Strawberries, Cointreau and Cream Cheesecake

Serves 10

This recipe comes from my new cookbook – Legless. This was a gift from my dear friend Jo who knew too well that this book was a perfect match for me J

Ingredients – Base:

-          250g plain biscuits

-          125g butter

Ingredients – Drunken Strawberries:

-          1 punnet strawberries

-          60ml (1/4 cup) cointreau

-          1 teaspoon castor sugar

Ingredients - Filling

-          125ml (1/2 cup) boiling water

-          1 tablespoon gelatine

-          180g sugar

-          I tablespoon lemon juice

-          250g cream cheese

-          300ml (1 ½ cups) cream

-          125 ml (1/2 cup) strawberry liqueur

To Make base:

-          Crush biscuits into vey fine pieces

-          Melt butter and add to crushed biscuits, mix well and press into a spring form cheesecake tin, packaging mixture tightly in to form a crust.

-          Refrigerate to set

To prepare strawberries:

-          Trim tops from strawberries and cut in half

-          Place all strawberries in a bowl

-          Add 60ml (1/4 cup) Cointreau and the castor sugar to the bowl

-          Toss to coat strawberries well

To make filling:

1.       Sprinkle the gelatine over the boiling water, stir until dissolved and leave to cool

2.       Place sugar and melon juice in a blender and mix lightly

3.       Add room temperate cream cheese and continue to blend

4.       Add cooled gelatine mix, strawberry liqueur, drained cointreau from the strawberries and cream and blend until smooth and mixed well

5.       Pour half the mixture onto the biscuit base then top with two-thirds of the strawberries

6.       Add the remaining mixture

7.       Refrigerate to set (allow 3 hours at least)

8.       Keep remaining strawberries in the refrigerator to use as a garnish when you serve the cheesecake.