Hello! Thank you for being a subscriber of ‘What’s That You’re Cooking, Thea?’. I’ve got big plans for the next few months of recipes, including a couple of special edition guest recipes, and many a treat for the paid subs too. I’m so excited to share the upcoming dishes with you. This week I have a rare sweet recipe. Summer fruit demands enjoyment… Pucker up.
I adore redcurrants! I don’t think there exists a sourer fruit, and that’s just how I like it. Cheesecakes are very fun to make, and they’re also pretty cheap if you opt for perfectly fine Lidl cream cheese and supermarket own-brand digestives.
I look forward to making this cheesecake each summer. It’s the brightly-hued highlight of the season for me. If you don’t like redcurrants, you can make this coulis with 100% raspberries, and it will still be very delicious.
I also make it with blackberries (as you can see) and they are starting to come into season too, so don’t be afraid of switching up for those if you prefer (blackberries benefit from a squeeze of lemon juice in the coulis). I found loads at Dawson’s Heights (East Dulwich) one year, if any south Londoners are looking for a less-polluted spot…
If you’re a hesitant baker, don’t worry. You can’t really go wrong here. I’ve even left the sugar out before, had to scoop out the mix and add it back in, and it’s STILL been fine. Don’t worry if your cheesecake cracks, either. That’s where our crimson coulis comes in!
Redcurrant Cheesecake
Serves 8-10
160g digestive biscuits (about 11 biscuits)
55g butter
A pinch of salt
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
300g sour cream
4 eggs, at room temperature, beaten, plus 1 egg white
4 tbsp cornflour
140g caster sugar
Zest of ½ an orange, finely grated
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
For the coulis topping
200g redcurrants
80g raspberries
100g caster sugar
A few sprigs redcurrants or a few raspberries, to decorate
OR for a blackberry coulis topping
Follow the same method as at point 6 below but use the following ingredients:
280g blackberries
100g caster sugar
A squeeze of lemon juice
A few blackberries, to decorate
You will need a 20cm cake tin (springform if you have one)
Heat the oven to 180C. Crush the biscuits by putting them all under a clean tea towel or in a freezer bag and bashing them with the length of a rolling pin. It’s really fun! Melt the butter in a small pan, then stir in the biscuit crumbs and salt and mix.
Spread the crumbs over the base of your tin. Press down with a flat-bottomed glass until there are no gaps in the base. Put the tin into the hot oven (ideally pop the tin on top of a baking tray or sheet if you have one) for 15-20 minutes, until golden and toasty.
Meanwhile, put the room-temperature cream cheese into a large bowl and stir gently to soften it and rid it of lumps. Mix in the cornflour, sugar, soured cream, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add the 4 beaten eggs to the mixture in thirds. Mix until smooth, but this won’t take long. You don’t want to overbeat the filling as you don’t want there to be too much air that may cause cracks later.
Take the tin out of the oven and carefully do your best to ‘seal’ the base with egg white. I usually use the back of a spoon for this, as trying to brush it on causes havoc. Open the oven door for a few minutes and turn the oven down to 120C. Then shut the oven door.
When the base has cooled a little, pour the mixture into the cake tin. If there are any air bubbles, gently use your finger to get rid of them. Put the tin on the hot roasting tray and bake for about 80-90 minutes, until set.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan add the redcurrants and the raspberries. Add the sugar and a few splashes of water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce and allow to blip on a low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Stir the coulis occasionally. It’ll be bright red and will thicken as it cooks. If it thickens too much add another splash or two of water and stir. Take the mixture through a fine sieve to remove all of the seeds. Use a spatula to get rid of any sieved mixture that clings to the bottom of the sieve - that’s the good stuff. Allow the mixture to cool well.
Check the cheesecake. You’ll know it’s done if you take it out and there is still a slight wobble if you jiggle it. Don't worry if it looks like it's sinking in the middle, as it cools down, things will all even out! Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool completely inside. Then take it out, remove it from the tin and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When cool, top with the cooled coulis, and decorate however you like. This time I went for some redcurrants in the middle and raspberries dotted around the place, but this is your life! Live your truth.
I had the pleasure of trying Rahel Stephanie’s amazing Indonesian vegan food last week at Carousel. Rahel’s supperclub Eat with Spoons will be feeding mouths at a lunchtime fundraiser event on the 14th August. The event will raise money for TARENA, an organisation that helps trans communities in Indonesia through advocacy, education and support. It’s at Avalon Cafe in Bermondsey - and a ticket includes a lunchbox by Rahel, as well as entertainment in the form of music, art and other cool stuff by Baesianz and Eastern Margins.
People in this country will not be able to afford to pay fuel bills which, by October, would be 3 times what they were at the start of this year. The Don’t Pay campaign, like the Anti Poll Tax campaign led by the Socialist Party (then Militant Tendency) in the 80s, is organising for mass non-payment of gas bills come October 1st, when they are set to hike to astronomical rates.
As with the Poll Tax non-payment campaign, when the mass of people organise and act together, we can win. And as with the Poll Tax, ordinary people cannot afford to pay the price hike. If we all refuse to pay extortionate gas bills, the government are going to have to do something about it. “Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay.”
This is literally a life or death matter. So please, sign up to get involved, order leaflets/stickers/Tweet about it, and do your bit so people don’t have to choose between starving or staying warm in October.
Until next time, when it will be a Sunday Sauce Special. I hope you’re ready. Happy Cooking!