Named after the village next to Balmoral Castle, this cheesecake was popular to send out on shooting lunches. It is a crunchy layer of chocolate cookies and unsalted butter topped with a cheesecake batter flavored with crème de menthe. As a baroque final touch, we would top it with whipped cream and crumbled chocolate mint candy. Nestle’s peppermint chocolate Aero Bar is my first choice since it has the right lightness and crunch. If you can’t find that, a good dusting of grated chocolate is a more-than-acceptable substitute.
½ pound (8 ounces) McVities chocolate digestives or 1 cup ground graham cracker crumbs mixed with ½ cup grated bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons crème de menthe liqueur
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
1½ cups heavy cream
1 peppermint chocolate Aero Bar or ⅓ cup grated chocolate
1. Grind the cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Place in a large bowl and stir in the melted butter. Firmly pack the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch tart pan and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
2. Place the egg yolks, crème de menthe, and sugar into a large mixing bowl over a pan of boiling water, and whisk for about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, and continue whisking until the mixture is cold.
3. Soften the gelatin in the 1 tablespoon water in a small pan, and place over low heat to warm and dissolve the gelatin. Whisk the gelatin into the egg mixture.
4. Whip the egg whites until stiff, and fold into the egg mixture. Spoon this onto the tart crust, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. Whip the heavy cream in a large bowl until stiff, and spread onto the top of the now-set egg mix. Chop the mint chocolate bar, and decorate with it or the grated chocolate.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Crathie Crunch