An excellent desert, even if somewhat on a ‘heavy’ side. You may be wise to plan for smaller portions than you would usually do. The good news is that it can be covered tightly and stored in a fridge for a day or two – if it lasts that long..
I implemented this desert in two different, both attractive, formats.
FIRST is a simple bowl-full-of goodies delivery, where you scoop out single portions with a spoon,and it looks a bit like this:
The bowl delivery is better if you plan to serve it in individual dishes, perhaps dressed by some fruit or delicate sauce (none are necessary, but the appearances may come into play..).
SECOND mimics the format of a tart, and it looks a bit like this:
This one is easier to place on the table and slice the pieces right there. Note, that to do it you need to use a deep tart pan or a spring form, both with removable bottom – otherwise you will not be able to remove the whole ‘tart’ onto a serving plate.
The content and preparation are the same for both formats, just a final construction of the product differs. The components below should give you a generous serving for 6 people.
- 250 ml (a solid cup) lemon curd
- 250g digestive biscuits; when planning for the flat, tart shaped delivery i might increase this to 350 g, for easier handling – but it is not an essential adjustment; just makes shaping and cutting the shell less ‘delicate’ :-)
- 80g butter, melted; again, when planning for the flat, tart shaped delivery i would increase this to 115 g, to step up with the biscuits..
- 500g cream cheese such as mascarpone or regular ‘bakers 15%’
- 250ml double cream
- 100g sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1tsp vanilla essence
For the bowl-full-of-goodies delivery you will
- Prepare a 20 cm deep dish, large enough to fit the mixture tightly; it will be a mixture similar to ice cream, and dispatching it to serving plates can be done with an ice cream scoop..
- In a food processor, crush the biscuits to a coarse breadcrumb-like consistency. To do this by hand, put the biscuits in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin.
- Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter.
- Whip the double cream and sugar until fairly stiff. In a clean bowl, again by machine or hand, soften the cream cheese then carefully fold in the whipped cream..
- Carefully fold in with the lemon zest and vanilla essence.
- Spoon a third of the cheesecake mixture into the dish and stir in a third of the lemon curd to form a ripple effect and smooth it over with the back of a spoon.
- Scatter one-third of the biscuit mix on the cheesecake then repeat with the cheesecake mix and lemon curd until you have used up all of the mix. If you wish, you can reserve a little of the curd and biscuit mix to scatter on the cheesecake when you serve it.
- Cover with saran wrap and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
- To serve, dip a large serving spoon in hot water and scoop a spoonful out and place in the centre of serving dishes. Perhaps some fresh mint leaves to decorate?
For the tart style delivery you will
- Prepare a tart or a spring-form dish with removable bottom or removable walls.
- In a food processor, crush the biscuits to a coarse breadcrumb-like consistency. To do this by hand, put the biscuits in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin.
- Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter.
- Fit and press the mixture into the tin, gently but persistently building a shell (much like you would do preparing a pie or a tart).
- Place the ready shell in the fridge. If you wish, you can reserve a little of the curd and biscuit mix to scatter on the cheesecake when you serve it.
- Whip the double cream and sugar until fairly stiff. In a clean bowl, again by machine or hand, soften the cream cheese then carefully fold in the whipped cream..
- Carefully fold in with the lemon zest and vanilla essence.
- Spoon a third of the cheesecake mixture into the dish and stir in a third of the lemon curd to form a ripple effect and smooth it over with the back of a spoon.
- Scatter one-third of the biscuit mix on the cheesecake then repeat with the cheesecake mix and lemon curd until you have used up all of the mix.
- Cover with saran wrap and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
- To serve, remove the tart – hopefully with the shell – and slide it on a serving plate.. Perhaps some fresh mint leaves to decorate?
