Baked ricotta cheesecake with tamarillos

Tamara west

This baked cheesecake uses mostly ricotta cheese, which is much lower in fat than other cheeses. The result is a light, moist cheesecake that is a pleasure on the lips but won’t go straight to the hips. Serve with any fruit you like, however these sweet and tangy marinated tamarillos go really well. The cheesecake can be made up to a couple of days in advance (just keep covered in the fridge and bring up to room temperature before serving).

Combne this dessert with the following starter and main for a healthy, delcious dinner party that can be prepared in advance, making your night stress free
Starter – Smoked salmon, beetroot and orange salad with crème fraiche
Main – Venison meatballs with red wine plum sauce and celeriac mash

Ingredients

3 cups	Ricotta cheese, soft
250 g	Cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ cups	Sugar
1 ½ tsp	Vanilla extract
2 Tbsp	Lemon juice
1	Lemon, zested
2 Tbsp	Cornflour
4	Eggs

Macerated tamarillos

8	Tamarillos, peeled and sliced (Main)
2 ½ Tbsp	Sugar
1 tsp	Vanilla extract

To serve

1	Greek yoghurt, or creme fraiche, and runny honey to drizzle
1 drizzle	Runny honey

Directions

1. Heat oven to 170C fan bake. Grease and line a 20-23cm round spring-form cake tin.
2. Place ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornflour and eggs in a food processor and process until ingredients are well combined and mixture is smooth.
3. Alternatively, if you don't have a food processor, place all ingredients, except eggs, in a large mixing bowl and beat together with an electric beater until smooth. Then beat in eggs, one by one, until well incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before placing in fridge to set for at least 2 hours.
5. While the cheesecake is in the fridge, macerate the tamarillos. Place sliced tamarillos in a bowl (but not a metal one) and sprinkle over sugar and vanilla. Leave to marinate in fridge for 2 hours — the tamarillos will end up forming their own delicious vanilla-flavoured syrup.
6. When ready to serve, transfer cheesecake to a serving plate and top with macerated tamarillos. Serve with a dollop of Greek-style yoghurt or creme fraiche, drizzled with a little honey, on the side.