Semi-freddo raspberry, lemon and ginger nut cheesecake bars
YOU WILL NEED
For the base 120g butter 250g ginger nut biscuits, finely crushed For the cheesecake 1 sachet raspberry or strawberry jelly crystals
200ml boiling water 500g medium fat soft cheese 1 lemon, juice and zest 70g caster sugar 200ml double cream 225g raspberries, halved To decorate Pared zest of 1 lemon, thinly shredded 2 tbsp water 1 tbsp caster sugar Freeze-dried raspberries
DIRECTIONS
■ Line the base of a tray bake tin with baking parchment, making sure there is overhang on the short sides. This will help you to remove the bars later.
■ Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the biscuit crumbs until thoroughly coated. Tip them into the tin, spread out evenly and press down firmly. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
■ Meanwhile, dissolve the jelly crystals in boiling water. Add the lemon juice and leave until cool.
■ Beat the soft cheese, lemon zest and sugar together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it holds its shape. Fold this into the cheese mixture with most of the raspberries, reserving some for decoration. Add the cooled jelly, stirring it in thoroughly. Pour over the biscuit base and chill for 2 hours until set.
■ About 30 minutes before serving, transfer to the freezer to chill until semi-frozen. To serve, slice lengthways down the centre, then into 12 bars.
■ To decorate, put the shredded lemon zest into a frying pan with the water and sugar. Heat until the sugar has evaporated and the lemon zest is lightly caramelised (avoid stirring, or the zest will clump together). When cool, arrange on the cheesecake bars with the reserved raspberries. Sprinkle with freeze-dried raspberries.
Recipe and image courtesy of Lakeland, blog.lakeland.co.uk