Ciao Chow Linda

Fig, Orange and Mascarpone Cheesecake

Recipe Type: dessert

Author: From “Sweet” by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh

Ingredients

• =Base

• 3 1/2 oz/100 gr. graham crackers (about 6 1/2 sheets), roughly broken

• 3/4 cup/80 g. walnut halves, finely chopped

• 4 Tbsp/60 gr. unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

• 9 oz/260 gr. soft dried figs, tough stems removed, sliced into 1/4 inch/0.5 cm strips

• 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp/250 ml orange juice

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

• =Filling

• 1 lb. 2 oz/500 gr. cream cheese at room temperature (I used 1 lb. only)

• 1 lb. 2 oz./500 gr. mascarpone (I used 1 lb. only)

• 1 1/4 cups/250 gr. granulated sugar

• finely grated zest of 1 large orange (1 tbsp)

• 4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. To make the base, grease the base and sides of a 9-inch/23 cm round springform pan and line with parchment paper, making sure that the paper rises at least 2 inches/5 cm above the rim; the cake rises a lot in the oven. (I lined only the bottom and buttered the sides and it was fine).

2. Place the graham crackers in a food processor and process to form fine crumbs; the consistency should be that of dried breadcrumbs. Place in a medium bowl and add the walnuts and melted butter.Use your hands or a large spoon to combine; the mixture should be the consistency of wet sand. Spoon the crumbs into the pan, using your hands to press them into the base, then place in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. (At this stage, I baked the base in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Next time, I would bake it for 10-12 minutes, since the base still softened after the cheesecake was baked.)

3. Place the figs, orange juice, cinnamon stick and ground cloves in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated but the mixture is still moist. (At this point, I blended it until smooth in a food processor – removing the cinnamon stick.) Set aside to cool, remove the cinnamon stick, then spread over the base. Return to the fridge.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. To make the filling, place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until smooth, before adding the mascarpone, sugar, orange zest, egg yolks and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and creamy, scraping down the paddle and sides of the bowl from time to time, if you need to.

6. Place the egg whites in a separate clean bowl and whisk (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until firm peaks form. Fold a third into the cream cheese mixture, followed by the remaining two-thirds.

7. Pour the filling over the chilled fig and graham cracker base. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 75-80 minutes, until the cheesecake is a light golden brown at the edges and the center is only just firm. (Before putting in the oven, I wrapped the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil, then placed the pan in a bain-marie, or hot water bath. It helps the cheesecake to bake more evenly and avoids formation of raised edges. I baked it for 75 minutes and it was still slightly wobbly in the middle. Don’t worry, it firms as it cools.)

8. Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside for an hour or so, with the door propped open with a wooden spoon. Allow it to come to room temperature before covering in plastic wrap and keeping in the fridge for 4 hours.

9. When ready to serve, release the springform pan, remove the parchment paper (that is nearly impossible to do without flipping it over, so I left it on) and transfer to a cake platter. (I decorated the top with sliced figs that were brushed with quince jelly.)

10. The cheesecake is best served chilled, straight from the fridge, and cut with a warm knife (dip the blade in hot water and wipe dry before using.)