Raspberry and Pistachio Cheesecake

Recipe found from Poires au Chocolat

*Can be made as a 5 or 6 inch cheesecake; halve the ingredients and cooking time.

Raspberry and Pistachio Cheesecake

Ingredients:
For the base
60g shelled pistachios
60g golden caster sugar
pinch salt
130g digestives
40g unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
900g cream cheese
300g golden caster sugar
½ tsp salt
2tsp vanilla extract
2tsp vanilla bean paste
5 eggs
180ml sour cream
To decorate
6tbsp apricot jam
1-2 punnets raspberries
60g shelled pistachios


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/mark 2. Butter the insides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil, covering the base and the entire height of the sides. Repeat with another sheet of foil

2. For the crust, crush the pistachios to fine crumbs in a food processor and mix in the sugar. Add the salt and digestives and blend until well mixed. Add the butter and continue to pulse until the biscuits have been well coated and evenly crushed. Press into the base of the prepared pan.

3. For the filling, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla extract and paste. Once well combined, gradually mix in the eggs, followed by the sour cream. Pour the mixture into the pan and place the pan in a deep roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the roasting tin, enough to come up one third of the height of the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes until set but with a wobble in the middle.

4. Take the cheesecake out of the roasting tin and transfer to a wire rack, cover with a piece of foil and leave for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the tin, replace the foil and leave t cool completely. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

5. Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until fairly fine but with  inconsistently sized lumps. Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan and remove the cheesecake. Transfer to a serving plate.
6. Heat the jam in a saucepan until liquid. Brush the top and sides of the cheesecake with the jam and arrange the raspberries on top. