Apricot cheesecake
THERE are two ingredients I really like – apricots, whether fresh, dried or preserved, and Philadelphia cream cheese. It’s not often I can find a recipe that includes both but this beautiful cheesecake is one of them and well worth making. It’s sweet with a hint of tang and as always, Philly cheese is, for me, a standout must when it comes to the success of any cheesecake, especially one like this which doesn’t need baking. Nectar is slightly thicker than tinned juice — but either will suffice. You can decorate with fresh or canned apricots for this.
Ingredients 1 1/4 C sweet biscuit crumbs 80gms butter, melted 1 C apricot nectar (juice from tinned fruit if you can’t get nectar) 1 tbs gelatine 500g (one block) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened 1/2 C caster sugar 1 tbs lemon juice 3/4 C cream, lightly whipped
Glaze 1 C apricot nectar 1 tbs caster sugar 3 tsp cornflour 425g can apricot halves, drained
Method Mix biscuit crumbs and butter until ready to press into the base of a lightly greased 22cm springform pan. Chill. Heat the apricot nectar in a small saucepan until boiling, take off the heat and stir in gelatine until dissolved. Set aside and cool. Beat the cheese, sugar and lemon juice using an electric mixer until smooth – you do need to soften the cheese, either with 30 seconds in a microwave, or at room temperature, to get the best results. Beat in the apricot nectar and gelatine mixture until well combined, then fold through the cream. Pour into prepared base and chill until firm. I usually like to make this in the morning so that it’s well ready by the time I need it, but it shouldn’t take longer than a couple of hours. For the glaze, combine the apricot nectar, sugar and cornflour in a small saucepan, and stir over medium heat until thickened. Cool completely before glazing the cheesecake, and top with apricot halves, dust with coconut if you like.
