Ingredients
| MANDARIN GLAZE | |
| 700g mandarins, unpeeled | |
| 300g sugar | |
| lemon juice, to taste | |
| 5g gelatine | |
| PEDRO XO PRUNES | |
| 1 Earl Grey tea bag | |
| 250g prunes (pith removed) | |
| 150g sugar | |
| 100ml sherry | |
| CHEESECAKE | |
| 500g Jerusalem artichokes | |
| 110g sugar | |
| 1 x 200g packet Hobnob biscuits | |
| 75g butter, melted | |
| 120g white chocolate | |
| 150g cream cheese (we use Philadelphia) | |
| 470g mascarpone | |
| 15g flour | |
| 4 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks |
You need to begin this a day ahead to make the mandarin glaze and allow the prunes time to steep.
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Instructions
| 1. | To make the mandarin glaze, put the whole mandarins into a pan, fill with cold water, bring to the boil then drain. |
| 2. | Repeat this twice more. |
| 3. | Put 700ml water, sugar and mandarins in a pan. |
| 4. | Let the mandarins cook for 2-3 hours over a low-medium heat, keeping them below simmering point. Top the water up as needed if it gets low. You want the mandarins to be shiny and very soft. |
| 5. | Once cooked, drain the mandarins from the syrup (reserving the syrup) and blend the whole fruit until smooth. |
| 6. | Pass through a fine sieve and weigh out 500g of purée (any that’s left makes a sweet purée similar to marmalade – amazing on toast). |
| 7. | Taste and adjust the flavour with some lemon juice, the cooking syrup and maybe a little salt. |
| 8. | Bloom the gelatine in some cold water for 5 minutes, then add to the mandarin purée. Set aside in the fridge. |
| 9. | For the Pedro XO prunes, put the tea bag in 200ml boiling water, add the prunes and steep for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the tea. |
| 10. | Boil the sugar and sherry in a saucepan. |
| 11. | Remove from the heat, add the prunes, cover and leave to sit for 1 hour. |
| 12. | Remove the prunes, then reduce the sherry syrup by half. |
| 13. | Season to taste with the reserved tea. |
| 14. | Add the prunes back to the syrup and store in the fridge. |
| 15. | To make the cheesecake, heat the oven to 170°C and roast the artichokes with a little salt for 30-40 minutes until soft and golden. Blend to a fine purée. |
| 16. | Weigh out 250g of purée (save any leftover purée for a risotto or add vegetable stock and cream to make a soup), mix in the sugar and keep to one side. |
| 17. | Lower the oven temperature to 100°C. |
| 18. | Line the bottom and sides of a 21cm-square cake tin with baking paper. |
| 19. | Crush the biscuits in a food processor and mix with the melted butter until it comes together. |
| 20. | Place into the cake tin and press down to make it compact, then chill. |
| 21. | Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and keep warm. |
| 22. | Put the cream cheese, mascarpone, flour, whole eggs and yolks into a food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. |
| 23. | Mix in the artichoke purée and chocolate and blend well. |
| 24. | Pour the mix into the tin and bake for 90 minutes. |
| 25. | Chill in the fridge in the tin for 2 hours or 1 hour in the freezer. |
| 26. | Gently melt the mandarin purée and pour over the set cheesecake. |
| 27. | Return it to the fridge for at least 5 hours or the freezer for 2-3 hours. |
| 28. | To serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. |
| 29. | Dip a knife into boiling water, wipe the blade dry and cut the cheesecake into portions. |
| 30. | Serve with Pedro XO prunes alongside. |
Recipes & food styling Ian Harrison / Photography Tony Nyberg