If you want to celebrate National Cheesecake Day in style, do as the professionals do with one of these recipes from London chophouse Blacklock (as pro at cheesecakes as they are at grilled meat, apparently); Kudu Collective, the family-run South African-inspired restaurants in Peckham; and the Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks.
White chocolate cheesecake
By: Blacklock
Makes: Enough for 10
Ingredients:
100g creme fraiche
275g Philadelphia cream cheese
500ml double cream
260g white chocolate buttons
250g McVities digestive biscuits
150g unsalted butter
White chocolate bar, grated into large curls
Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheeses together until soft. In a second mixing bowl, semi whip the double cream and then melt the chocolate over a bain-marie until blood temperature (37C). Fold the chocolate into the cream cheese mix, and then fold in the semi whipped cream.
2. Melt the unsalted butter in a pan. Crush the biscuits by bashing them in a bag with a rolling pin, being careful to keep the pieces of biscuit reasonable large and then stir them into the butter until coated all over.
3. Assemble the cheesecake by spreading the biscuit base into the bottom of a serving dish, then add the cheesecake mix topped with white chocolate shavings.
4. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Rhubarb and ricotta cheesecakes
By: Patrick Williams, co-founder, Kudu Collective
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
For the filling:
200g sheep’s ricotta
420g mascarpone
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
85g caster sugar
100ml double cream
1 Madagascan vanilla pod (seeds only)
For the coconut biscuit base:
180g unsalted butter
120g castor sugar
80g rolled oats
100g desiccated coconut
25g honey
170g t55 flour
100g beurre noisette
For the rhubarb:
1kg rhubarb
280g castor sugar
½ vanilla pod
½ lime zest
1 orange zest
Method:
Heat a pan of water on the stove. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend until smooth. Place the mixing bowl into the boiling water and double boil until the mixture reaches approx 72C. Blend once again to ensure an even mixture.
Cream your butter and sugar together in a mixer with a paddle until you have a light and creamy mixture. Add the flour, oats and coconut to the mixture and lightly mix. Bake at 185 degrees for 15 minutes stirring the mix every 5 minutes until all is evenly golden. Allow to cool in the fridge then break up in food processor until a fine crumble. Add the beurre noisette, mix together then press the mix into 8 12cm ring moulds.
Pour the cheesecake mix into the moulds over the biscuit base and allow to set up in the fridge for up to 4 hours. Once cooled, carefully remove from the mould.
Chop the rhubarb into 2cm chunks and place in a sealed vacuum pouch to macerate for up to 8 hours. Remove from the vacuum pouch and steam at 84 degrees for 7 minutes. Chill on ice and serve over the cheesecakes.
Strawberry and basil cheesecake
By: Tommy Banks, chef owner, The Black Swan, Roots and Made in Oldstead
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 30 minutes (+ 1 hour) | Setting time: 12-24 hours
Ingredients:
250g shortbread biscuits, crushed
100g unsalted butter, melted
4 gelatine leaves (optional)
80g sugar
Small bunch basil, leaves picked (reserve 10 or so for garnish)
5 egg yolks
450g cream cheese
350g double ream
100g white chocolate, melted
10 strawberries, stems removed and cut in half
For your homemade strawberry sauce:
250g strawberries
25g icing sugar
Method:
1. Grease and line a 23cm round springform tin. In a bowl, combine crushed shortbread and melted butter and mix until well combined. Press mixture into the of the cake tin, and smooth with the back of the smooth to ensure the base is flat and even. Refrigerate.
2. Prep the gelatine leaves according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, with a pestle and mortar, combine 50g of sugar with the basil leaves and grind to a fine green pulp. Add to a small bowl with remaining sugar, and whisk together.
3. Next, in a stand mixer or with a handheld whisk, combine
4. In a stand mixer combine egg yolks, gelatine, cream cheese and basil sugar, and beat together on a medium to high speed for two minutes until thick. Before the mixture thickens completely, add in your melted white chocolate.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk cream until it reaches soft peaks and slowly fold into creamy cheese mixture one spatula at a time.
6. Remove tin from the fridge and add a layer of strawberry halves. Spoon over cheesecake mixture and ensure it’s evenly distributed and there are no air bubbles. Leave to set overnight.
7. When ready to serve, blend together strawberries and icing sugar with 50ml water for about 30 seconds.
8. Before serving, blend 150g strawberries with icing sugar and 50ml of water for 30 seconds. Drizzle over strawberry sauce, and garnish with basil leaves.
