Ruby Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake, Berries and Strawberry Curd

Recipe by Matt Merrin

Ingredients

Ruby and Chocolate Cheesecake:
75 g softened cream cheese
40 g mascarpone cheese
225 ml pouring cream, lightly whipped
75 g ruby chocolate, melted
110 g strawberry puree
Zest of one lemon
30 g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 gelatine leaf, softened and squeezed

Chocolate Coconut Sand:
20 g unsalted butter, softened
75 g caster sugar
10 g liquid glucose
20 ml water
1 g bicarb soda
5 g cocoa
50 g shredded coconut

Strawberry Curd:
4 large egg yolks
75 g caster sugar
75 ml strawberry puree
80 g unsalted butter, diced

Quick Strawberry Ice Cream:
200 ml strawberry puree
150 g caster sugar
20 ml lemon juice
200 ml cream

To Assemble:
12 raspberries
12 blackberries
20 g Pashmak vanilla fairy floss

Method

Ruby and Chocolate Cheesecake:

In an electric mixer on medium, whisk the cream cheese and mascarpone together. Add eggs and sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

Heat 50 ml of strawberry puree to 60 C, add gelatine and mix until smooth. Fold through cream mixture until combined.

In a stainless steel bowl, melt chocolate over a water bath. Remove from heat and fold through the cheesecake mix.

Pour cheesecake mix into individual silicon moulds.

Chocolate Coconut Sand:

Place sugar, butter, water and glucose into a heavy saucepan and cook over a moderate heat until the mixture becomes a light caramel colour. Carefully add salt, bicarb soda, coconut and cocoa and continue cooking until slightly darker caramel colour.

Remove from the heat and pour onto a silicon mat to cool. Smash the caramel into pieces and blitz in a blender until sand like pieces form.

Strawberry Curd:

Using an electric blender, whisk egg yolk and sugar in a stainless bowl until smooth. Place bowl over a simmering water bath, add strawberry puree and slowly stir the mixture until curd thickens to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the butter and continue stirring until the curd is thickened. Remove from heat and cool. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate.

Quick Strawberry Ice Cream:

Combine puree, sugar and lemon juice. Stir in cream and place mixture into an ice cream machine to churn.

Freeze until ready to use.

To Assemble:

Unmould individual cheesecakes onto plates. Sprinkle chocolate sand around the outer perimeter of the cheesecake, add berries, ice cream and curd. Place the fairy floss on top.

Serves 4