Baked Kumara Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 200g plain sweet biscuits
• 120g butter, melted
• 400 g Kumara
• 1 Lemon
• 150g Sugar
• 250g Cream Cheese
• 3 Eggs

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

To make the base, place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until well combined. Transfer to the pan and use the back of a spoon to spread evenly over the base. Place in the fridge until required.

In a blender, add cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and process.

Peel and cook Kumara until soft, strain water off.  Place kumara, lemon juice and sugar in food processer and puree.  When smooth, add eggs one at a time.

Pour the mixture into the baking tin and smooth evenly.

Line a 20cm round cake tin and bake for 30 – 40 minutes at 180°C or until the top is golden.

Sit the whole tin over a wire cooling rack. Leave the cheesecake until it has cooled down completely before removing the tin.

Dust top with icing sugar. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

Stephen Morris’s wine recommendation

A real luxury would be the John Forest Collection Noble Riesling 2005 - $50 for 375ml - yes, expensive, but worth it - so rich and honeyed with great floral aromas. Apricot and citrus - almost marmalade like.

And in the more affordable camp - Bellbird Spring Block8 Pinot Gris 2009 - from Waipara - about $30 for 750ml - not a dessert wine proper but made in almost a late harvest style. The very ripe fruit has left some residual sugar in the wine - flavours of sweet stonefruit, pears and a hint of spice. Lush.