Organic Cookbook: 5 delicious organic recipes

Luscious Lemon Cheesecake
Lemon peel contains more vitamin C than the flesh itself, but non-organic lemons are treated with waxes, fungicides and post-harvest sprays to prolong shelf life and improve eye appeal. These cannot be completely removed by washing. If you can’t find organic lemons to zest, we advise leaving out the grated zest altogether.

Serves 6–8

For the crust
200g ground almonds
3 tbsp sugar
50g butter, melted
pinch salt

For the filling
1kg cream cheese
350g granulated sugar
grated zest 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 eggs, beaten

For the topping
250ml sour cream
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Essential equipment: 25cm/10in springform cake tin

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
2. Combine the almonds, sugar, salt and butter. Press evenly on to the base of the tin. Bake until crisp, 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Place the cream cheese in a bowl with the sugar, lemon zest and juice and beat briefly until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs a quarter at a time until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. Spread the cheesecake mixture over the crust. Set the tin on a baking sheet and bake until the centre wobbles slightly when the tin is tapped, about 45 minutes.
5. For the topping, combine the sour cream, sugar and lemon juice. Spread over the baked cheesecake. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool completely in the tin on a wire rack. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
6. To unmould, run a knife around the sides of the cheesecake. Release the springform clip and remove the sides of the tin. Serve chilled, cut into slices.

Variations:
Luscious Lime Cheesecake
Omit lemon zest and juice and replace with the grated zest of 1 ½ limes and 2 tbsp lime juice for the filling, and 1 tbsp lime juice for the topping. Proceed as directed.

Luscious Grapefruit Cheesecake
Omit lemon zest and juice and replace with the grated zest of ½ yellow grapefruit and 2 tbsp yellow grapefruit juice for the filling, and 1 tbsp yellow grapefruit juice for the topping. Proceed as directed.

Source: Organic Cookbook by Renée Elliott and Eric Treuillé (Dorling Kindersley).