Rose and cardamom make one of my favourite flavour combinations. With a delicate pistachio sponge base and decorated with elegant rose petals and pistachios, this cheesecake makes a sophisticated dinner party dessert.
FOR THE CAKE BASE
115 g/¾ cup shelled pistachios
60 g/scant ⅓ cup caster/white sugar
60 g/4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
60 g/scant ½ cup self-raising flour
FOR THE FILLING
6 sheets leaf gelatine
500 g/generous 2 cups ricotta
250 g/generous 1 cup mascarpone cheese
100 g/½ cup caster/white sugar
25 cardamom pods
300 g/1⅓ cups evaporated milk
160 ml/⅔ cup double/heavy cream
80 ml/⅓ cup rosewater
a few drops of pink food colouring (optional)
FOR THE DECORATION
crystallized rose petals (see page 95)
2 tablespoons bright green pistachios, chopped
edible glitter (optional)
a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
SERVES 12
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
For the base, finely chop the pistachios in a food processor or blender.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the egg and beat again. Sift in the flour, add the ground pistachios and whisk well so that everything is incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed gently in the centre. Leave to cool in the pan.
For the cheesecake, soak the gelatine leaves in water until they are soft.
Whisk the ricotta, mascarpone cheese and sugar together until light and creamy. Crush the cardamom pods to remove the husks, then grind the black seeds to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar.
Heat the evaporated milk and cream together in a saucepan with the ground cardamom and rosewater and continue heating until the mixture has reduced by one third. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves and add them to the warm cream, stirring until dissolved. Pass the cream through a sieve/strainer to remove any undissolved gelatine pieces, then whisk into the cheese mixture with a few drops of pink food colouring, if using. Pour the filling on top of the pistachio cake base in the pan and leave to set in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to serve, arrange the crystallized rose petals on top of the cheesecake and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and edible glitter, if using.