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, ours is super-light and fluffy.

Hands-on time 35min, plus cooling and (overnight) chilling. Cooking time about 1hr. Serves 8 FOR THE BASE 75g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease 250g (9oz) ginger nut biscuits FOR THE FILLING 150g (5oz) full-fat 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 20.5cm (8in) round, deep tin and line the base with baking parchment. Wrap the outside of the tin 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). Pulse or mix in melted butter until combined. Empty into prepared tin and press to level 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 the 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 just-boiled water into the roasting tin to come halfway up the outside of the wrapped tin.

4 Bake for 45min until set with a slight wobble in the centre when the tin is gently tapped. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the roasting tin water for 1hr, then remove from water and chill (still in cake tin) for at least 3hr, or ideally overnight.

5 For the poached peaches, if you can’t peel them easily, score a small cross in the bottom of each peach and put into a large heatproof bowl. Cover with just-boiled water, leave for 30sec, then lift out with a slotted spoon and put into a bowl of cold water to cool. Lift out and peel off skins, then halve and 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 min, turning them once or twice (simmer for longer if not tender). Remove peaches to a bowl and boil wine mixture 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, transfer to a cake stand or plate. Top with vanilla pod and peaches (or serve them alongside), drizzled with a little syrup.

PER SERVING 455cals, 8g protein, 20g fat (11g saturates), 55g carbs (36g total sugars), 2g fibre