WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY BAKED CHEESECAKE

BAKED WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

So... with Hugo returning from the Far East last week, and then packed off to begin a whole new chapter of his life on Sunday, I wanted to make him something that I know he loves... so I nicked the recipe from right under my mother-in-laws nose.  Doesn't it annoy you, that as a parent, you can try and try and try, but when the chips are down, all they actually want are Granny's cheesecake, Grandma's roast potatoes, and other Grandma's chocolate puddings? (I know - we are greedy, they have 3 grandmothers)....THEY ARE SPOILT FOR CHOICE, and I have tough competition.

This is simply delicious and it can stay in the fridge for at least 4 days winking at you, and giving you that come-hither look, as it does just get better and better, so best eat it all at once probably, and then you can't be tempted for the rest of the week...

It's also good to know, that if a load of your daughter's unexpected friends descend on your house at 3am on a Sunday morning, it is far better for them to tuck into cheesecake than an array of unheard of cocktails - so always be prepared I say!

INGREDIENTS

900g philadelphia cream cheese (I use the light, just to make me feel better)

2 large eggs

200g melted butter

250g crushed digestives (or chocolate ones if you fancy)

350g raspberries

300g white chocolate chips/buttons

3 tsp vanilla extract

115g caster sugar

3 tbsp cornflour

115ml double cream

Turn on the oven to 180 degrees, then the music and get cooking..

Mix the melted butter and crushed digestive biscuits in a pan, sometimes I add a little golden syrup, just to make sure that the biscuit base doesn't crumble when you cut into it later.  Once it's all mixed, press down in a spring form cake tin (one with a bottom that you can remove... wouldn't that be good), and when you have pressed it down, and it's all compact, then put in the oven for about 10 mins and take out to cool... then turn oven up to 200 degrees.

Mix the sugar, cornflour and philadelphia with a spoon, then if you have one of those hand electric mixers, now's the time to put it to use.  Beat the ingredients on high speed until it's properly mixed, then add the beaten eggs and the vanilla extract.  Now, really slowly, add the double cream until it has become a rather tasty, thick vanilla cream.  If you're not finding it is thick enough, and you are worried, you can add a little more cornflour, but it should be completely fine. So, when you are happy, you can then stir in the choccie chips and the raspberries.  If you like it a little fruitier, you can add a few more raspberries (not too many though!).

Pour onto the base, which should be ready for you on the side, and then put into the oven for around 1 hour.  If it's looking too brown on the top, cover with tin foil for a bit - but just check every now and again, it should be fine.  The way you can tell if it's done, is give it a little wobble - too much wobble means more time.  Or, you could stick a skewer/cocktail stick inside and if it comes out covered with runny hot stuff, get it back in quick..

When you are kind of convinced it's ready, then take it out of the oven, but LEAVE in the tin for hours before you take it out - otherwise it will collapse.  So, make it in the morning, let it cool, put it in the fridge (still in it's tin for the rest of the day), and then just before you serve the perfect cheesecake at supper time, wriggle it out of it's tin, dust it with icing sugar (if you have any), pop a few raspberries on the top and tuck right in.

My pictures are again a bit rubbish, but only because I had 5 people shouting at me to get the bloody thing on the table - it was delicious, but was it as good as the way Granny cooked it? Hmmm, let's just say, that in order not to cause a huge stink, they stayed very quiet.

PS:  MY FAVOURITE THING AT THE MOMENT IS FENNEL -  I know that it doesn't go with cheesecake, but I will surprise you with a really tasty twist on it later on in the week...



PPS: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE BEST EVER STREET FOOD - THEN LOOK NO FURTHER - I have literally chased him round the country for the last few years, and eventually tracked him down at Kerb's first street food birthday in Kings Cross last Friday - YEAH... I can't find his link but he is called Jahl Muri - Calcutta street food at its most brilliant, star of Rick Stein in India, and at last, I am at peace