Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Donna Hay Masterchef Masterclass



I haven't been watching much of the Masterchef series on TV, but I was very happy that I switched on just in time to see Donna Hay making this Classic Baked Cheesecake on Friday night.

I have just had a weekend away with family, this would have been the perfect cheesecake to have taken along.

I have highlighted Donna's top tips in red.



Classic Baked Cheesecake

Ingredients

Base
• 
1/3 cup ground almonds (almond meal)

• ¾ cup plain flour

• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 
90g chilled butter, chopped



Filling

• 330g cream cheese, softened
• 
500g fresh ricotta
• 
4 eggs

• 1 1/3 cups caster sugar
• 
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1½ tablespoons cornflour

• 1½ tablespoons water


• strawberries and raspberries, to decorate


Method


1. Preheat oven to 150°C.


2. To make the base, place the ground almonds, flour, sugar and butter into a bowl. Rub mixture with your fingertips until it forms coarse crumbs.


3. Line the base of a 20cm spring form tin with non-stick baking paper. (Flip the base of your spring form tin, upside down and then line with baking paper - for better presentation ) Place the base mixture in the tin and press gently with fingers until even and then smooth out with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden, set aside.


4. To make the filling, place the cream cheese, ricotta, eggs, sugar, lemon rind, juice and vanilla in a food processor. Combine the cornflour and water until smooth and add to the cheese mixture. Process the mixture until smooth.


5. Grease the sides of the cake tin with a little melted butter and then pour the filling over the base. Tap lightly to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and stand the cake in the oven for 1 hour, leaving the door closed. Refrigerate until cold and serve with fresh berries.


Donna used a very luscious looking fresh ricotta, it may be worth trying to find some to make this cheesecake.

1 comment:

  1. I find Donna Hay makes me feel like i'm capable of making anything, like Jamie Oliver, they are both real life cooks, makes such a difference when they are offering up recipes you will actually try & your family will love. Love Posie

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to hear what's happening in your kitchen. If you've tried one of my recipes, I'd like to know what you thought? Do you have some advice to make it better? Did you find a mistake? Perhaps it is a new favourite in your home?

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