Rhubarb and ginger cheesecake
Matt Tebbutt celebrates the delicious pairing that is rhubarb and ginger with this showstopping cheesecake – perfect for a dinner party.
Ingredients
For the poached rhubarb
- 500g/1lb 2oz rhubarb, cut into batons
- 1 grapefruit, juice only
- 40g/1½ oz caster sugar
- 1 star anise
For the biscuit base
- 250g/9oz ginger biscuits, plus 4 crushed to serve
- 150g/5½oz unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
- 600g/1lb 5oz cream cheese
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú icing sugar
- 250ml/9fl oz double cream
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 6 stem ginger balls, finely chopped (keep some syrup from the jar to decorate)
- fresh mint sprigs, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Place the rhubarb, grapefruit juice, sugar and star anise onto a baking tray and cook for 5–10 minutes, or until soft but keeping its shape. Set aside and discard the star anise – but keep any cooking syrup.
For the base, crush the biscuits until you have crumbs, either by using a machine or by hand with a rolling pin. Add the melted butter and stir. Press them into the bottom of a 20cm/8in springform cake tin. Set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Tip all the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour on top of the set biscuit base and set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
To assemble, top the set cheesecake with the poached rhubarb, then decorate with the syrup, ginger biscuit crumbs and fresh mint sprigs.