Recipe: Cheesecake is a rhubarb revelation

"At this time of year, forced rhubarb becomes available and is an absolute treat to use," says Mercy Fenton in her weekly column.

"However, I have used frozen rhubarb for this cheesecake - if you manage to get the fresh, bright pink version, I would poach it and use to decorate the top. 

"I’ve added raspberries here just for colour, the flavour of them doesn’t really come through the ginger. Ginger snap biscuits add a good solid flavour to the base."

Rhubarb & Ginger Cheesecake

Ingredients

Biscuit base

300gr ginger snaps

80gr melted butter

Fruit Prep

450gr rhubarb - sliced

80gr frozen raspberries

42gr stem ginger, finely diced

1 leaf gelatine

Cheesecake

340gr cream cheese

120gr caster sugar

360gr of prepared rhubarb and ginger mix.

3 leaves gelatine

50ml water

350ml cream

Method:

Base

• Line the base of a 10 inch springform tin with a disk of parchment.
• Prepare the biscuit base.
• Crush the biscuits in a bag with a rolling pin or use a food processor.
• Mix with the melted butter and press firmly into the base of the tin.
• Refrigerate until required.
• Rhubarb Puree
• In a medium pot, cook the rhubarb with a little water over medium heat.
• Cook off the excess water then add the ginger and cook a bit more.
• Simmer gently and stir occasionally until the mix is quite dry.
• Blend to a fine puree with a hand-held blender or similar.
• Add the frozen raspberries and blend again.
• Allow the fruit mix to cool to room temperature.

For the cheesecake

• Soak the gelatine in cold water to soften.
• Using the spade attachment of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar - scrape down sides.
• Once it’s smoot, add two thirds of the rhubarb to the cream cheese mix.
• Lift the gelatine from cold water and squeeze to remove excess water.
• Dissolve the gelatine in the boiled water.
• Add the dissolved gelatine to the cream cheese mix.
• Place the cheese mix in the fridge and whip the cream to soft peaks.
• Allow cream cheese to nearly set in the fridge, when it is slightly wobbly fold in the whipped cream.
• Once the cream is fully mixed in, scrap the mix into the tin, ripple through a tbsp or so of the remaining rhubarb and strawberry mix.
• Keep a little back to decorate the plate.
• Refrigerate until set; release the sides with a small hot dry knife.
• Serve with poached rhubarb.