Photo credit: Mona Wise of www.wisewords.ie
At last, the rhubarb season is here! On Sunday I dusted off the domestic halo that’s been in a bottom drawer for several months and made this Baked Rhubarb Cheesecake for a Fathers Day treat.
The recipe by Mona and Ron Wise was published in The Sunday Times newspaper in their weekly food column, and I’m reproducing it here with kind permission.
Photo Credit: Mona Wise
Custardy Baked Cheesecake Recipe with roasted Rhubarb
(makes 8 – 10 slices)
For the base
250 g digestive biscuits
100 g cream crackers
100 g pistachios
100 g pecans
150 g butter, melted
For the cheesecake filling
500 g Kilbeg mascarpone cream cheese, room temp
300 g crème fraîche
100 g caster sugar (or honey)
2 eggs
Zest of one orange
For the roasted Rhubarb topping
550g rhubarb
85g golden caster sugar
How to prepare it
The base
Line the base of a springform pan (with a removable base) with parchment paper. Place the biscuits, cream crackers, pistachios and pecans into the food processor and process until finely crushed. (Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor, place them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling-pin to grind the biscuits and nuts to a small crumb-like texture.
Add the melted butter and continue to mix it in until well combined. Transfer the biscuit mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly over the base and sides of the pan. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes, giving it time to set.
The roasted rhubarb
Pre-heat the over to 200°C
Rinse the rhubarb in cold water and shake off the excess. Trim the pieces to around 5cm and place into a shallow baking dish. Toss the sugar with the rhubarb then arrange into a single layer. Cover with foil or a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes until the rhubarb is tender and syrupy but still keeping it’s shape.
The cheesecake
Turn down the oven to 160ºC
Place the cream cheese and crème fraîche and sugar in a bowl and mix until smooth. (Ideally you should use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment). Add the eggs and zest of orange and process until well combined (4 mins).
Place the (already prepared) biscuit base pan on an oven tray (in case of overflowing) and pour the filling into the base and bake in pre-heated oven for one hour, or until just set. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for a half hour with the door open. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
When ready to serve, top the cheesecake with the roasted rhubarb.
Optional .. you can serve a small dollop of whipped cream on top of this if desired but it is not needed.
Strawberry Baked Cheesecake
Strawberry Cheesecake
Because the roasted rhubarb is added to the top of the baked cheesecake it can be replaced with any favourite seasonal fruits. I added strawberries to half of it as our polytunnel is overflowing with them right now and our girls aren’t big fans of rhubarb.
Strawberry Cheesecake
So if you have an occasion coming up and are looking for a special dessert, why not give this one a try. Your friends will love you for it.
17 Comments
Sinfully indulgent. I’d nearly risk being sick to indulge in that. Love cheesecake:) Great pics
It is and really only for special ocassions Marian. Being sick for it a bit extream tho! Wonder could you make a glutten free base?
I wouldn’t really just yours reminded me of a pineapple one I used to make. Oh my it was delicious. Yours was just a blast to the past of how it used to be.
Am making raw ones at the minute as avoiding dairy etc as well and they are going down well. Different though
I’d really miss cheesecake Marian if I had to give it up for any reason, if though I only eat it on special ocassions. Feel your pain.
Oh Dee – the strawberries look ah-mazing!!
Fab … thanks for all the ‘links of love’ there too. Much appreciated.
They’re deliciously sweet Mona and complement the cheesecake beautifully. And you’re more than welcome, thanks for sharing your creations 🙂
Both look fab, Dee. Don”t know which to try first 🙂
Make it half and half Colette. One of the good things about it is you can add any topping.
Dee love the photo of the strawberry cheesecake…. you going for the food photography category this year 🙂 Seriously though it looks delicious, really really delicious.
No I haven’t Margaret, though vibrant there’s no comparison with Mona’s standards, winner of last year of that category, wouldnt stand a chance! (And it is) will make it/bring it next time we share food 🙂
Kind of wish I hadn’t see this post Dee, now I have to try it, and that means another weekend that the housework gets shelved for “more important things”… looks delicious thanks for sharing!
🙂 life’s too short for housework in the summer months Niaomi. I’ve ditched it today in favour of more seed sowing. Mum-in-law visit next week though so a transformation will be taking place soon. Hope you enjoy the cheesecake recipe as much as we did.
Thought this recipe might interest you. Seems easy enough to do. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/rhubarb-and-muscat-jelly-recipe/index.html
Thanks for sharing that Elaine, it does look interesting. Will keep it in mind next time I’m harvesting rhubarb 🙂
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