Recipe - Amaretto cheesecakes with baked autumn fruits

Amaretto cheesecakes with baked autumn fruits
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHEESECAKE
3g gelatine sheets
40ml Amaretto liqueur See tip 1
40g caster sugar
3 medium egg yolks
200g full fat soft cheese, at room temperature
284ml carton double cream
10 amaretti biscuits, lightly crushed FOR THE CHEESECAKE BASE
8 hobnob biscuits
40g unsalted butter, melted FOR THE FRUITS
125g fresh blackberries
6 ripe plums, stoned and quartered
6 fresh figs, trimmed and quartered
50g unsalted butter
2 tbsp light muscovado or soft brown sugar
2 tbsp Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur)
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
METHOD
Put biscuits in a thick plastic food bag and crush with a rolling pin. Tip into a bowl and stir in the melted butter. Mix well. Put a piece of baking parchment on a tray and place six small rectangle moulds on top. See tip 2 Divide the biscuits between the moulds and press down well. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into each mould. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 1½ hours until set.
Put the Amaretto liqueur in a small pan and warm gently on the hob. Place the gelatine sheets in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Leave for a minute then squeeze out the excess water and stir the gelatine into the Amaretto. Remove from the heat and leave to dissolve.
Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. In a clean bowl, beat the cheese with a wooden spoon until smooth then slowly add the cream. Pour the egg and sugar mixture into the cheese and cream and stir well. Stir in the Amaretto and gelatine. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into each mould. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 1½ hours until set.
To prepare the baked fruit, cut twelve 30cm squares of baking parchment. Take two squares and place on top of each other. Put a few blackberries in the centre with one quartered plum and four fig pieces. Top with a small knob of butter and sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp Cassis, half a cinnamon stick and a sprig of thyme. Bring up sides to make a parcel and tie with string. Put on a large baking tray. Repeat with the remaining parchment and fruit to make six parcels. Set aside.
Thirty minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Place the parcels on the baking tray in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes until the fruit is soft. See tip 3 Remove the cheesecakes from the fridge and top each one with crushed amaretti biscuits. Warm the moulds carefully with a cook’s blow torch and put one at time onto large white plates.
Loosen cheesecakes with a knife and remove the moulds. Take fruit out of the oven and carefully cut open each parcel. See tip 4 Arrange the fruit on the plates with the cheesecakes and tip the juice into a small pan. Bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. Spoon over the fruit. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
Recipe tips
Replace the Amaretto with a teaspoon of vanilla extract or the finely grated zest of half a lemon – dissolve the gelatine in a small pan with 40ml hot water.
If you can’t find rectangle moulds (try catering suppliers and large department stores), use plain white ramekin dishes instead. Serve in the ramekins or line with cling film and lift out carefully. Slide off the cling film and onto the plates to serve.
Test the fruit is ready by piecing one of the parcels with a skewer. The plums should feel soft and offer little resistance.
The baked fruits make a brilliant and very simple dessert just as they are. Serve on plates straight from the parcels if you like and spoon crème fraiche or ice cream on top.