Lime Cheese Cake

One of my first and favorite recipes. I have demonstrated this at my earlier workshops at Mama Mia. A no-bake cold dessert, it is refreshing on the palate and really light. The perfect finale to a spicy heavy meal. You could play around with the flavors and fruits as per the season. Instead of raspberries, make a simple puree of fresh mangoes, blueberries, strawberries or passion fruit. Replace the digestive biscuit crust with Oreos and omit the lime juice. You can also top with chocolate chips to have a delicious Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake.

What goes in:

250 g digestive biscuits

100 g butter, melted

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

600g cream cheese

100 g icing sugar

280 ml double cream (whipping variety)

1 tbsp lime juice (adjust tartness to taste)

Zest of 1 lime

Putting it all together:

1. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or blender

2. Combine with melted butter in a bowl.

3. Tip the mixture in a cheesecake ring or spring form tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the freezer for at least 1 hour to set.

4. Combine the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat well till smooth. Add the lime juice and zest.

5. Whip the cream in another bowl till light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese mixture and combine gently with a spatula. Adjust the tartness to your taste

6. Pour the filling neatly over the set biscuit base and even out the top as much as possible.

Freeze for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.

7.De-mould as per your type of tin. To loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the tin, rub a warm damp cloth on the outside of the tin.

8. Garnish with twisted lime slices. Alternately, decorate the entire surface with thinly sliced fruits (like a carpaccio). See the picture of the mango cheesecake below.

9. To add another dimension, blend any seasonal bright colored fruit (mentioned in the intro) with some icing sugar for a fresh coulis on the side.