Real Cheesecake

Description

A cake or a warming winter pudding A new-look Madeira that's really different. This cake is delicious eaten when you've lust poured over the hot syrup, or cold with the lemon topping.

Ingredients

• 14 oz / 400 g plain flour
• 8 oz / 225 g unsalted butter
• 4 oz / 125 g icing sugar sieved
• pinch salt
• 2 tbsp / 30 ml grated lemon rind
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp / 60 ml dry white wine

Filling

• 4 egg yolks
• 10 tbsp / 150 ml sour cream
• 2½ lb / 1.1 kg ricotta or cream cheese sieved
• 2 oz / 50 g melted butter
• 12 oz / 350 g caster sugar
• grated rind of 1 orange
• 6 oz / 175 g fresh candied peel
• 6 oz / 175 g sultanas
• sieved icing sugar

Directions

1. Sieve the flour. Roughly chop butter and place in a bow with Sugar, salt, flour and lemon rind. Using hands, rub ingredients together until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg yolks and the wine to the mixture. Using a fork or a knife, gently work the ingredients until they begin to bind together. If the mixture' is too wet, add another tablespoon of flour
3. Using one hand with a little flour on it, gently form the mixture into a dough. knead it lightly to form a ball. Wrap the dough in grease proof paper or oiled foil and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to Mark 4 / 350 °F / 180 °C
4. Using an electric beater or wooden spoon beat the egg yolks, sour cream, ricotta or cream cheese, but ter and caster sugar lightly together until smooth.
5. Mix together the orange rind , mixed peel and sultanas. Gradually add the dried fruit to the Cheese mix ture and, using a large metal spoon, mix thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the fruit.
6. Take out chilled dough and carefully roll out on a floured surface. Roll pastry round the rolling pin and gently lay it in the tin. Using your knuckles press the pastry well to the sides of the tin so that it fits snugly.
7. Using a sharp knife, trim away the excess pastry hanging over the edge of the tin. Smooth the edge.
8. Gather up the excess pastry. Lightly knead it again and re-roll into a rectangular shape. Cut it into long thin strips. Prick the base of the pastry case.
9. Spoon the creamy cheese filling into the pastry case and, using the back of the spoon, smooth the surface. Arrange the pastry strips across each other in an even lattice design on top of the cheesecake (see photo-graph above).
10. Trim the pastry strips. Seal to the edge of the pasty case with a little water. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 – 1½ hours until golden and the top of the cheesecake feels firm. If it's browning too quickly, cover with foil.
11. The cheeseake will not feel totally firm when it is removed from the oven. Allow it to cool, then place it still in the tin in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. During this time the cheese will set and become firm to the touch. Carefully remove the cheesecake from tin and serve it lightly sprinkled with sieved icing sugar.