A recipe for Christmas Eve - Clementine + Labneh Cheesecake
During this magical season, it is all too easy to focus all our kitchen attentions on one meal. But it’s not always the flavours of Christmas Day that I remember most fondly; the days that lead up to it – with all the anticipation of the main event, filled with present-wrapping, stocking up, friends, parties, last-minute errands – are the days I treasure most.
On Christmas Eve I like to make this, from my Christmas cooking guide. It is everything I want in a cheesecake, it’s got a serious kick of citrus and is just sweet enough. I use greek yoghurt and cream cheese here which lightens things up a little and gives a welcome freshness which I always crave at the end of a meal.
You need to strain the yoghurt overnight to thicken and turn it to labneh, so start this off the night before.
SERVES 8
For the labneh filling
500g full fat Greek yoghurt
340g full fat soft cheese
2 eggs, plus 2 yolks
2 teaspoons orange blossom water
Zest and juice of a clementine
Zest and juice of a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
200g golden caster sugar
100ml double cream
For the biscuit base
50g pine nuts
100g ginger biscuits, roughly broken
100g digestive biscuits, roughly broken
70g unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon demerara sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, for greasing
Pour the Greek yoghurt into the centre of a cheesecloth or muslin in a sieve or colander
suspended over a bowl and gather the fabric over the top of the yoghurt. Secure with a clip or
rubber band. Allow the yoghurt to strain in a cool place (it will be fine out of the fridge) for 3 hours.
Discard the watery whey at the bottom of the bowl (or use it instead of water for making bread), and unroll the cloth to reveal the creamy labneh inside. Place the labneh in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Pulse the pine nuts and biscuits together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs before pouring in the melted butter. Pulse again until the mixture darkens and has a heavier texture. Stir through the demerara sugar. Grease a 23cm springform cake tin with softened butter and spread the biscuit mixture over the base of the tin. Use a spatula to smooth out the top and pack it down, bearing in mind it will feel loose at this stage. Place in the freezer to chill while you make the cheesecake filling.
Anna Jones
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Find more recipes for Christmas Eve and the whole festive season here, https://www.shop.annajones.co.uk/shop/anna-jones-christmas-ebook