New York-style cheesecake with citrus zest and aromatics

Instructions

1. Step 1

   For the base, preheat an oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 3

2. Step 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

3. Step 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. Step 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

5. Step 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. Step 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. Step 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

8. Step 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