WHITE CHOCOLATE GINGER WINE CHEESE CAKE WITH MACADAMIA & ROASTED RHUBARB IN GINGER WINE
Note : this recipe can be Gluten Free if you uses GF biscuits for the base
Prep time: 30 mins / leave to set for 3 hours in fridge
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
For the biscuit base:
- 200g ginger biscuits or gluten free ginger biscuits
- 100g melted butter
For the White Chocolate Ginger Wine Cheesecake:
- 750g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp icing or caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean
- zest of one lemon
- 4 tablespoons ginger wine
- 300g white chocolate melted
- 200ml double cream
- 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts ( you can use any nuts you like , we used candied honey coated maccadamias )
Roasted Rhubarb In Ginger Wine:
- 2 cups cleaned rhubarb cut on the diagonal, into 2cm diamond shaped slices
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/3 cup Stone’s Original Ginger Wine
Method
For the Rhubarb:
- Pre heat oven 200oc
- Place rhubarb slices onto a clean baking tray, scatter over the sugar, add Stone’s Ginger Wine and toss through to combine, let it macerate for 10 – 15 mins this will also the allow the juices & colour to develop.
- Place in a hot oven and roast for 10 – 15 mins or until the rhubarb is just cooked, tender if pierced with a fork to touch. Let the rhubarb, cool down in its juices. If you have excess juice you can transfer it to a small sauce pan to reduce further so its glossy and sticky the cover the rhubarb again . Either way by resting and chilling in its natural juices it will soak up all the flavours.
For the biscuit base:
- Use a springform tin (22 – 23cm or 8in) and line it with baking paper .
- Process biscuits in a food processor, add butter until well combined .
- Tip this mixture into your springform tin and press it down into a neat, even flat circle. Top with chopped nuts, place into the fridge and chill.
For the White Chocolate Cheesecake:
- Using a mixer beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and ginger wine into a large bowl and beat together until smooth.
- Gently melt your white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a simmering pan of water, or in the microwave . Careful not to over heat or it will go grainy !
- Add the cooled melted white chocolate to the cheesecake mixture, beating until just combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides and fold through all of the cheese cake mix.
- Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks and then fold it gently into the cheese mixture until combined.
- Remove your chilled pan from the fridge and top your biscuit base with macadamia nuts and then with the cheesecake mixture, smooth it out as neatly as you can.
- Pop the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill & firm up.
To Garnish:
- Arrange rhubarb in a circle around edges of cheese cake, we added some green pistachio for colour, also some rose petals & buds . You can use any edible flowers or additional seasonal fruits.