Julia Busuttil Nishimura's Christmas Basque Cheesecake

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To celebrate the arrival of the festive season, Melbourne-based cook and author Julia Busuttil Nishimura shares the perfect dish to take to Christmas lunch.

“This cheesecake comes together so quickly and is an impressive dessert to serve at Christmas. I love that it can be made in advance which takes the pressure off the big day. The key to the cheesecake is cooking it at a high temperature so that it forms a deeply caramelised top. Serve it with the roasted peaches and raspberries to truly celebrate the season.”

Above: brae tablecloth, nolan cutlery, tapas side plate, dana napkin, vivi coupe, dane ceramic vase. Above right: Julia wears fluid short sleeve shirt (cream coming soon), gathered detail maxi dress (coming soon), with nolan cutlery, yarra shallow bowl, theo cake stand, dana napkin (coming soon), brae tablecloth.

Basque Cheesecake with Roast Peaches and Raspberries

Serves 8

Ingredients

1kg full fat cream cheese
400g crème fraîche
250g mascarpone
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod, or 1 tsp of vanilla extract
300g caster sugar
6 eggs
Zest of a lemon
60g plain flour

Roasted peaches

1kg (approximately 7) yellow peaches, halved
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 sprigs of tarragon, plus extra to serve
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
Strip of orange peel
Juice of an orange
250g raspberries

Above: yarra shallow bowl, theo chopping board, yarra dip bowl, Australian cotton tea towel, halls measuring spoon.

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Grease and line a 26cm springform tin.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until completely smooth. Do this in two batches if everything doesn't fit in one go. Pour into the prepared tin and place in the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 200°C and cook for 60-65 minutes or until the cheesecake is dark in colour but still with a wobbly centre. Allow to completely cool then chill for at least 2 hours.

For the roasted peaches, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Arrange the peaches so they fit snugly in a baking tray. Add the remaining ingredients except for the raspberries, and toss to combine. Arrange the peaches cut side up and roast for 30 minutes or until the peaches have softened and begun to colour. Allow to cool then toss the raspberries through the peaches.
Serve the cheesecake with the roasted peaches and raspberries and extra sprigs of tarragon.