Savoury Cheese Cake with Fresh Mint Sauce

A savoury sauce made from fresh chopped mint, vinegar and sugar, traditionally served in England as an accompaniment to roast lamb that we’ve turned into a savoury cheese cake.

You need a Springform Round Cake Tins for Baking 18cm – Serves 4, Preparation time 20-25 mins, Resting in the fridge 2 hours

For the mint sauce:

bunch of fresh mint, about 30 g
3 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 level tbsps caster sugar
A drizzle of lemon – optional

For the base:

100 g Italian taralli or bread sticks
50 g unsalted butter

For the cream cheese:

5 g agar agar or gelatin sheet 7 g
40 ml cold milk
100 g classic fresh spreadable cheese
100 g fresh ricotta
100 g robiola or creamy goat’s milk cheese
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
50 ml cold water

Method

Tips

Gelatin sheet: it may seem like an optional ingredient, but it actually plays a very important role in the recipe. Since the savoury cake does not include baking, gelatine will thick the cheese during its rest in the fridge; not using it could risks melting the slices of cheesecake when cut.

Base: if you don’t have taralli/ breadsticks, you can chop some oatcakes or even stale bread: cut it into pieces, put it in a blender and then mix it with butter to create the base of your savoury cheese cake.

Method

Mint Sauce: Strip off mint leaves and chop finely with a knife. Place them into a blender, add the sugar and pour over the boiling water, stir and leave to cool. Stir in the vinegar and taste. Add more water or vinegar and adjust seasoning to suit your taste. Set aside.

Base: Blend taralli and dry bread and then add them to melted butter, stir well.Cover the bottom of the springform with the cling film and put the mixture of taralli and butter on the base by pressing it well inside the pan with the help of a spoon. Put the mould in the fridge to harden for at least 20 minutes.

Cheese Cream: Heat the water and melt the well soaked gelatine sheet inside.
In a bowl add the creamy cheeses and mix them together adding the milk and grated Parmesan cheese. Pour the water in which you have dissolved the gelatine sheet to the cheese mixture and mix well.

Pour the cheese cream that you got on the base of taralli/bread sticks.

Level the surface of the savoury cheesecake and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

As soon as the cheese cake is firm, you can decorate it with the mint sauce, even with some slices of Parma ham.