LEMON CHEESECAKES

INGREDIENTS
150g amaretti biscuits
75g butter
225g cream cheese
125ml double cream, whipped
to soft peaks
1 lemon, grated rind and juice only
50g golden caster sugar
2 teaspoons lemon curd
200g white chocolate, melted
cocoa butter-printed acetate band, (see Cook’s Note)
To serve:
White chocolate shavings
1 punnet wild strawberries
Raspberry coulis (optional)

METHOD
1) Stand four individual ring moulds or mousse rings on a baking tray and line with acetate bands (see Cook’s Note).

2) Crush the biscuits and put into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter over a low heat and stir into the biscuit crumbs until well combined. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of the lined rings and put in the fridge to set.

3) Put the cream cheese into a bowl and beat it until soft and smooth. Add the cream, lemon juice, rind and sugar and mix well.

4) Spread this mixture over the biscuit crumb bases, about halfway up the sides of the rings. Spoon a little lemon curd on top of each one and level off. Put the rings in the fridge to chill for few hours or freeze them.

5) Remove the cheesecakes from the rings and put on to plates.

6) With a small palette knife, spread a printed acetate band with a fine layer of melted white chocolate. Wrap this printed band around the edge of the dessert. Leave to set for a few minutes, then gently remove the acetate. The cocoa butter print should come off the acetate on to the chocolate. Remove for the remaining desserts.

7) To serve, decorate the top of each cheesecake with white chocolate shavings and a few wild strawberries and serve the raspberry coulis separately, if using.

COOK'S NOTE
Acetate cake bands are used to line dessert moulds and rings, to prevent food from sticking. Cocoa butter-printed acetate bands, also known as chocolate transfers, are flexible acetate sheets coated with a mixture of cocoa butter and food colouring, etched with repetitive designs. When melted chocolate is spread over the sheets and allowed to chill until firm, the plastic sheets are peeled away, leaving an edible design on the chocolate’s surface. You can buy both acetate cake bands and cocoa butter-printed bands from cake-decorating shops.