strawberry curd cheesecake

re-charging the batteries a little this week with a few days back at the cottage… we’re working but nothing quite beats staying at home and not having to battle through the London commute every morning. – So I wrote that sentence on Monday morning and then about an hour later everything changed and we came back to London.  It’s just been one of those weeks where it’s all been like a blurry whirlwind of madness I don’t think I sat down and now i’m in the car being driven back to the cottage and catching up on writing and blogging.  Not really sure quite how we cope with it all.  The weekly commute gets a little tiring, particularly in the summer when all you want to do is slow down and soak in the glory of it all.  I suppose we shouldn’t complain, it’s good that we’re busy, it’s just sometimes I wish there was that magical other day in the week between Wednesday and Thursday so I could catch up with it all… oh well, until they invent Wurseday we’ll just have to make do with this superfast cheesecake…

strawberry curd cheesecake

this is less of an actual cheesecake and more of a cheats baked cream cake if there was ever such a thing… but to me it actually tastes more like the traditional Jewish baked cheesecakes I ate as a kid than the horrible cloying so-called cheesecakes that you get in supermarkets and even at some restaurants.  It manages to be thick and light at the same time and has just the right amount if sweet to sour ratio.  I’ve used a homemade strawberry curd but you really could make this with any curd from lemon to rhubarb.  This strawberry curd recipe is the easiest and most hassle-free curd recipe I’ve ever made… try it!

for the strawberry curd

• 250g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
• 185g caster sugar
• 125g butter
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 4 large, free range egg yolks

for the base

• 7 plain digestive biscuits – crushed
• 50g butter – melted
• 25g demerara sugar

• 2 large free-range eggs
• 150g caster sugar
• 300ml double cream
• 50g plain flour
• grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons strawberry curd

• 150g TOTAL Greek yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons strawberry curd
• fresh strawberries

start with the strawberry curd by placing the strawberries in a saucepan with the sugar, butter, orange zest and orange juice. Stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat, once cooled a little, whizz up with a stick blender until smooth

lightly beat the egg yolks in a large bowl then, stirring constantly, slowly add the strawberry mixture in a thin stream. The mixture will thicken as you add it, then return to a low heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow the mixture to boil or the curd will separate. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal while hot. Curd will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Once opened curd will keep, refrigerated, for 5 days.

preheat the oven to 180˚C and line the base of a 20cm round springform tin with baking parchment