RICKY GERVAIS once attributed his cuddly physique to “20 years of eating cheese”. A new book devoted to the world’s most versatile ingredient might convince him to let out his belt another notch or two.
In Fiona Beckett’s Cheese Course, the Guild of Foodwriters’ Food Journalist of the Year looks at everything from how cheese is made to how to put together a portable wine and cheese feast for your next budget flight, and shares a host of melt-in-your-mouth recipes, like this one.
LEMON AND BLUEBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CHEESECAKESIngredients (Serves 4-6)
110g digestive biscuits
55g butter
1tsp ground cinnamon
250g mascarpone
3-4 tbsp homemade or good quality shop bought lemon curd
2-3 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
2-3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
250g fresh or frozen blueberries
A baking tin
4-6 small tumblers
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.
Method
1. Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin until you have even-sized crumbs (you can do this in a food processor but it tends to make them a bit fine and powdery). Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the cinnamon, cook for a few seconds, then stir in the biscuit crumbs until they have absorbed all the butter. Tip into baking tin and bake in the preheated oven for five minutes until the crumbs are crisp. Set aside to cool.
2.. Tip the mascarpone into a bowl and mix in the lemon curd with a wooden spoon until smooth (don’t use an electric beater – it will make the mixture seize up ) Add the milk and a little lemon juice to adjust the sweetness.
3. Divide the blueberries between the tumblers. Spoon over the mascarpone mixture and top with the biscuit crumbs. Cover the glasses with clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour or so. The bases can be made further in advance, but don’t add the crumble topping too far ahead or it will go soggy.
FIONA BECKETT'S Cheese Course, by Fiona Beckett, is published by Ryland, Peters and Small, priced £19.99.