Citrus Cheesecake

This cheesecake is made from cream cheese, labne and Greek Yoghurt with a citrus twist. It is a light but delicious dessert you could make for any occasion.

I used Myer lemons because they are cross between a lemon and orange but any citrus works well. I have served with fresh orange and mint from the garden but grapefruit is also very tasty.

You can make this ahead of time as it can be baked up to 3 days ahead, wrapped tightly and refrigerated.

*Recipe adapted from Nothing Fancy, Alison Roman

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Ingredients

For the crust

• 150g digestive biscuits

• 1 tbsp (15g) light brown sugar

• 60g unsalted butter - melted

• pinch of kosher salt

For the filling

• 250g full-fat cream cheese - room temperature

• 200g labne - room temperature

• 250g (1 cup) full-fat Greek-style yoghurt

• 110g (1⁄2 cup) white sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 3 tbsp meyer lemon juice (or grapefruit/lemon/lime/orange juice)

• flaky sea salt

• fresh citrus, halved or sliced and fresh herbs, to serve (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

Make the crust. Pulse the biscuits in a food processor until you've got a fine crumb (crumb, not powder!); you can also do this by hand by placing the biscuits in a resealable bag and crushing or smashing with a skillet or rolling pin. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the sugar and butter, followed by the salt. Using your hands, mix until the crumbs are evenly coated and you have a wet sand texture.

Press the crust into an unlined 23 cm (9 inch) tart (flan) or springform tin, or a cake tin lined with baking paper. You can use a lined 20 cm (8 inch) square baking tin here, although expect a slightly thicker outcome (maybe that is your preference). Using the bottom of a measuring cup or small bowl, really press the crumb mixture in there - otherwise it can be challenging to cut later on.

Bake the crust until it's lightly golden brown at the edge about 10-15 minutes, it gets baked one more time, so best not to overdo it here.

Make the filling. Combine the cream cheese, labne, yoghurt and sugar in a food processor and whiz until impossibly smooth and well blended, scraping down the sides as needed to incorporate any stubborn chunks of cream cheese. Add the eggs, lemon juice and a pinch of flaky salt, and keep processing until it's even smoother and creamier than before.

Pour the mixture into the baked crust and bake until the whole thing is set and no longer jiggles when tapped, 25-35 minutes; it should not brown at all.

Turn the oven off and open the door a crack. Let the tart sit in there for about 15 minutes, before transferring it to a wire rack on a counter to cool completely.

Place the tart in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.

To serve, sprinkle with a little flaky salt. Serve with some fresh citrus and herbs of your choosing, if you like.

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