SWEETS for my sweet

This Valentine’s Day, show the favourite people in your life how much you care. Whether it’s your partner, parent or best friend, these lovingly crafted treats are sure to delight

Condensed milk cheesecake with aromatic poached peaches

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

SERVES 8 PREP 35min, plus cooling and chilling COOK about 1hr

• 75g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease

• 250g ginger nut biscuits

• 150g full-fat cream cheese

• 75g condensed milk

• 1tbsp lemon juice

• 4 medium eggs, separated, plus 1 whole egg

• 60g plain flour

• 100g caster sugar

FOR THE POACHED PEACHES

• 4 ripe peaches

• 400ml rosé wine

• 75g caster sugar

• 2 fresh bay leaves

• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

1 Lightly grease a deep, 20cm round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Wrap the outside of the base and sides with a double layer of foil to make the tin watertight. Blitz 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 blitz/mix to combine. Press into the 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 clean, 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. Tip 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 until the meringue is glossy and thick. Fold the meringue into the cream cheese mixture with a large metal spoon. Pour on top of the biscuit base, smooth to level and put in a deep roasting tin. Pour in boiling water to 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 quickly. 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 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 the 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: CALS 455; FAT 20G; SAT FAT 11G; CARBS 55G