Condensed Milk Cheesecake with Aromatic Poached Peaches

You might think condensed milk would make an intensely sweet, dense cheesecake, but thanks to this unusual cooking method, our cheesecake is super-light and fluffy.

Hands-on time 35min, plus cooling and (overnight) chilling. Cooking time about 1hr. Serves 8

◆ 250g (9oz) ginger nut biscuits ◆ 75g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus

extra to grease ◆ 150g (5oz) Philadelphia cream cheese ◆ 75g (3oz) condensed milk ◆ 1tbsp lemon juice ◆ 4 medium eggs, separated,

plus 1 whole egg ◆ 60g (2½oz) plain flour ◆ 100g (3½oz) caster sugar for the poached peaches ◆ 4 ripe peaches, see GH Tip ◆ 400ml (14fl oz) rosé wine ◆ 75g (3oz) caster sugar ◆ 2 fresh bay leaves ◆ 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

1 Lightly grease a deep, 20.5cm (8in) round cake tin and line base with baking parchment. Wrap the outside of the base and sides with a double layer of foil to make the tin completely watertight. Whizz the biscuits in a food processor until finely crushed (or bash them in a food bag with a rolling pin). Add the melted butter and whizz/mix to combine. Press into base of the lined tin, levelling with the back of a spoon. Chill for 30min. 2 Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Wipe the food processor bowl so it’s crumb-free, then add the cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, egg yolks and whole egg, and pulse until smooth and well combined. Sift in flour and pulse again. Scrape into a large bowl. 3 In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a handheld electric whisk until they hold medium-firm peaks. Add the sugar in three batches, whisking thoroughly after each addition – the meringue should be glossy and thick. Fold meringue into the cream cheese mixture with a large metal spoon. Pour into the wrapped tin, smooth to level and put in a deep roasting tin. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up the outside of the wrapped tin. 4 Bake for 45min until set with a slight wobble. Leave to cool in the roasting tin for 1hr, then remove from water and chill in the cake tin for at least 3hr or ideally overnight. 5 For the poached peaches, if you can’t peel them easily, score a cross in the bottom of each peach and put in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water, leave for 30sec, then lift out with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl of cold water to cool. Lift out and peel off skins, then halve and de-stone. 6 Heat wine, sugar, bay leaves and vanilla in a large, deep frying pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add peach halves and simmer for a couple of minutes, turning them once or twice (simmer for longer if not tender). Remove peaches to a bowl and boil wine until reduced and syrupy, about 5min. Pour syrup over peaches and set aside to cool. 7 Remove cheesecake from fridge 30min before serving. When ready to serve, unmould from tin and transfer to a cake stand or plate. Top with peaches (or serve them alongside), and drizzle with a little syrup. PER SERVING 455cals, 8g protein, 20g fat (11g saturates), 55g carbs (36g total sugars), 2g fibre GH TIP If you can’t find ripe peaches, use tinned instead. Drain them and put in a bowl; then make the rosé wine syrup without the peaches, boil to reduce, then pour it over the peach halves. Leave to infuse for at least 1hr, or cover and chill overnight.