Baked gooseberry, ginger and crème fraîche cheesecake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan130°C/gas 2. Lightly grease and base line a 23cm springform tin with baking paper.
2. Make the base. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Put all the biscuits into a plastic bag and, using a rolling pin, crush until they are fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can whizz them in a food processor. Tip into the pan with the melted butter, add the demerara sugar and mix together well. Using the back of a spoon, press evenly into the base of the tin. Set aside.
3. Beat the cream cheese and 150g caster sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the cornflour and 3 tablespoons ginger cordial. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for about 55 minutes, until set with just the slightest hint of a wobble in the centre. Turn off the oven and leave to cool inside – this is what prevents a baked cheesecake from cracking.
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4. Meanwhile, put the gooseberries, 25g caster sugar and the remaining ginger cordial into a small saucepan and bring
5. to a simmer. Cook gently for 5 minutes until they are just soft but still holding their shape. Tip into a sieve set over a bowl and leave to drain. Tip the syrup back into the pan and boil rapidly until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Tip the gooseberries into the bowl and stir in the syrup. Leave to cool.
6. When the cheesecake has cooled (it doesn’t need to be completely cold), remove it from the oven. Re-set the oven temperature to 150°C/fan130°C/gas 2. Spread the cooked gooseberries evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Mix the crème fraîche with the remaining 50g caster sugar and spread over the top of the gooseberries to cover completely. Return the cheesecake to the oven and cook for a further
7. 15-20 minutes. Again, turn off the oven and leave it to go cold inside. Cover with cling film, then transfer to the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight, until the crème fraîche has set.
8. Just before serving, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and transfer it to a serving plate or board.