When I went to Yeo Valley for a day learning about their organic gardens, I was lucky enough to be treated to a cookery session with their head chef Jaime. One of the dishes that he showed us how to make was a cheesecake using Yeo Valley yoghurt with a very clever technique. I decided to use one of the pots of yoghurts that they sent me home with and to try and make my own version. The ingredients are simple: a pot of Yeo Valley lemon and lime yoghurt, half a tub of chocolate Philadelphia, eight amaretti biscuits, a knob of unsalted butter. You will need to do step three in advance!
Lemon & Lime Chocolate Cheesecake (serves 2)
Melt a large knob of unsalted butter (I used Yeo Valley as it is so creamy) on a low heat and stir in eight amaretti biscuits. You can use normal digestives, but I like the nutty taste of the amaretti biscuits. Spoon half into each serving dish and press down.
Melt half a tub of Philadelphia chocolate cheese on a low heat. Pour it over the top of the biscuit base. Place it in the fridge to set for ten minutes or so.
This is the bit that you need to do in advance of everything else, the night before it's needed is best. Line a sieve with a plain, clean cotton teatowel, place over a bowl and pour in the yoghurt. Over the course of the night and day, the whey from the yoghurt will slowly drip out leaving a lump of thick, solidish yoghurt inside the teatowel. You'll actually be able to pick it up it will be so solid!
Whisk this with 150-200ml of double cream to form a smoother, looser mixture. Spoon it over the chocolate and place it in the fridge to set for ten minutes.
Et voila!
Yeo Valley have a huge range of yoghurts from the traditional Vanilla and Strawberry styles, to the more exotic Lemon Curd, and Lemon and Lime. Producing approximately 10 million pots of yoghurt every week, you can see why they are so popular!