New York is really the spiritual home of cheesecake. Indeed, America is responsible for most of the modern recipes you see today, despite the fact that cheesecake has existed in various forms for centuries in many parts of the world. Some have biscuit crusts, some use pastry. Some are baked and some are set with gelatine. There are the subtle ones, flavoured with vanilla and lemon. Then there are the take-no-prisoners chocolate, rum or coffee cheesecakes, and dark red berry fruit-decked ones. And the differences don’t stop there. The type of cheese used is also a matter of choice, whether it’s cream cheese, cottage cheese, quark, ricotta, mascarpone, even yoghurt. They should always be rich-tasting but don’t necessarily have to be loaded with calories and fat.

Low-fat Lemon Cheesecake
Serves 10

For the crust:
175g reduced fat digestive biscuits
50g butter or margarine, melted

For the filling:
450g low-fat cottage cheese
2 egg whites
2 whole eggs
125ml light, unsweetened, condensed skimmed milk (low-fat evaporated milk)
75g caster sugar
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp plain flour
lemon slices for garnish, if desired

Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin or in a food processor, mix with the melted butter and press into a 23cm glass or ceramic round pie dish. Chill in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Push the cottage cheese through a sieve to get rid of the lumps. Spoon into a food processor along with the egg whites, whole eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, lemon rind and juice. Process until smooth.
Add the flour and process a few more seconds to blend. Pour the filling into the pie dish, place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour or until the filling has just set.
Cool completely on a rack, then store in the fridge. To serve, decorate with curled lemon slices.

Next page: New York Cheesecake with Summer Berries

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