Ingredients (serves 10)

• 500g Cream Cheese softened
• 4 Eggs
• 300ml Thickened cream
• 3tbl Plain flour
• 1 Vanilla pod split lengthways and deseeded
• 1 Medium lemon juice and zest
• Pistachio Toffee Crumb:
• 1/2cup Pistachios whole
• 3/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 2tbl Water
• Garnish:
• Chocolate Mint
• Figs halved
• Honey

Method

1. 1. Pre heat oven to 220 degrees fan forced.
2. 2. Use a 7inch springform cake tin and line with baking paper. I find the easiest way to do this is by punching the baking paper into the tin and use your fingertips to press down on the bottom of the tin. The baking paper needs to extend up over the sides of the tin, so ensure that the baking paper is a large piece.
3. 3. Place cream cheese and sugar into a mixer with the paddle attachment. Once the mixture is fluffy and free from lumps then crack an egg at a time, add the vanilla seeds, lemon juice and zest.
4. 4. Mix in flour, a tablespoon at a time. Pour in thickened cream slowly till all the ingredients are incorporated.
5. 5. Pour mixture into the cake tin and bake for 25-30 mins The cheesecake is done when the top has a nice "burnt" look and is still jiggly in the middle when you shake the tin (refer to notes if your cheesecake does not have the 'burnt' colour). Keep the cheesecake in the tin and once the tin has cooled place into the fridge for a minimum of a couple hours or overnight.
6. 6. While the cheesecake is baking you can make the pistachio toffee crumb. To do this, line a little heat proof bowl with baking paper and place pistachio inside. Add caster sugar and a couple tablespoons of water into a small saucepan on low heat to make the toffee. Keep an eye on this as it can burn very quickly. Once the mixture starts to turn brown then pour the toffee over the pistachios and sprinkle a little sea salt flakes over the top. When this has cooled then crush in a mortar and pestle.
7. 7. It's up to you whether or not you want to remove the baking paper when serving. Garnish with figs, chocolate mint and then drizzle honey over the figs. Sprinkle the pistachio toffee around the bottom of the cheesecake and enjoy!

Notes

Cooks notes: Refrigeration: the cheesecake needs some time to set and the cheesecake can be made a day before. Grill: If your cheesecake does not resemble a burnt look then place the grill on and grill till desired colour. Do not step away from the grill as this takes minutes. Vanilla: Add the empty vanilla pod to a container of your sugar, the vanilla flavour will infuse into this. Fruit: Figs can be hard to find and can be substituted with mixed berries. Gluten Free: For a gluten free dessert, substitute the plain flour with rice flour.