There is a natural food law, I believe, that isthat most people will like most things, as long as they're prepared the right way. Once you've had something the wrong way, however, you'll take alot of persuading that it can have real merit. Most beetroot haters, for instance, have been scarred by its pickled, glass-jarred form, so it takes a really lovely dish to convince them that the scar need not be for life. Roasted with garlic and thyme, then blended with good stock into a rich soup and served with a dash of creme fraiche into which you've stirred a little fresh horseradish and a soupçon of English mustard, may be the laser surgery you're looking for. It worked for me, anyway – Iused to hate the stuff.
On the other hand, I've never had a problem with sprouts, celery, liver or the other potentially pungent foods that many people take against. But there are some things that still make me wrinkle my nose, and they tend to be under- rather than over-flavoured. Egg white, for instance: poached, boiled or fried, it's the yolk I go for, and it takes self-discipline to tidy up the wobbly strands of white left on my plate. Cream cheese is another. I'd never eat this super-smooth, white stuff on its own, but whip and bake it into a sweet pud, and my interest is piqued. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, the only real justification for cream cheese is the cheesecake. Unless it's come from a goat, it's too inoffensive, smooth and hom*ogeneous, which draws attention to its cloying richness. But its soft, even-tempered-to-the-point-of-tedium character makes it ideal for one of those sweet, yielding, deep, American-style cheesecakes into which you can sink your fork as you would your foot in a 3ft snowdrift. Suddenly, cream cheese is bliss.
Other mild, soft white cheeses come to the fore in the realm of cheesecakery, including the very rich, creamy mascarpone or the very light ricotta. All function as the basic medium in these understandably popular puds: they don't contribute much in the way of taste, but their texture is wonderful, and they allow the flavours of any aromatics – lemon zest, vanilla or ginger, say – to shine. Their subtle, light flavour means they make a particularly delicious pairing with sharp fruits, be that a good old blackcurrant topping, a spoonful of rhubarb or gooseberry compote, or some booze-soaked raisins.
Cheesecake cookery is not without its little pitfalls – quite literally, in some cases: a yawning crevasse in the top is not uncommon. This is caused by baking the cake for a little too long, or by letting it cool too quickly, so the contracting sides pull apart the soft middle. To avoid cracking, keep the oven relatively low, or bake in a protective bain-marie. Stop cooking when it looks set but still has a slight wobble in the centre, and let it cool gently, perhaps leaving it in the oven with the door open. Or apply a cool, creamy topping straight away, to help the surface "relax" rather than fracture. Should cracking still occur, don't despair: it's the hallmark of thehomemade cheesecake, as are uneven sides and a little shrinkage or sinkage. It will still be delicious.
Ginger and rhubarb cheesecake
This style of silky-sweet, unbaked cheesecake would have graced many a 1970s dinner party table, and it's none the worse for that. Serves eight.
For the biscuit base
80g melted butter, plus some softened butter for greasing
180g ginger biscuits
1 tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of salt
For the filling
300g mascarpone cheese at room temperature
3 balls of stem ginger, finely diced, plus 3 tbsp syrup from the jar
Finely grated zest of 1 small orange, plus half its juice
300ml double cream
For the rhubarb
350g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 4cm batons
75g caster sugar
Zest and juice of ½ orange
Butter a 23cm springform tin, line the base with baking parchment and butter the parchment.
To make the base, blitz the biscuits with the sugar and salt in afood processor until fine. Pour the melted butter through the feed tube, pulsing as you go, until it looks like wet sand. Tip into the tin and press in firmly with the bottom of aglass so you get an even layer. Chill the base while you make the filling.
In a mixer, beat the mascarpone until smooth and light. Beat in the ginger, ginger syrup, orange juice and zest. Slowly whisk in the cream until the mixture has just thickened. Spoon into the biscuit-lined tin and spread into an even layer. Chill for four hours or overnight, until firm.
