New York-style cheesecake with citrus zest and aromatics
by Phil Howard
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A perfectly baked cheesecake is a wonderful thing – and this recipe is one of the best we've come across when you want to really nail that rich, creamy filling and buttery base. Topped with a combination of zests, spices and thyme, it's made even more delicious when served with the marmalade on the side, loosened with a little sloe gin.
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Biscuit base
- 50g of plain flour
- 80g of unsalted butter
- 50g of ground almonds
- 50g of caster sugar
- 50g of Demerara sugar
Filling
Topping
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 lime, zested
- 1/2 tsp fennel pollen
- 1/4 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
- 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked
Sloe gin marmalade
- 2 tbsp of Seville orange marmalade
- 1 dash of sloe gin
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Blender
- 30cm loose-bottomed cake tin
Method
1
For the base, preheat an oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 3
2
Place 50g of the butter and the two sugars into a food mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the flour and ground almonds and beat to a homogenous crumb
- 50g of unsalted butter
- 50g of caster sugar
- 50g of Demerara sugar
- 50g of plain flour
- 50g of ground almonds
3
Turn out onto a baking tray and bake, stirring every now and then, until golden brown (around 10-15 minutes), then remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Blend to a fine crumb in a food processor or blender
4
Melt the extra 30g butter then pour this onto the crumb, Mix thoroughly and use this to line the base of a square metal frame – about 30x30cm. Press the crumb firmly into the frame ensuring it is compact and evenly distributed. Pop this into the oven for 5 minutes so the butter re-melts – this will ensure it sets well and forms a stable base that should not get soggy
- 30g of unsalted butter
5
For the filling, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Split the vanilla pods lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Place all the ingredients into a large blender (do in two batches if necessary) and blend to a smooth velvety mix. Pass through a fine sieve
6
To bake the cheesecake, turn the oven down to 100°C/80°C fan/gas mark ¼. Place the cheesecake frame and base into the oven, but pull the shelf out enough so you can pour the mix in while in situ. Carefully pour the mix into the frame and slide the tray back into the oven. Cook for about 90 minutes, or until the cheesecake is just set in the middle. The exact time this takes is very dependent on the temperature of the mix and exact dimensions of the frame but it is a long, slow bake. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool and then chill in the fridge overnight
7
Run a hot knife around the cheesecake and lift off the frame. Cut the cheesecake in half and then cut 4 nice slices from each of the halves. Place the slices on a tray and then ‘season’ them with the topping ingredients
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 lime, zested
- 1/2 tsp fennel pollen
- 1/4 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
- 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked
8
Place the marmalade into a bowl, add the sloe gin and stir to combine. Serve the cheesecakes on plates with the marmalade on the side
- 2 tbsp of Seville orange marmalade
- 1 dash of sloe gin
Phil Howard has always been a ‘chef’s chef’, quietly notching up years of service and influencing the industry immeasurably. After selling his iconic two Michelin-starred restaurant The Square to open Elystan Street in Chelsea, he has proved himself yet again to be one of the UK's brightest culinary talents.
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