Orange cheesecake with strawberry and Pimms jelly and strawberry and mint salad
A cheesecake that's as light as air and has all the elements of a British summer – luscious Pimms, mint and strawberries
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves: 8
For the base:
125g (41/2oz) digestive biscuits, crushed
75g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 x 200g full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese
2 large eggs, separated
75g (3oz) caster sugar
1 orange, zest finely grated and juiced
4 leaves gelatine, soaked in cold water
150ml (1/4pt) double cream, whipped to soft peak stage
For the jelly top:
400g (14oz) strawberries, hulled
25g (1oz) caster sugar
150ml (1/4pt) Pimms
4 leaves gelatine, soaked in cold water
For the strawberry and mint salad:
400g (14oz) strawberries, hulled and quartered
150ml (1/4pt) Pimms
1tbsp mint leaves, finely sliced
You will need a 20cm (8in) springform tin
1 Mix the crushed biscuits and melted butter together and press into the base of the tin. Chill in the fridge.
2 Place the cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar and orange zest in a bowl and whisk until combined. Warm the orange juice in a small pan and add the softened leaves of gelatine that have been squeezed well to remove the excess water. Pour on to the cream cheese mixture and mix well.
3 Beat the egg whites until stiff peak stage. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, followed by the beaten egg whites. Pour the mixture over the base and chill for four hours or until set.
4 To make the jelly, liquidise the strawberries, sugar and Pimms together. Pour through a fine sieve to remove the pips. Heat the mixture in a small pan. When hot, squeeze the excess water from the soaked gelatine leaves, add them to the strawberry mixture and stir until dissolved. When the mixture is cold, but not quite set, pour over the cheesecake and place it back in the fridge for 2 hours until the jelly is set.
5 To make the strawberry salad, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve the cheesecake cut into thin slices with a pile of strawberry salad on the side.
Per serving: 482cals, 34g fat, 20g saturated fat, 32g carbohydrate
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Punchy basil salsa
Creamy tarragon dressing
Sour cream cake with lavender
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