Larkin

Niamh Larkin, the pastry guru at 45 Park Lane, grew up enjoying her grandmother’s homemade soda bread served with plenty of Irish butter. Nowadays she likes nothing more than the joys of baking instilled in her from an early age. Niamh always finds inspiration in everyday life, as well as following inspirational chefs around the world to help spark ideas.

This rustic looking cheesecake is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser. Serve it in summer with fresh English strawberries and a strawberry coulis or enjoy at any time of the year with your own choice of seasonal fruits. Niamh’s top tip is to allow it to cool overnight to ensure the perfect set.

BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE

Oven 230°C - 20 minutes | 205°C - 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1135g Cream Cheese | 346g Granulated Sugar | 3g Salt | 393g Crème Fraiche | 225g Whole Eggs | 5g Vanilla Extract | 1 Lemon Zest

METHOD

1. In a food processor, blend the cream cheese until creamy. (-4 minutes)

2. Add sugar and salt, blend until homogenous. Scrape down. (-3 minutes)

3. Add crème fraiche, blend until homogenous. (-2 minutes)

4. Add eggs 1 by 1 and blend until just together. (-1 minute)

5. Pour into lined and sprayed 9’’ cake pan.

6. When taking out of the oven, it will be very jiggly, leave at room temperature to cool and then put into refrigerator.

STRAWBERRY COULIS 300g Strawberry Puree | 30g Sugar | 10g Lemon juice

1. Boil the puree with the sugar, add lemon juice and leave to cool.

2. Add some chopped strawberries and serve with your cheesecake straight from the fridge.