While the cheesecake is chilling, prepare the rhubarb. Heat the oven to 130C/260F/gas mark ½. Lay the rhubarb in an ovenproof dish large enough to hold it in a single layer, scatter on the sugar and orange zest, and add the orange juice. Stir to coat. Roast for 30 minutes until tender, then drain off the juices and cool.
Run a thin knife around the edge of the cheesecake, release the sides of the tin and the base, and transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate. Serve with the cold roasted rhubarb on the top or on the side.
Ricotta cheesecake with marsala-soaked raisins
This simple, crustless cheesecake is deliciously light and melt-in-the-mouth. It's based on Anna Del Conte's budino di ricotta from her wonderful book The Gastronomy OfItaly (Pavilion, 2004). Serves six.
100g raisins
4 tbsp marsala
Butter, for greasing
3 tbsp plain flour, plus extra fordusting
250g ricotta
2 tbsp creme fraiche
2 large eggs, separated
125g caster sugar
Nutmeg
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Soak the raisins in the marsala for afew hours (overnight, if at all possible) until plump. Heat the ovento 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Buttera 25cm loose-based tart tin, dust the inside with flour and shake out the excess.
Beat the ricotta until smooth, thenbeat in the creme fraiche. Beat in the egg yolks. Combine the flour and 75g of the sugar, and beat into the mix along with a good grating ofnutmeg and the lemon zest. Useawhisk to get rid of any lumps. Finally, stir in the raisins, along with any marsala left in the bowl.
Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Keep beating, gradually adding the remaining sugar, until you have a thick, glossy meringue that stays in the bowl if you hold itupside down. Stir a heaped tablespoonful of the meringue into the cheese mixture to loosen it, then lightly fold in the rest, keeping as much air in the mix as you can. Pour into the prepared tin and give it agentle shake to level the surface. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden and set. Leave to cool to room temperature (it will sink, but don't worry). Remove the sides of the tin and serve in generous slices, perhaps with a little glass of marsala to sip alongside.
New York cheesecake
A classic: a deep, welcoming featherbed of a pudding. Serves eight to 12.
For the base
100g butter –15g softened and 85gmelted
170g digestive biscuits
1 tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of flaky sea salt
For the filling
200g caster sugar
3 tbsp plain flour
Pinch of flaky sea salt
900g full-fat soft cheese, atroomtemperature
200ml sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
For the sour cream topping
200ml sour cream
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Generously grease the base and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin with the soft butter, line the base with baking parchment and butter the parchment. Wrap the cake tin in several layers of tinfoil – it needs to encase the tin completely, with no holes or gaps, because you're going to cook the cheesecake in a bain-marie and you don't want any water to sneak in at the base and ruin it.
Next make the crust. Put the biscuits into a food processor with the sugar and salt, and pulse to fine crumbs. Pour the melted butter through the feed tube and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand, then press it into the bottom of the cake tin in an even layer (use the bottom of a glass to smooth it out). Bake for 10-12 minutes until firm, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
Reduce the oven temperature to170C/335F/gas mark 3. Whisk together the sugar, flour and salt. Ina mixer, beat the soft cheese until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl and beaters a couple of times. With the mixer on low, beat in a third of the sugar mixture, then half the sour cream. Repeat, then beat in the last of the sugar mixture. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and the yolk, beating well after each addition, until smooth and creamy.
Brush the inside of the cake tin above the biscuit base with more butter and place in a roasting tin. Pour the filling into the cake tin. Put the roasting tin in the oven and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the outside of the cake tin. Bake for an hour and a half to an hour and three-quarters, until just set in the centre.
For the topping, stir together the sour cream, sugar and lemon juice, and spread in an even layer over the top of the cheesecake as soon as it comes out ofthe oven. Let the cake cool, then refrigerate overnight.
Run a thin-bladed knife around the sides of the tin to loosen any stuck edges, then release the sides of the tin. Carefully slide the cheesecake on to a plate and gently slide the parchment out from underneath.
