Colin Wood's NY Cheesecake with Passionfruit and Cream

For as long as I can remember Mum used to make Pavlova for the family, it’s one of my all time favourites.

Having spent the past three years cooking in New York City and being fascinated with cheese making, I made my own cream cheese for an event one day in Mum’s home kitchen in Perth. From there, and keeping on the same lines, I made a New York baked cheesecake. Mum loved it and said it was her favourite dessert, so I blended the two dishes, and put her Pavlova toppings on the cheesecake.

Ingredients

85g Butter + extra for greasing tin
145g Granita biscuits – Granitas
1tbsp Caster sugar

All these at room temperature:
750g Cream cheese – Philadelphia
200g Caster sugar
6g Salt
1 Vanilla pod
3 Eggs
120g Crème fraiche
120g Pure Cream

Method

In a food processor, whiz the biscuits up until a fine crumb, add to the melted butter with the sugar and form a dough.

Grease a 20cm spring form mould and line the base with greaseproof paper, press the crumb into the mould evenly and bake at 190c for 12 minutes, pull out and let cool.

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese and sugar until super smooth, around 5 minutes.

Add salt, vanilla and eggs, one at a time and scraping down the sides between each addition.

While the sour cream slightly to break it up and add the mix.

Do the same with the cream and fold it through.

Pour the mix in the mould, cover with aluminium foil and set the mould in a water bath.

Bake at 190c for 30 minutes, turn down to 160c and bake for a further 45 minutes.

Pull out and let cool, then undo the mould with a hot knife around the edge and removed the paper on the base.

Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight is better.

Completely unmould the cheese cake and cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream and fresh passionfruit.