ingredients

400g good-quality ginger biscuits 70g butter, melted 125g fresh strawberries, puréed ½ cup caster sugar ½ cup water 250g cream cheese 250g mascarpone 2 litres shop-bought vanilla ice cream, softened juice of 1 lemon

method

To make the base, place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pour the melted butter in and mix until combined. Sprinkle the crumbs into a lightly greased 20×30cm tray lined with baking paper, and press down with the back of a spoon until smooth. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Place the strawberries, sugar and water in a small pot and bring to a simmer, reducing until it is a jammy consistency. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone together until smooth and soft. Add the ice cream and lemon juice and beat for a further minute or until just combined. Remove the strawberry jam from the heat and set aside to cool. Dollop the ice-cream mixture on top of the biscuits base and smooth the top with a pallet knife. Top with the strawberry purée, swirl through and freeze until set. Remove the cheesecake from the tray and slice into bars. Serve immediately. SERVES 12 This recipe was originally published in the HL November 2014 issue.