Lemon and garden mint cheesecake

This recipe had been shared by The Duncombe Arms Head Chef Scott Law who says 'our kitchen garden is home to a thriving mint patch, with an array of varieties which we pick fresh for bar cocktails, or soothing mint teas to round off a meal.

I was really keen to try something new that challenged mint’s traditional culinary role. Normally, mint shines in a sauce for lamb or a flavouring in winter soups - so I wanted to use it in a dessert where its delicate flavour could be properly showcased - and a set cheesecake is perfect year-round, and always a crowd pleaser'. 

For the insert:

Begin by cutting 5 lemons in half, to remove all the seeds, and then boil them in water for 45 minutes.

Once the time has passed, blend the mixture with sugar until smooth, then add the freshly picked mint and 3 fresh lemons.

Place the finished mixture into the insert silicone mould, and leave to freeze.

For the biscuit base:

Use a food processor to blend the biscuits until fine then transfer to a mixing bowl and mix with the melted butter.

Once fully combined, put the mixture on a piece of grease-proof paper and flatten out until of even thickness.

Then use a 60 cm cutter to cut out 12 individual biscuit bases and leave in the fridge to chill.

For the Cheesecake filling:

Place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and half of the cream in a mixer with paddle attachments and mix till smooth and set aside. 

Soak your gelatin leaves in cold water for 5-10 minutes, or until soft, then remove from the bowl and gently squeeze out the excess liquid.

Warm up the remaining 100g of cream and dissolve the soaked gelatine in.

Add this mixture into the cheese mix, stirring gently to make sure it is fully combined.

Finally, carefully add all the filling into a piping bag and evenly pipe into the white entremet moulds.

Remove the lemon inserts from the freezer and press into the mixture so that each mould contains one lemon insert.

Smooth the top and freeze again.

For the glaze:

Place glucose, water and caster sugar in a pot and carefully heat the mixture up to 103℃, then remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl soak your gelatin as before and, when ready, dissolve into a bowl of warm cream.

Once all the gelatin has dissolved, add the mixture into the sugar syrup and stir. 

Pour this over the chocolate, making sure all of it has dissolved before carefully adding the food colouring drop-by-drop until it reaches your desired shade of yellow. 

To assemble:

The glaze must be at 30℃ and the cheesecakes must be frozen solid, and out of their moulds.

Stick a toothpick into the middle of a frozen cheesecake filling, dip carefully into the glaze and hold it above the glaze to allow any excess to drip off.

Then scrape the bottom of the glazed filling on the edge of a container and place straight onto a biscuit base disc.

As soon as this is done, remove the toothpick to ensure that any hole is covered by the glaze.

When you’re ready to serve, dot a small amount of lemon gel on a plate and carefully place the glazed cheesecakes on top. Dot another bit of lemon gel on the top and garnish with the lemon balm and mint tips. 

We recommend serving your delicious cheesecake with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a teaspoon of lemon curd, but some Chantilly cream or lemon sorbet will work just as well, enjoy!

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