Blueberry Cheesecake
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Ingredients
- For the shortbread base
- 200g (7 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 225g (8 oz) plain flour
- 115g (4 oz) cornflour
- 150g (5½ oz) caster sugar
- A little extra soft butter, for greasing
- For the filling
- 800g mascarpone cheese
- 568 ml (1 pint) double cream
- 115g (4 oz) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- For the topping
- 5 tbsp Crème de Cassis or blackcurrant syrup
- 25g (1 oz) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp arrowroot
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 250g (9 oz) fresh blueberries
- To decorate
- 150ml (5 fl oz) double cream, whipped
- Fresh raspberry leaves
Method
- Lightly butter the sides and base of a 23cm (9 inch) spring-form tin and line with baking parchment or Bake-O-Glide. Rub the butter into the flours until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar. Tip into the tin and press down with the back of a spoon. Chill for 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake on a grid shelf on the floor of the baking oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked and very pale golden, turning the tin half-way through cooking. Leave to cool in the tin on a cooling rack. If your AGA does not have a baking oven, bake on a grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with a cold plain shelf on the second set of runners above.
- Mix the cheese, cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until thickened and turn into the tin and level off the surface. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- To make the topping, place the Crème de Cassis in a stainless steel saucepan with the sugar and place on the simmering plate, stirring occasionally. Slake the arrowroot in a cup with the cold water. When the sugar has dissolved in the pan, remove from the heat and whisk in the arrowroot mixture.
- Return to the simmering plate and stir until the mixture clears and thickens slightly. Add the lemon juice and blueberries and stir as the mixture cools and thickens further.
- When almost cool, pour over the cheesecake and chill for a further hour. Decorate before serving by piping an odd number of rosettes of whipped double around the cheesecake, topping these with leaves.
