Baked cheesecake with Pedro Ximemez and dried fruit compote
Pedro Ximenez is a Spanish white grape variety. It is used to make the most intensely flavoured, thick, sweet sherry. It pairs beautifully with chocolate and coffee as well as dried fruits and vanilla. Here it adds a festive flavour to a baked cheesecake. Enjoy with an extra glass of this delicious sherry on the side.
Serves: 8
150 g digestive biscuits, crushed
50 g ameretti bsicuits, crushed
75 g unsalted butter, melted
500 g ricotta cheese
300 ml sour cream
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
150 g caster sugar
grated zest and juice 1 lemon
fruit compote
125 ml Pedro Ximenez, plus extra to serve
2 tbs clear honey
75 g large golden raisins
50 g dried figs, thinly sliced
50 g dried cranberries
1 vanilla pod, split
spray oil, for greasing
Preheat the oven to 150c/fan forced 130c and grease and line the base and sides of a 22cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.
Mix together the crushed digestives, ameretti biscuits and melted butter until evenly combined. Spoon into the base of the prepared tin. Using the back of the spoon smooth the biscuit mixture until flat and well compressed. Chill whilst preparing the filling.
Place ricotta, sour cream, eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a food processor and blend until really smooth. Pour over the biscuit base and bake for 1 hour until just set in the middle (it will puff up around the edges this is fine). Turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake inside with the door ajar until cool. Transfer to the fridge and chill for several hours.
Make the compote. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir gently until just boiling, simmer gently for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Leave to cool. Carefully unmould the cheesecake from the tin, cut into wedges and serve topped with the compote and a glass of Pedro Ximenez.
Tip: If making a day ahead, return the cheesecake to room temperature for 1 hour before serving, this will allow the filling to soften to the perfect texture.
