MANGO CHEESECAKE
Serves 6-8 (just looked and ingredients can be halved)
Biscuit Crust
225g/8ozs digestive biscuits
[Graham crackers for our friends across the Pond]
25g/1oz caster sugar
110g/4ozs melted butter
2 mangoes, chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice
75g/3ozs sugar
1 sachet gelatine powder
350g/12ozs cream cheese
175ml/6 fl ozs soured cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Mango slices to decorate
First make the biscuit crust by thoroughly combining all the ingredients and lining a 23cm/9 inch flan tin with the mixture.
Mix together the chopped mango, lime juice and sugar. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Drain off the liquid and place it in a bowl over hot water. Add the gelatine and allow to dissolve, then add this to the mango mixture. Beat the cream cheese, stir in the soured cream and vanilla essence and fold in the mango mixture. Spoon into the biscuit crust and refrigerate until firm. Decorate with fresh mango slices before serving.
Cooks note: I always use Vanilla Extract (Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Int NL) it is (mainly) Madagascar vanilla pods/beans and is excellent. There are cheaper ones on the market - essence, flavouring, extract - but this is worth the extra spondulicks. Depending on the availability of the vanilla beans, the price does fluctulate (sometimes �7-8) but at the moment you should be able to get it for around �4-5. Thankfully most supermarkets now sell it, as a couple of years ago only available in specialist outlets.