Real Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

14 oz/400 g plain flour
8oz./225g. unsalted butter
4oz./125g.icing sugar sieved
pinch salt
2tbsp/30ml. grated lemon rind
4 egg yolks
4tbsp/60ml. dry white wine

Filling

4 egg yolks
10tbs/150ml. sour cream
2 ½lb. 1.1kg.ricotta or cream cheese sieved
2oz./50g. melted butter
12oz./350g. caster sugar
grated rind of I orange
6oz.175g. fresh candied peel
6oz./175g. sultanas
sieved icing sugar

Method

Sieve the flour. Roughly chop butter and place in a bow with sugar, salt, flour and lemon rind. Using hands, rub ingredients together until mixture resem bles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolks and the wine to the mixture. Using a fork or a knife, gently work the ingredients until they begin to bind together. If the mixture' is too wet, add another tablespoon of flour
Using one hand with a little flour on it, gently form the mixture into a dough. knead it lightly to form a ball. Wrap the dough in grease proof paper or oiled foil and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to Mark 4/350F/180C
Using an electric beater or wooden spoon beat the egg yolks, sour cream, ricotta or cream cheese, but ter and caster sugar lightly together until smooth.
Mix together the orange rind , mixed peel and sul tanas. Gradually add the dried fruit to the cheese mix ture and, using a large metal spoon, mix thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the fruit.
Take out chilled dough and carefully roll out on a floured surface. Roll pastry round the rolling pin and gently lay it in the tin. Using your knuckles press the pastry well to the sides of the tin so that it fits snugly.
Using a sharp knife, trim away the excess pastry hanging over the edge of the tin. Smooth the edge.
Gather up the excess pastry. Lightly knead it again and reroll into a rectan gular shape. Cut it into long thin strips. Prick the base of the pastry case.
Spoon the creamy cheese filling into the pastry case and, using the back of the spoon, smooth the surface. Arrange the pastry strips across each other in an even lattice design on top of the cheesecake (see photo-graph above). Trim the pastry strips. Seal to the edge of the pasty case with a little water. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1-1 ½ hours until golden and the top of the cheesecake feels firm. If it's browning too quickly, cover with foil.
The cheeseake will not feel totally firm when it is removed from the oven. Allow it to cool, then place it still in the tin in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. During this time the cheese will set and become firm to the touch. Carefully remove the cheesecake from tin and serve it lightly sprink led with sieved icing sugar.

Cheesecake variations

Try a different mixture of dried fruits. Combine some of the following ones: chop ped glace cherries, dried apricots, raisins, stem ginger, dried figs or crystal lised pineapple.

if you can get curd cheese, use a mixture of curd and cream cheese to give a slightly stronger flavour to the filling.

In place of the latticework on top of the cheesecake, try 3-4 slices of tinned pineap pie. Drain the fruit and dry with a piece of kitchen roll. Lay the slices on top of the cheesecake and then cook as instructed.

Reroll the remaining pas ty to fit the top of the tin. Place the pasty over the fill ing but do not press down. Cook the cheesecake follow mg the instructions given. Do not cut until cold.