FOR THE BASE
250 g/9 oz. digestive biscuits/graham crackers
100 g/7 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
300 g/1⅓ cups cream cheese
400 ml/1¾ cups crème fraîche
80 g/scant ½ cup caster/white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
FOR THE PROFITEROLES
65 g/½ cup plain/all-purpose flour
50 g/3½ tablespoons butter
2 eggs, beaten
FOR THE PATISSERIE CREAM
1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
60 g/⅓ cup caster/white sugar
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
100 ml/generous ⅓ cup milk
150 ml/⅔ cup double/heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TO ASSEMBLE
200 ml/¾ cup double/heavy cream
80 g/scant ½ cup caster/white sugar
a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
a baking sheet, greased and lined
a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle/tip
SERVES 14
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
For the base, crush the biscuits/graham crackers to fine crumbs in a food processor or place in a clean plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Press the crumbs into the base of the cake pan firmly using the back of a spoon.
For the filling, whisk together the cream cheese, crème fraîche and sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then pour over the crumb base. Bake in the preheated oven for 40–50 minutes until golden brown on top but still has a slight wobble in the centre. Leave to cool, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.
For the profiteroles, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6. Sift the flour twice to remove any lumps. Heat the butter and150 ml/⅔ cup water in a saucepan until the butter is melted. Bring to the boil, then add the flour, remove from the heat and beat hard with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the pan sides. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk the eggs into the pastry, a little at a time, to form a sticky paste. Spoon into the piping bag and pipe 45 small balls onto the baking sheet. Wet your finger and smooth down any peaks then bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut a small slit into each bun and return to the oven for 3–5 minutes until crisp. Leave to cool on a rack.
For the pâtisserie cream, whisk together the cornflour/cornstarch, sugar, egg and egg yolk until creamy. Put the milk, cream and the vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour over the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Return to the pan and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Pass through a sieve/strainer to remove any lumps, then leave to cool.
To assemble the cheesecake, whisk the 200 ml/⅔ cup cream to stiff peaks, then fold through the pâtisserie cream. Spread some of the pâtisserie cream over the top of the cheesecake and spoon the rest into the piping bag. Fill each profiterole with the cream, piping it into the slit in the profiterole, then arrange them in rings on top of the cheesecake.
For the spun sugar, heat the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan until it caramelizes (watching carefully as it easily burns). Do not stir the sugar but gently shake the pan to prevent it from burning. Allow the caramel to cool slightly until the sugar becomes tacky and threads pull when you lift up a spoon from it. Pull threads of caramel by starting with some of the slightly cooled caramel on a spoon and allowing a drip to fall to create a sugar thread, then keep pulling the thread with your fingers (taking care as the caramel in the spoon will be hot) to create the spun sugar. If the caramel becomes too solid, simply return to the heat for a few seconds and then continue as before. Wrap the spun sugar into a ball and place on top of the profiteroles. Serve immediately