Recipes
Baked Cheesecake
This cooks relatively quickly, so don't worry if it cracks across the top. Just ladle on more compote and fresh fruit.
A recipe from our cookbook, Happy Fast Food.
Serves: 8
Prep Time: 15 mins, plus cooling & chilling
Cook Time: 32 mins
Ingredients
For the base:
300g digestive biscuits, crushed to sand
125g butter, melted
A pinch of salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
For the topping:
600g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
150g caster sugar
Zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornflour, sifted
4 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
150g fresh seasonal fruit or chilled compote, to serve
Method
Heat the oven to 160 degrees. Thoroughly grease a deep 23cm springform tin and then line the base.
For the base, combine the biscuits, melted butter and salt, then tip into the prepared tin. Firmly pat flat and press into the edges of the tin until smooth, firm and really tightly packed.
Use the pastry brush to thinly spread the egg white over the base. Tip on some or all of the rest of the egg white and brush it out to cover any bare patches.
Cook the base in the oven for 10 minutes, or until you can no longer see patches of wet egg white.
Meanwhile, whisk together all the topping ingredients, except the eggs, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to prevent lumps. Add the eggs and use a wooden spoon to mix them in thoroughly until fully incorporated.
When the base is ready, remove it from the oven. Fill a large, deep, metal baking dish with about 3cm of boiling water and place on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Bang the topping bowl a couple of times to knock out any large bubbles. Pour the topping onto the base and smooth out gently. Place in the now steamy oven and cook for 32 minutes (yes, that precise!). The centre will still be wobbly and the edges just set and slightly puffed up. Turn the oven off, crack open the door slightly, and leave to cool in the oven for about an hour.
Remove from the oven and cool, in the tin, for about 30 minutes, to room temperature. Run a palette knife around the cheesecake before opening the tin, in case it has stuck anywhere. Gently remove the cheesecake from the tin and slide onto a plate, then pop it into the fridge for an hour, or until chilled completely, to set firmly.
Serve in slices, topped with fresh fruit or chilled compote. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.
We’ve eaten our way around the world, gathering the best fast food recipes as we go, to give you a book of all our favourites made good-for- you. And we’ve played fast and loose with the definition of fast food: yes you’ve got burgers and fries and wraps, but you’ve also got food that you can make fast (and that’ll make you happy) like pastas and salads and ice creams. Because every meal deserves to be an adventure in flavour, we’ve got the classics and we’ve got a few surprises: a Courgette, Walnut & Mint ‘Cheese’ Toastie, a Paneer & Beetroot Wrap, and Roast Garlic Hummus. Let’s celebrate food that’s colourful, delicious and full of micronutrients. And fast.
