Don't Sweat the Aubergine

fluid. Combine the cheese and the condensed milk, and whisk them until they have the same consistency as the cream. Stir in the cream, along with the juice and zest of the citrus fruits. (You could of course use just lemon, or just lime.)
    Pour the mixture over the biscuit base in the tin or dish. Cover the dish or tin with foil, tented at the top so that it does not stick to the filling, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Release from the tin, if using.
CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
    This cheesecake is based loosely on one in
Classic Cheese Cookery
by Peter Graham (Grub Street). Graham also includes 3 limes, crème de menthe, and mint leaves; his cheesecake contains a hefty 280g chocolate. The disadvantage of my quantity is that the pale brown of the filling is not particularly attractive. But 280g would be a bit much, I think. You could leave out the chocolate altogether, and just have lime juice (and zest), or lemon, or perhaps a combination of the two as in the version above.
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HOW TO MAKE IT
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    For a 20cm springform tin or flan dish
    filled with biscuit base ( see here )
    3 tsp gelatine, or 3 sheets of leaf gelatine
    500g ricotta or cottage cheese (drain the cottage cheese)
    397g tin condensed milk (about 300ml)
    200ml double cream, whipped until slightly thickened
    100g dark chocolate
    Put about 4 tbsp cold water into a small saucepan. Sprinkle over the gelatine (or add the sheets), and swirl the water about to cover. Add more water if necessary. Set aside.
    In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, condensed milk and cream until thoroughly blended. (You may prefer to use 500ml cream alone, without the condensed milk. In which case, add 60g caster sugar too.)
    Place a bowl in a saucepan of gently simmering water so that the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Break up the chocolate, put it in, and stir until melted. Remove from the heat.
    Add a few spoonfuls of the cheese and cream mixture to the chocolate – stirring them together will help to release the chocolate from the side of the bowl. Tip this mixture into the bowl of cheese and cream, and blend.
    Put the saucepan with the gelatine on to the lowest possible flame, and stir. As soon as the gelatine dissolves and the mixture clarifies, remove it from the heat. (Boiling gelatine disables its setting qualities.) Keep stirring until thoroughly dissolved. Pour the gelatine into the cheese mixture, and blend thoroughly.
    Pour the mixture over the biscuit base in the tin or dish. Cover the dish or tin with foil, tented at the top so that it does not stick to the filling, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Release from the tin, if using.
NEW YORK CHEESECAKE
    A baked cheesecake. Baked cheesecakes tend to be fudgier in texture; but the ricotta or cottage cheese keeps this one light.
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HOW TO MAKE IT
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    Use a 23cm springform tin for this recipe, and make your
    base with 175g of biscuits and 85g of butter ( see here )
    250g ricotta, or cottage cheese (drain the latter)
    250g cream cheese
    125g caster sugar
    2 eggs, separated 1
    125ml sour cream
    2 tbsp flour
    1 tsp vanilla essence
    Zest from 1 lemon
    Heat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C, and put in a baking sheet.
    Blend the cheeses. Beat in the sugar and egg yolks. Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, and stir it into the mixture with the flour, vanilla essence and lemon zest. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, 2 and fold them gently into the mixture. Pour the mixture on to the crust in the cake tin. Spread smooth.
    Put the tin on to the baking sheet (which aids heat transmission) in the oven, and bake for about an hour, or until the cheesecake is no longer wobbly in the centre.
    Allow the cake to cool. Then chill it in the fridge. When it’s properly chilled, release it from the tin.
    I am not very keen on the sweet, fruity toppings that sometimes come with cheesecakes. Perhaps I wouldn’t mind the simple blueberry compote here .
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WHY YOU DO IT
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    1 • Separating the eggs . See point 5 here .
    2 • Whisking the whites . See point 6 here .
KEY LIME PIE
    Not a cheesecake, but related to one. This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Kitchen.
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HOW TO MAKE IT
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    For a 20cm springform tin or flan dish filled with biscuit base ( see here )
    397g tin condensed milk
    3 limes – juice and zest
    284ml double cream
    Pour the condensed milk into a bowl. Stir in the lime juice and zest, and pour in the cream. Whisk. With a hand whisk,