Remember the year when the shops ran out of cranberries because Delia used them in a recipe on her Christmas programme? Well I don't know if Nigella had quite the same effect, but I was one of the idiots who decided that my life would be complete if only I had a bottle of Pedro Ximenez sherry to use in Nigella Christmas recipes. I think it was Christmas 2008 but I can't be certain.
So, delighted to find said sherry in Sainsburys, I bought a bottle home and, as suggested by Nigella, soaked my fruit in it for the Christmas cake. I tasted a small glass and hated it - it was way too syrupy for sherry, almost cough mixture like. So I shoved it into the back of the cupboard and thought what a waste of money that had been.
This Easter, we were travelling through Andalusia, on our way to Murcia. We'd stopped at this lovely b&b for the night, to break up a long drive.
http://www.elciruelo.net
Because it's away from any villages, we decided to eat in that evening as Gillian was offering a set menu, three courses for 18 euro. Her food was superb - smoked salmon parcels to start, stuffed pork fillet with dauphinnoise for main and a delicious Pedro Ximenez cheesecake to finish - served with a shot of PX on the side. It was so good then we I got home I googled for a recipe and found this one.
Pedro Ximenez Cheesecake:
170 g (6 ounces) digestive biscuit crumbs
40 g (1 1/2 ounces) skinned, roasted and crushed hazelnuts
40 g (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
For the filling
1.5 kg (3 1/2 pounds) cream cheese
225 g (8 ounces) icing (confectioners') sugar, sieved
3 medium eggs
2 vanilla pods, cut in half and the seeds scraped out
10 ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract (not vanilla essence)
100 ml (3 1/2 fluid ounces) Pedro Ximénez sherry
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
To serve
Shelled and skinned whole hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
To make the base, combine all the ingredients. Press the mixture into a 22.5 x 6.25 cm (9 x 2 1/2 inch) springform tin that has been lined with greased parchment paper. Chill. Preheat the oven to 175°C / 335°F / gas mark 3 1/2.
To make the filling, put the cream cheese in a blender and blend until smooth. Add all the other ingredients except the lemon zest and blend well. Then add the lemon zest — do not be tempted to add it earlier or the mixture will split. Pour the filling on to the chilled base and bake for 45 minutes. Only the outside 2.5 cm (1 inch) of the cake will appear to be cooked; the middle should be wobbly. Cool completely and then chill for 2 hours, or until set. Serve at room temperature. Place a slice on a plate and scatter on the toasted hazelnuts. Serve with large glasses of chilled Pedro Ximénez sherry.
I decided to try making it today. I substitued almonds for the hazelnuts as I had some in, and also have some nice toasted almond flakes to decorate. I halved the quantity of ingredients shown above and still have a large cheesecake that would easily feed 6 for dessert. I've been fairly unsuccessful at making baked cheesecakes before. I tried Nigella's chocolate lime one a while ago and despite wrapping the springform tin in plenty of foil, as instructed, water seemed to get in from the bain marie and made the base soggy. I also have a tendency to overcook them, panicking if the middle looks uncooked.
This time, I thought I'd found the solution. Whilst the recipe didn't call for a water bath to be used, I decided to do it anyway because I thought it would protect the cheesecake from over cooking or burning. I also decided to use a silicon baking tin rather than springform. That'll stop water leaking in, I thought. I've just had a peek now and the base of the cheesecake still looks soggy! Don't know how? Unless there is a tiny nick in the base of the silicon that's let water in? I haven't plated it yet as I'm waiting for it to finish cooling, and then we'll see......
From my sample tasting it seems good though. Not sure it needs the lemon zest..........
