Enjoy this cheesecake '“ but finish your bagels first

Most of us are influenced by the food we like from our childhood, our family and the experiences we share with our loved ones.
Baked lemon cheesecake.Baked lemon cheesecake.
Baked lemon cheesecake.

I was lucky enough to work in France when I was younger and managed to eat at a friend’s grandparents’ house where everything we ate for lunch was taken from their extensive vegetable garden.

The flavours were vibrant and so fresh that I can recall the courses even today after nearly 30 years.

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That experience has inspired me to use seasonal produce throughout my work to get the best flavours on to the plate.

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Lemons

My own grandmother would feed us with bagels, herrings and smoked salmon and she would make us a wonderful baked lemon cheesecake when we visited her in London.

There was a strict rule that you were not allowed the cheesecake until you had finished thebagels, which was not a major problem for a young boy who loved to eat everything his nan gave him.

I now prefer a baked cheesecake with its dense texture and flavour to the creamy varieties and have my nan to thank for that.

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I have replicated her recipe without the biscuit base so that it is suitable for those with a gluten intolerance – but you can easily alter the recipe if you want to.

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Lemons

Baked Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients

600g cream cheese

170g caster sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cornflour

2 lemons

2 eggs

170ml double cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/gas mark 2.

2. Carefully line a deep 20in cake tin with greaseproof paper.

3. Beat the cream cheese with the sugar.

4. Add the cornflour and beat again.

5. Add the juice and zest of both lemons.

6. Add the eggs and cream and mix together.

7. Pour the mixture into the mould and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes until the top is brown and the mixture stops being wobbly.

8. Allow to cool before removing from the tin.

Lawrence’s restaurant is Fat Olives at Emsworth (fatolives.co.uk) on 01243 377914.