Serves: 10

Ingredients:
250g plain sweet biscuits
125g butter, melted
3 x 250g packets cream cheese, softened
34 cup (165g) caster sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla essence
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 eggs, separated
34 cup (1 80ml) cream

Poached pears and apricots:
2 cups (500ml) water
1 cup (250ml) orange juice
1/4 cup (55g) sugar
1 cup (150g) dried apricots
5 small pears (900g), peeled, halved, cored
1 cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons Cointreau

Method:
Process biscuits until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add butter; prœess until just combined.

Using one hand, press crumb mixture evenly over base and side of 23cm springform tin. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes oi until firm

Meanwhile, preheat oven to moderately slow. Beat cheese, sugar and essence in large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Add rind, juice, egg yolks and cream, beat until light and fluffy.

Beat two of the egg whites ¡n small bowl with electric mbrer until firm peaks form, fold hto cream cheese mixture; discard remaining egg whites.

Place tin on oven tray, pour cheesecake mixture into tin. Bake in moderately slow oven about 1 hour or until just firm. Cool in oven with door ajar.

Cover cheesecake; refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Remove from tin just before serving. Serve cheesecake with poached pears and apricots.

Poached pears and apncots:
Combine ingredients in large saucepan; simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until pears are just tender: discard cinnamon stick. Strain fruit mixture over large heatproof bowl, return liquid to saine pan; boil, uncovered, about 10 minutes or in ìtil reduced to 1 cup (250ml). Add syrup to fruit in bowl.

Baked vanilla cheesecake with poached pears and apricots Recipe