Ingredients
- FOR THE BASE:
- 150g ginger biscuits, or a plain biscuit of choice (such as digestives)
- 1tbs light brown sugar
- 75g butter, melted
- FOR THE CHEESECAKE:
- 600g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 eggs
- 400g sour cream
- 250g caster sugar
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 2tbs lemon curd
- 2tbs cornflour
- FOR THE MERINGUE:
- 4 egg whites
- 200g caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ½tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
For the base
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan). Grease a 23cm round loose-bottomed spring-form tin and line the base with a disc of parchment paper.
2. Put the biscuits into a food processor with the sugar and blend to a powder. Alternatively, put the biscuits and sugar into a zip-lock bag and break up with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.
3. Pour in the melted butter, mix well and press into the base of the tin.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes then remove from the oven set aside to cool.
For the cheesecake
1. Reduce the oven to 170 degrees (150 fan) and fold two sheets of tinfoil around the base of the tin.
2. Whisk the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one by one, whisking well between each addition.
3. Add the sour cream, lemon zest and juice and lemon curd and whisk well to combine.
4. Sift in the cornflour and fold through gently, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
5. Place the tin in a deep baking tray and place in the oven. Pour boiling water into the large tin, until it comes halfway up the cheesecake tin.
6. Bake for an hour, then turn the oven off and leave the tin in the oven for two hours with the door slightly open for a perfectly creamy cheesecake. Chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight.
For the meringue
1. Put the egg whites, sugar, salt and lemon juice in a clean glass or metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water.
2. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved or a thermometer reads 80 degrees (about eight minutes). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can pinch some of the mixture between your fingers, and if you can still feel grains of sugar, it needs a little longer.
3. Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer to a stand mixer with whisk attachment or use an electric whisk to whisk the meringue until it is cold. The meringue should be thick and glossy.
4. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag and pipe a large swirl or small blobs on top of the cheesecake.
5. Place under a hot grill for a few minutes or use a blow torch to toast the meringue before serving it.
