Recipe of the month: Mini lemon cheesecakes

March 03 2021
Recipe of the month: Mini lemon cheesecakes

Recipe of the month, with Cooking4 Cookery School founder Ann Murray

ONE of the things I used to love, pre-covid, was if a friend phoned out of the blue and asked if they could drop round.

Because of what I do, I always felt I should be able to offer them a little goodie.

Now I usually have something appropriate in the freezer but if I didn’t, this was my go-to recipe.

Sadly, those spontaneous catch-ups are not happening now, but I know that they will happen again at some point in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

And frankly, anyway, when you do get that urge for a treat, these little zesty lemon cheesecakes go down a storm.

 

Cheat’s Mini Lemon Cheesecakes

Makes: 8

 

Ingredients:

  • Shop-bought round good-quality shortbread biscuits (I like Bonne Maman) - 8

  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

  • Lemon curd – 3 tbsps

  • Cream cheese- 250g tub

  • Icing sugar- sifted, 3 tbsps

 

Here’s what you do:

  • Put the biscuits on a board.

  • Brush with the lemon juice.

  • Use half of the lemon curd to spread over the base of each biscuit.

  • Mix any left- over juice and the lemon zest into the cream cheese.

  • Mix the icing sugar into the lemon mixture until well blended.

  • Place a small plain-edged cutter around the biscuit and fill with the lemon cream cheese. Put a heaped tablespoon onto each biscuit (placing the cutter over each one in turn).

  • Share out the mixture between the 8 biscuits. Smooth the top before removing the cutter.

  • Chill in the fridge for 20 mins before serving.

  • Decorate with seasonal sliced fruits if liked.

 

Cook’s Tips:

  • You can ring the changes by using limes instead of lemons; passion fruit – especially when in season in early spring – works well and looks pretty.