Blueberry and Lavender Cheesecake

Blueberry and Lavender Cheesecake

by | Oct 12, 2016 | 2 comments

I’m not one to hold on to so-called ‘secret’ recipes but this one, I keep close. Well, until now. In fact I’ve been prolonging the day I’d share this recipe with anyone because it is just that good. It also required a lot of hard work to get it which is why I’m so precious about it. And we all know anything worth having is worth waiting for!  I first made this recipe as a student chef in the restaurant I used to work for. The recipe was kept under lock and key and your grimy commis chef hands were only allowed to touch it after 6 months of working in the kitchen! So you can only imagine the skip in my step when I was finally permitted to make it – I promptly memorised the recipe, of course, just incase the honour was revoked!

In it’s original form, it’s a luscious, rich, silky, velvety baked cheesecake laced with white chocolate and a pinch of cardamom but without the spice, it can be whatever you want it to be. And for the Spring issue of Food & Home Entertaining Magazine, I wanted it to have bursts of blueberry and a gentle lingering of lavender. Holy moly is this a good combination! So now that I’ve shared the most secret recipe I have, you NEED to make this. Don’t make me revoke the honour 😉

Blueberry, White Chocolate and Lavender Cheesecake

Serves 10-12 A LITTLE EFFORT 90 minutes

 

400g digestive biscuits

100g salted butter, melted

pinch of fresh lavender flowers

800g full cream cream cheese, room temperature

300g crème fraîche, room temperature

180g Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

40g cake flour

4 large eggs

200g The Kate Tin White Chocolate, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 2 lemons

pinch of lavender flowers, finely chopped, plus extra to decorate

250g frozen blueberries, plus extra for decorating

 

Preheat the oven to 120°C (or 100°C fan-forced) . Line the bottom of a 30cm springform cake tin with baking paper then grease the sides. Wrap the outside of the tin in foil to make it waterproof. Combine the biscuits, butter and lavender in a food processor and process until fine crumbs then press into the bottom of the lined tin. Place the cream cheese, crème friach, sugar, flour, eggs, white chocolate, vanilla, lemon zest, lavender and half the bluberries in a food processor and process until smooth then pour over the crust in the cake tin and sprinkle with the remaining blueberries. Place the cake tin on a folded tea towel (to stop it slipping) in a large roasting dish and fill with enough hot water until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Bake for about 1 hour or until the cheesecake is just set with a slight wobble in the middle (like set jelly). Allow to cool completely at room temperature in the bain marie then remove from the waterbath and refrigerate until set. To serve, unmould the cheesecake by running a knife dipped in hot water around the edges. Top with extra blueberries and lavender flowers.

 

 

TIP Lavender can be very powerful so use it sparingly for a gentle fragrance.

 

Jasmine and Coconut Panna Cotta Jellies

Jasmine and Coconut Panna Cotta Jellies

by | Sep 20, 2016 | 0 comments

My absolute favourite smell in the whole world isn’t freshly baked bread, or melted chocolate or real vanilla extract. It’s jasmine. In the past few weeks while Cape Town has been deciding whether it is Spring or Winter, the wonky weather has resulted in a serious plus; masses and masses of jasmine blossoms in my back courtyard. Somedays, I’ll make an excuse to just go out and stand outside unashamedly, like an idiot, inhaling the scent deeply like some kind of back-alley addict. Other days I’ll try and be more aloof about it and look for an excuse to hang up laundry or pull out some weeds (those who know me will have immediately seen through my farse) while I inhale deeply which probably makes me look like I’m about to pass out. Which I kinda am – from pleasure!

If you have some jasmine blooming in your garden, you’ll want to pick it for this recipe and then serve it to your friends so you can brag about the fact that you made it with homegrown jasmine. You can also throw in the word ‘organic’ for an added ‘wow’ effect. The sexy sway of the jelly, the creamy voluptuous panna cotta and the heady scent of the jasmine all make this one heck of a dessert – especially served with some shortbread biscuits on the side. If you don’t have jasmine, try rose petals, rose geranium, lavender (but be gentle) – or if you prefer not to eat your flowers, infuse the jelly with a few bruised sticks of lemongrass, green tea leaves or even some fruity tea infusions! Worst case scenario, grab some from your neighbour, isn’t that what neighbours are for anyway?

 

 

Jasmine and Coconut Panna Cotta Jellies

Makes 8-12

 

1L water

150g Natura Golden Caster Sugar

1 cup of packed jasmine flowers

8 sheets gelatin leaves

 

Coconut Panna Cotta

1/2 cup cream

110g Natura Golden Caster Sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

5 sheets gelatin

 

Place the water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and add the jasmine flowers. Heat until the syrup starts to simmer then remove and allow to stand for 1 hour to infuse. Place the gelatin leaves in cold water to soften. Heat the syrup again gently, add the softened gelatin leaves then stir to dissolve. Pour the jelly into desired moulds (fill them only halfway) then place in the refrigerator to set.

 

To make the panna cotta, combine the cream, sugar, vanilla and coconut milk in a saucepan and heat gently (don’t boil). Place the gelatin leaves in cold water to soften. Add the softened gelatin leaves to the warm milk mixture then stir to dissolve. Allow to cool to room temperature then pour over the set jelly. Refrigerate again until completely set. To unmould dip the mould briefly into boiling water then pop the jellies out onto serving plates.

 

TIP These jellies are delicious served with buttery lavender shortbread!