Cheesecake - Goolishly good

Hi all,
I hope you enjoyed Halloween last night and I hope you or your children are not feeling too sick today from all the sweets...

I was looking through my mums recipe book last night and came across this, I remembered mum made the best cheesecake (but I am Jewish and I am sure all of your mums made the best cheesecake) for special occasions she topped it with cherry's, I thought this was kinda in keeping with the Halloween as the cherry's could resemble blood....

Ingredients

1 3/4 lb curd cheese  (you can get this from a Jewish deli or polish deli)

3 large eggs

1/2 lb caster sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbs double cream

1 tbsp cornflour, sifted

200g of digestive biscuits

50g melted butter

topping

50g golden caster sugar

400g pitted cherry's

(or you can use a tin of pitted cherry's) 

Method

Pre-heat oven on 180c or reg 4

Grease the bottom of a loose spring tin

Blitz the biscuits in a food processor and add the butter until the mixture is combined.  Press into the bottom of the baking tin.

Beat the cream cheese well and then add the salt, vanilla essence and sugar and smooth, beat in the eggs, cornflour and double cream until the mixture is combined.  

Pour over the biscuits and place in the oven for about 35 mins, then switch the oven off and leave the door ajar leaving the cake to continue to cook for a further 35 mins.  



While the cake is cooling sprinkle the sugar into a frying pan and place over a high heat until caramelised. Throw in the cherries and stew in the sugar for 3-4 mins until they are sticky and have released their juices, but haven't collapsed too much. Leave to cool, then strain the cherry juice back into the pan. Place on a high heat and reduce the juice to a sticky syrup, set aside to cool. To serve, gently release the cake from the mould onto a board and leave at room temperature for 30 mins. Just before serving spoon the cherries over, drizzle with the syrup and cut into slices.