Ingredients:
Baked Berry Cheescake
- Base:
- 250g digestive biscuits
- 150g butter
- 3 tbsp castor sugar
- Filling:
- 225g castor sugar
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 750g cream cheese
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 150ml cream
- 150ml sour cream
- 1/2 lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 egg whites
Berry Sauce
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp water
- Blueberries for serving
Macadamia Nut Crumble
- 250g macadamia nuts, roughly crushed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup liquid glucose
- 1/2 cup water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 knob butter
- 5ml vanilla essence
Method:
Crush the digestive biscuits to fine crumbs in food processor. Add the melted butter and sugar and mix. Press into a greased 24 cm spring form cake tin. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Mix the corn flour with the sugar and beat in the cream cheese, egg yolks and vanilla extract.
Slowly pour in heavy cream and sour cream, beating constantly. Add the lemon zest.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt to stiff peaks, then fold into the cheese mixture carefully.
Scoop cheese onto base. Bake in a 170°C oven 1 to 1 1/2 hours without opening the oven door until golden brown on top. Turn off the heat and let the cake stand in the oven for one more hours. Let it cool down outside. Then chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Serve chilled, dusted with icing sugar and decorated with berries.
Put the blueberries in a pot over low to medium heat.
Stir sugar into the berries, cook stirring until the berries are thawed.
Whisk together the cold water and the cornstarch until smooth, add mixture to the berries and simmer and stir until thickened. Place some of the berry sauce in a silicone mould of choice and freeze, to add to service.
Prepare a baking tray by adding a baking sheet on top of it and add some non-stick spray. Add the sugar, liquid glucose, water and salt to a pan. Over a medium heat let the sugar melt, being careful to get rid of the sugar crystals on the side of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in water. When the sugar reaches 115°C, add the macadamia nuts.
Let the sugar reach 160°C, then add a knob of butter and vanilla essence. Stir through.
Spread on the prepared baking tray and allow it to set.
To serve: Place a slice of cheese cake on a plate, with blueberry sauce next to it.
Garnish with the cut blueberries, the brittle and the frozen berry sauce.