3. Zest the lemon and keep the zest to one side. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and caster sugar until smooth.Add the eggs and whisk again to an even consistency. Next, pour in the double cream, add the vanilla and lemon zest and sift in the cornflour.Whisk again, ensuring there are no lumps in the mixture. Pour this mixture into the prepared tin. 4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven until the top has that distinctive dark sheen of traditional Basque cheesecake. Halfway through cooking – and depending on your oven – you might need to turn the cheesecake 180 degrees so that it is evenly browned. (Chris’s photograph is a good guide to what the cheesecake top should look like.) The sides of the cheesecake should be slightly firm and the centre should have a gentle wobble. 5. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and set it to one side to cool (it will continue to cook as it cools). Place the cooled cheesecake in the fridge for at least half a day or overnight to firm up. 6.To serve, remove the springform cake or mousse ring and gently peel back the baking paper. Serve slices of the cheesecake with lightly stewed blackberries, if you wish, or a fruit preserve of your choice. now.
full power until the crumbs are bright green and evenly blended. Stir in the extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. 2.To prepare the pork, unroll the pork belly skin-side up, ensuring the loin is still attached. If scoring the skin at home, score it with a sharp knife (or razor blade) in a criss-cross (leave a two centimetre gap between each scored line). Score only the skin and don’t cut into the meat. 3.Turn over the pork belly and season the loin with two pinches each of salt and pepper. Scatter over the herb breadcrumbs and lay three rows of prunes across the belly. 4. Cut eight pieces of kitchen string long enough to go around the joint.You might need someone to help you at this point … Roll up the pork joint, starting at the loin so that the lines of prunes and breadcrumbs stay in place; now, while one person holds the rolled joint securely, the other person should tie the string tightly at even points along the joint. 5. Place the prepared pork in a large roasting tin. Rub the oil all over the skin and scatter over the remaining three pinches of salt. Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 6½. 6. Place the roasting tin on the bottom shelf of the oven and roast for 30 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and roast for a further 1 hour 30 minutes. If using a cooking thermometer, the centre of the pork should be 65-67°C (149-152°F). 7. Remove the pork from the oven and allow it to rest loosely covered with foil for 45-60 minutes before serving. This resting time is essential for the pork to carry on cooking to a temperature above 70°C (158°F), and resting enables the meat to become succulent, tender and juicy.
FOOD Recipe Pork
FOOD Recipe Cheesecake
Raymond Blanc’s roasted pork stuffed with prunes and herb breadcrumbs
Raymond Blanc’s Basque- style cheesecake recipe By PA “This is the very best cheesecake I have ever tasted,” says Raymond Blanc.“A dessert much loved in the Basque Country (which straddles the border of France and northern Spain), it is so good that we put it on the menu at Brasserie Blanc. “I have served the cheesecake with stewed blackberries, but it may be accompanied by any seasonal fruits or good- quality shop-bought preserves, such as cherries in Kirsch. “I like to make this cheesecake a day in advance so that after being baked in the oven it has plenty of time to chill in the fridge. It is not a great challenge to make, but it is certainly a dessert for that celebratory occasion. Our guests describe it as ‘a showstopper’.”
By PA
“This is one of those dishes that instantly creates happiness in the home,” says Raymond Blanc.“Your guests arrive, the pork has been roasted and amazing aromas are wafting throughout. Heaven! “Of course, every cook strives to be proud of their crackling.The key to great crispy crackling is to use the best available pork and to make sure that the oven is properly preheated before you start to roast.“If you wish, ask your butcher to score the skin. Here the cut is an Italian porchetta with the flavours of prune and herbs – a winning combination.”
Roasted pork stuffed with prunes and herb breadcrumbs
Basque-style cheesecake
Prep: 30 mins Cook: 2 hours Rest: 45-60 mins
Prep: 15 mins Cook: 25-30 mins
Ingredients: (Serves: 8-10)
Ingredients: (Serves: 8)
For the herb breadcrumbs: 2 thyme sprigs 1 rosemary sprig 2 bunches of flat-leaf parsley 2 garlic cloves 100g dried or fresh breadcrumbs 60ml extra-virgin olive oil 2 pinches of sea salt flakes and a pinch of ground black pepper For the pork: 4.5kg pork belly with the loin attached, prepared for porchetta (ask the butcher to do this for you) 5 pinches of sea salt flakes 2 pinches of ground black pepper 500g Agen prunes, pitted 3tbsp vegetable oil
For the cheesecake: 1tsp unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the tin 1 lemon, for zesting 550g cream cheese 175g caster sugar 4 eggs (preferably organic or free-range) 250ml double cream 2tsp Vanilla Bean Purée (see page 285 of the book) or 4tsp shop-bought vanilla bean paste
20g cornflour
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7 (here, it is best – but not essential – to use the fan-assisted oven).
2. Use your fingertips to rub the soft butter around the inside of a springform cake ring (or mousse ring) with a diameter of 20 centimetres so that the greaseproof paper will stick to it. Now line the inside of the ring with a large sheet of greaseproof paper, making sure it fits neatly into all the edges and the base of the ring. Place the lined ring on a baking tray and keep aside.
Method:
1. First, make the herb breadcrumbs (you need 500 grams). Pick the leaves from the thyme and rosemary sprigs and finely chop them. Coarsely chop the parsley. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. In a food processor (or with a handheld blender), blend the breadcrumbs, garlic, thyme and rosemary until fine.Add the parsley and blend on
Photo: Basque cheese-cake.
Photo: pork stuffed with prunes and herb breadcrumbs.
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