Saturday 2 January 2010

Jersey black butter cheesecake


I have noticed that, pleased though people may be to see you when you go visiting, they are always more pleased if you arrive with cheesecake! This was an awesome cheesecake!

Let’s start with a bit about Jersey black butter: It’s not black and it’s not butter but it is from Jersey (one out of three’s not bad!). I brought this jar back from a working trip to the island and wondered what I’d do with it – then I found this recipe from the nice people at the Jersey pottery. Here is some black butter spooned straight from the jar:

So, we’ve said what it isn’t, now time to look at what it is! The label lists the ingredients as follows: apple (44%), cider (3.3%), lemon, treacle, sugar, licorice (0.4%), mixed spice and cinnamon. Tiny though the amount of licorice is, I could taste it – probably because I hate licorice. However, in the finished cheesecake the licorice was lost. Result!

This cheesecake was light and creamy and flavoursome. The black butter worked so well with the cream and cheese – even though it’s sweet, the acidity of the apples cut through the creaminess and created a lovely light, clean taste.

Do you like my scraffito technique?

One part of the method I’d draw your attention to is with regard to the base. I always melt the butter when making a crushed biscuit base and find that, as the butter sets, it oozes a bit of grease out into my fridge. This recipe puts unmelted butter and biscuits into the food processor and the result is as if you’d melted them – it knocks out the whole melting stage without any loss of quality to the base. I’ll be making all my bases like this in future!

Ingredients

300g hobnob biscuits (or any digestive-type biscuit)
100g unsalted butter
4 gelatine leaves
500ml double cream
1 vanilla pod – cut open and scrape out the seeds
300g cream cheese – I used philadelphia
225g (1 jar) Jersey black butter – you can use any high fruit content jam if you don’t have black butter
3 tablespoons water
½ lemon’s juice

Method

- Start by making the base: place the biscuits and butter into a food processor and blitz until you have crumbs.

- Press into the base of a 20cm springform cake tin or, like me, use a 20cm flan ring on a plate. This makes it easier to serve.

- Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water until they are soft.

- Whisk the double cream until the soft peak stage then refrigerate until needed later on.

- Place the vanilla, cream cheese and black butter (or jam) into a bowl and beat until you have a smooth mixture.

- Place the water and lemon juice into a saucepan and heat gently until it simmers.

- Squeeze as much water as you can out of the gelatine before whisking it into the hot lemon juice. Whisk until it has completely dissolved – this won’t take long.

- Beat the lemony gelatine into the cream cheese mixture.

- Fold in the whipped cream.

- Spoon the cheesecake onto the biscuit base and level the surface.

- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is better.

- Remove the ring by running a hot knife around the inside.

- One final thing – this is a big cheesecake. If you don’t need it all, slice it and wrap the slices individually – it freezes really well. Then, when you want cheesecake, you can defrost it a slice at a time.

- Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have made.

- Eat.


20 comments:

James B said...

Never heard of Jersey Black Butter before, but looks and sounds very interesting! I like what you say about the licorice, as I dont really like the taste either. I love how deep your cheesecake is, no skimpy portions here.

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I seriously need to get hold of some of that stuff. I remember my gran always going on about it

Suelle said...

I don't think I've ever seen a cheesecake so deep - it looks really impressive! It sounds a very unusual flavour - I can't imagine an ordinary fruit jam woking as well.

Unknown said...

What an amazing product! What an extraordinary cheesecake. What a great post! Yum!
Feel free to come calling here anyday (wink!)

Katie said...

I've never heard of black butter before. Its got some interesting ingredients. The cheesecake looks so tall and creamy. Would love a freind to turn up with one of these.

silverpebble said...

That cheesecake looks gargantuan and absolutely delicious. Happy New Cake Year to you!

Choclette said...

Oh I do like the sound of Jersey Black Butter - I love liquorice. Your cheesecake does indeed look truly awesome, it's huge!

Happy New Year

Patty O. said...

I think I just gained about 10 pounds and drooled all over my keyboard reading this! You are amazing!

How in the world do you not gain hundreds of pounds with all these amazing baked goods????

Lisa said...

Damn, that is one fine cheesecake.

Emily said...

Yum! That's quite a cake! I think I would love it!

Sam said...

That cheesecake is spectacular, I don't think I've ever seen a cheesecake so big! I'm intrigued by the black butter, did you have to go to Jersey to get it?

I hope you had a great Christmas!

Dee said...

Wow. WOW. How is it I have never heard of Jersey Butter... it sounds amazing. Except for the licorice bit, that is. Thanks for the recipe, and the freezing hint.
And, oh, happy new year! You distracted me with cake :)

Anne said...

I've eaten the last jar I had of this stuff - is very good on crumpets!

The cheesecake looks great and very big! Think would be *very* popular with my in-law's who adore cheesecake!

Kitchen Butterfly said...

Thanks for the biscuit base tip....just learnt something and I'm with you on the hating liquorice!!!!!

Cakelaw said...

What a gorgoeus looking cheesecake! I am also now curious about Jersey Black Butter.

Maggie said...

I too have never heard of Jersey Black Butter before, I think it's worth buying just for the wonderful jar.

cedar chest said...

I never heard of this before. It sounds so interesting and the photo looks like this is something worth trying for.

glamah16 said...

That " butter looks interesting. I bet that cheesecake was heavenly.You are welcome at my home anytime.

Kath said...

I have never heard of Black Butter but sounds very good and thanks for the tip for making the base, will definitely be trying that next time.

Y said...

Wow, Jersey Black Butter sounds rather interesting!