top. It is really important to make sure the tin is watertight so no liquid gets in during cooking. To make sure it is really well wrapped in foil, use a large roll so that it completely covers the base of the tin. You can also wrap it a couple of extra times to be sure.