Strawberry and Elderflower Cheesecake

If you are looking for a taste of summer, this is it! The combination of strawberries with elderflower is a seasonal classic - The strawberries ripen at the same time as the elderflowers come into bloom, making them nature's companions. To top it all, the flavours blend so well, I use them together often. Home-made elderflower cordial is the best to use, but there is one available made by Bottle Green, which I use when my personal stock is depleted. They also make a strawberry and elderflower cordial, which you could also use in this recipe.

Ingredients:
For the Base:
75g butter, melted - plus a little for greasing
300g ginger nut biscuits - or chocolate digestive biscuits

For the Strawberry Filling:
300g strawberries, thinly sliced
30ml elderflower cordial
30ml icing sugar

For the Cream Cheese Filling:
15ml gelatine (powdered)
250g smooth cream cheese (room temperature)
300ml double cream
5ml elderflower cordial
3 egg yolks
45g caster sugar

To Decorate:
150-200g strawberries, thinly sliced
A few sprigs of mint

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease the sides and base of a round springform tin, 8-9 inch diameter x 3-4 inch deep.

In a blender, pulse the biscuits to a rough crumb, not too fine. In a bowl, mix them with the melted butter. Lightly press into the base of the prepared pan, making the base as smooth as possible. I find using the flat base of a glass handy to compress the base smoothly. Bake for 10-15 minutes and leave to cool.

For the strawberry filling, mix the ingredients together gently and leave for the strawberries to absorb the flavours for 1-2 hours. Drain the strawberries, reserving all the juices.

For the cream cheese filling, place 50ml cold water into a small, wide bottomed heatproof bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine, making sure it is all wet. Set the bowl over a pan of hot water - not boiling water - and allow the gelatine to melt. It should not get too hot or the gelatine looses its setting ability.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese to make sure it is all smooth. In another bowl, lightly whip the cream and elderflower cordial. Using an electric mixer or whisk, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale, thick and double in volume. Carefully fold in the cream cheese, followed by the cream. Mix the reserved strawberry juices into the dissolved gelatine, sieve to remove any lumps. Fold a spoonful of the cream mixture into the gelatine mixture. When this is well blended, gently fold in the remaining cream mixture.

Spread the prepared strawberries over the middle of the biscuit base, leaving a small edge. Spoon the cream over the strawberries and level the surface, spreading the cream right to the edge. Put the pan in the fridge to set over night.

When you are ready to serve, dip a knife in hot water, release the spring on the pan and run the knife around the edge of the tin. Ease off the base with a warm palette knife and transfer the cheese cake to a serving dish. Decorate with the sliced strawberries and sprigs of mint.