No Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 250g Plain biscuits - crushed

• 125g butter melted

• 500ml whipping/pouring cream

• 2 x 250g packets cream cheese - room temperature

• 500g fruit of choice - cherries, strawberries, plums, kiwi fruit

• 2 x 1 tablespoons gelatine powder

• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 3/4 cup sugar

I know it says no bake and there is actually a small amount of baking for the base, you don’t have to bake the base – but I think it turns out better if you do. and its only 10 mins…I have another recipe for a baked cheesecake – Triple Chocolate Baked Cheesecake, let me know if you want this one also.

For the Base Add the melted butter to the crushed biscuit and press into a 22cm springform tin. Bake in a 160 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool

Whip Cream until softly whipped, set aside covered in the fridge.

Whip Cream cheese until soft, add in the sugar & lemon juice and whip for 3 minutes longer

Boil The kettle, add 1 tablespoon of the gelatine powder to 1/4 cup boiling water, cool slightly

Add The slightly cooled gelatine to the cream cheese mixture, stir through

Add The whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture, stir through well

Pour Into cheesecake tin and refrigerate

For the topping Boil 500g of fruit, add sugar to taste. Dissolve other tablespoon of gelatine in 1/4 cup boiling water and add to mix once the fruit has come to a soft consistency. Cool

Add Cooled fruit mixture to the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate for 3 hours min.

I trained in hospitality when I was younger, and as part of that I had 2 years of commercial food preparation experience in a learning restaurant environment.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking and I was good at it, having already been taught a lot from my Mum and Grandmothers.

My lecturers wanted me to continue on to become a chef, but I declined.

I loved to cook – but not in a restaurant environment – far too stressful!

So I pursued the far more glamorous front of house option (not..!)

I love-lovey-love to cook for my family and loved ones and I think that it is important to spend time, positive energy and love preparing food, I believe the energy of a meal prepared by someone that loves you has a whole different effect on digestion than foods cooked in a stressful environment.

Serve with

• Fresh fruit or just on its own