Monday 10 March 2008

White Chocolate-Blueberry Cheesecake

 

Look ma, no baking so no oven needed! Gary Rhodes' article in the BBC Good Food magazine provided me with the recipe to adapt for this confection which is really very easy to make!

I know, I know, the picture doesn't look too polished. I brought this to our nephew's baptism reception and there wasn't any plate big enough nor a knife to properly slice it. So a squashed pie plate was produced and everybody just hacked it with plastic forks and spoons. Not a pretty sight but well worth having as it was not too sweet with just the right balance of the white chocolate and cream cheese and with nary a smidgen of sour cream. The topping of course are lovely blueberries that always marries well with cheesecakes.



White Chocolate-Blueberry Cheesecake

*Biscuit Base:
225 g  plain Hobnobs* - crushed to fine crumbs
100 g  unsalted butter - melted

*Cheesecake:
300 g  white chocolate - chopped
200 g  cream cheese (or Philadelphia cheese) - at room temperature
25 g  [5 tsp] caster sugar
2 cups double cream

*Topping:
350 g  blueberries
100 g  icing sugar (confectioner's)
2 Tbsp water
  1. Line bottom and sides of a 23cm/9-inch round springform pan with greaseproof paper.
  2. Mix crumbs and butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill in the fridge.
  3. While the the crust is chilling, melt white chocolate very gently in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water in a saucepan. Remove from heat and cool a little until warm.
  4. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  5. Stir in melted chocolate. Mix well.
  6. Whip double cream to very soft peaks then gently fold into the white chocolate mixture.
  7. Pour into the prepared pan. Spread and smooth top. Chill in fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight.
  • For the topping:
    1. Place blueberries, icing sugar and water in a saucepan and warm gently until sugar has dissolved and the berries are starting to soften but still retains their shape.
    2. If syrup is too thin, take the blueberries out with slotted spoon into a container. Leave a few pieces and mash these to release the juice. Continue simmering the syrup for a few minutes to thicken.
    3. Remove from heat and mix back in the blueberries. Leave to cool.
  • To assemble:
    1. Remove cheesecake from baking pan then spoon the cold blueberries with syrup over the top.

*Note: For the crust, you can use either Hobnobs (or any oaty biscuit), Digestives, or graham crackers.