Harvest Cheesecake Recipe
Harvest Cheesecake recipe adapted from Marguerite Patten BBC cookery show.
Ingredients
For the base:
150 g/5 oz digestive or wheatmeal biscuits
40 g/1 1/2 oz walnuts
75 g/3 oz butter
pinch ground ginger
For the topping:
450g/1 lb dessert apples
150 ml/1/4 pint sweet cider or apple juice, plus extra, if required
5 cm/2 inch cinnamon stick or good pinch ground cinnamon
1 sachet gelatine
225 g/8 oz curd or cream cheese
225 ml/7 1/2 f1 oz thick Greek yogurt
25 to 50 g/1 to 2 oz caster or light brown sugar
To decorate:
1 or 2 dessert apples preferably with a red skin
1 tablespoon lemon juice few walnut halves
Directions
Grease a 20 cm/8 inch cake tin with a loose base or line it with baking parchment.
You can use a spring form tin.
Crush the biscuits to make fine crumbs.
Chop the walnuts and mix with the crumbs.
Melt the butter and add to the walnut mixture with the ginger.
Press into the base of the tin and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.
Put the cider or apple juice into a pan, with the cinnamon, and gently poach the apples for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender but still retaining their shape.
Strain the liquid and cool slightly.
Measure this and, if necessary, add a little more cider or apple juice to make 150 ml/1/4 pint again.
Sprinkle the gelatine on it, stand for 2 or 3 minutes, then dissolve over hot water or in the microwave cooker.
When it is cold and syrupy, mix with the cheese and yogurt, the poached apples and sugar to taste.
Do this carefully, so the apple slices do not break.
Spoon over the biscuit base and leave until set.
Core and slice, but do not peel the raw apple(s).
Dip into lemon juice so they do not discolour, then arrange in a spiral effect on top of the jellied filling and add the walnut halves.
This cheesecake is an excellent basic one.
Instead of apples and/or pears, you could substitute well drained canned pineapple or apricots or mangoes.
Use the syrup from the can instead of cider or apple juice.
You can use a spring form tin.
Crush the biscuits to make fine crumbs.
Chop the walnuts and mix with the crumbs.
Melt the butter and add to the walnut mixture with the ginger.
Press into the base of the tin and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.
Put the cider or apple juice into a pan, with the cinnamon, and gently poach the apples for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender but still retaining their shape.
Strain the liquid and cool slightly.
Measure this and, if necessary, add a little more cider or apple juice to make 150 ml/1/4 pint again.
Sprinkle the gelatine on it, stand for 2 or 3 minutes, then dissolve over hot water or in the microwave cooker.
When it is cold and syrupy, mix with the cheese and yogurt, the poached apples and sugar to taste.
Do this carefully, so the apple slices do not break.
Spoon over the biscuit base and leave until set.
Core and slice, but do not peel the raw apple(s).
Dip into lemon juice so they do not discolour, then arrange in a spiral effect on top of the jellied filling and add the walnut halves.
This cheesecake is an excellent basic one.
Instead of apples and/or pears, you could substitute well drained canned pineapple or apricots or mangoes.
Use the syrup from the can instead of cider or apple juice.
