New York Cheesecake by Phil Skinazi, Executive Pastry Chef at Gleneagles

Cheesecake, the great crowd-pleaser, is thought to have originated in ancient Greece where it was served to athletes at the Olympic Games. Later, the recipe fell into the hands of the Romans – who called it “libum”, enhanced it with the addition of eggs, took it to the far corners of the Earth with their expanding Empire, and used them as sacred offerings to the Gods.

While the earliest versions of cheesecake, then, were supposedly reserved for athletes and Gods, it’s actually quite a simple dessert to master for an amateur baker. Many would argue that the cheesecake we all know so well – the smooth, sweet, rich and creamy variety that you eat when you think “to hell with the waistline; I’ll have a slab of that!” – didn’t make an appearance until the arrival of the classic New York cheesecake.

A New York cheesecake has four basic ingredients of cream cheese, cream, eggs, and sugar, which form the vanilla filling, and the best thing about is that, even if it doesn’t come out perfectly, it’s so scrumptious it will always please the masses. In this recipe, we’ve made it a little more indulgent with the addition of sugar, egg whites and double cream, which gives it a smooth and velvety consistency.

You can kid yourself into thinking you’re being healthy by adding honey, low fat yogurt or granola – but ultimately this is a naughty dessert and should be unashamedly so.

The base can comprise anything you like – such as digestives, shortbread, custard creams, Oreos, rich tea biscuits or almond biscuits – so it’s easy to rustle up using ingredients in the cupboard. You can mix up the topping too – from fresh passion fruit, strawberries, chocolate, or mulled autumn fruit.

Here, we’ve served it with a simple blueberry compote, to let the cream cheese and the fruit do all the talking. Unlike strawberries and raspberries, blueberries freeze very well. You can pick them in the summer when they’re fresh, or simply buy them frozen from the supermarket, and still enjoy them in the depths of winter when the warmer days are a distant memory.

This recipe features on the menu in our Birnam Brasserie, one of our newest restaurants at Gleneagles which focuses on seasonal and locally sourced Scottish produce. The Birnam is one of my favourite spaces in the hotel, especially its Winter Garden, which brings the concept of continental alfresco dining to Scotland. With its relaxed brasserie vibe, marble tables, beautiful mosaic floor, open kitchen where you can see the chefs cooking, and the roar of lively conversation, the restaurant has the most amazing atmosphere.

For me, no visit to The Birnam Brasserie would be complete without half a dozen oysters and – if I’m really in the mood for a treat – a big slice of New York cheesecake and a glass of dessert wine to finish the meal!

New York Cheesecake

Makes one 10” cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake:

415g Philadelphia cream cheese

95g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

30g egg yolks

25g egg whites

165g double cream

For the almond streusel:

100g plain flour

75g ground almonds

50g flaked almonds

200g unsalted butter

100g demerara sugar

100g caster sugar

2.5g salt

30g unsalted butter, melted

For the blueberry compote:

200g frozen blueberries

100g caster sugar

1 lemon, zested

Method:

1. First, make the almond streusel. Preheat the oven to 155°C. In an electric stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and combine all of the ingredients together until it just starts to form a paste.

2. Spread the mixture evenly onto two pre-line baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown in colour. Leave to cool completely and then crush to form a breadcrumb-like texture.

3. For the cheesecake base, use 330g of the almond streusel crumbs and mix with the melted butter. Pack the mixture into the base of a 10” ring or cake pan, making sure the base is smooth and even.

4. Next, make the cheesecake mixture. In a stand mixer, cream the cheese, sugar and vanilla with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl to ensure there are no lumps left at the bottom. Once smooth, add the egg whites and yolks slowly and beat again, continuing to scrape the sides down. Add the cream and beat again until fully combined. Pour the mixture over the base and bake at 100°C for 45 minutes or until just set.

5. To make the blueberry compote, place all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan and gently bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and allow the mix to reduce by half, creating a thick compote. Leave to cool before serving.

6. To serve, top the cheesecake with the blueberry compote or pour the compote into a jug and let people top the cheesecake themselves.