Gourmet Traveller’s orange-scented cheesecake with figs and Amaro syrup recipe
10.03.22
A delicate and light cheesecake that pairs perfectly with the floral notes of Amaro di Angostura.
SERVES 10-12 // PREP TIME 40 MINS // COOK 1 HR (PLUS SETTING, COOLING)
INGREDIENTS
185gm shortbread biscuits
185gm Granita biscuits
150gm pistachio nuts
180gm lightly salted butter, melted, plus 80gm extra, chopped
150gm raw caster sugar, plus extra for scattering
6 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
Zest of 1 orange, plus 30ml juice
350gm Greek-style yoghurt
250gm cream cheese, at room temperature
150gm soft goat’s cheese, at room temperature
250gm sour cream, at room temperature
6 just-ripe figs (see note)
Lemon balm and salvia, to serve
AMARO SYRUP
300gm caster sugar
100ml Amaro di Angostura
Juice of 1 orange
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 160°C and grease a 24cm-diameter springform cake tin, and line base and side with baking paper. Process broken biscuits and pistachio nuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Add melted butter and process to a sandy texture. Press crumb mixture firmly and evenly over base and up the side of the tin. Place the tin in the freezer to firm (10 minutes).
2 For filling, whisk sugar, eggs, yolks and zest in an electric mixer until combined and slightly fluffy (2 minutes); do not over whisk as volume will increase too much. Meanwhile, pulse yoghurt, cream cheese, goat’s cheese and sour cream in a food processor until smooth and combined. Add to egg mixture with juice and mix on low speed until just combined. Pour filling into tin to reach to the top of the crust; bake until just set on the outside and with a slight wobble in the middle (1 hour). Turn off oven and cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
3 Meanwhile, for Amaro syrup, place sugar, Amaro and 200ml water in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened (8-10 minutes). Cool, then stir in orange juice.
4 For pan-roasted figs, heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Place figs, cut-side up on a large oven tray and scatter liberally with extra sugar. When pan is hot, add butter and swirl pan to coat base. Sear figs, in batches if necessary, cut-side down until caramelised (1 minute); transfer to plate.
5 To serve, place cheesecake on a cake plate, top with pan-roasted figs and herbs, then drizzle with Amaro syrup.
Note: When selecting figs, avoid any that are over-ripe as they will soften too much during cooking.
Recipe and image: Gourmet Traveller magazine
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