SAY CHEESE
A creamy alternative to Christmas pudding.
Christmas pudding isn’t everyone’s cup of tea so try this cheesecake as an quirky alternative for your guests this festive season.
This recipe adds a twist to the traditional mix by adding blue cheese and topping the cake with honey, something which is popular in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.
Thanks to Saint Agur for this lovely recipe.
You’ll need
● 200g ginger nut biscuits
● 100g melted butter
● 560g cream cheese
● 150g crème fraiche
● Zest of half an orange
● 4 large eggs
● 50g plain flour
● 150g tub Saint Agur Blue Crème
● 300g clear honey (wild flower preferred)
● 100g walnut pieces
Method
1. Blitz the ginger nuts in processor to a coarse crumb and add butter to combine. (Or smash the biscuits up in a heavy plastic bag with a rolling pin).
2. Take a non-stick 20cm springform cake tin and pack the ginger nut mix into the bottom and press down well with the back of a large spoon. Chill in the fridge for an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 160C.
4. Place the cream cheese, crème fraiche and orange zest in a mixer and whisk together for a minute. Whisk in the eggs one by one, then sift the flour into the bowl. Whisk in briefly and gently.
5. Spoon the Saint Agur Blue Crème into the bowl and mix in gently. Spoon all the mixture into the cake tin and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45 mins to an hour. You want it to puff up slightly and have a good golden crust. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
6. Place honey in a bowl, chop the walnuts coarsely and stir them in. If the honey is too thick a couple of tablespoons of warm water may need to be mixed in.
7. Run a knife around the inside of the spring form cake tin and then loosen the edge and carefully remove it. Cut into portion, lift carefully on to plates, spoon over the honey walnut sauce.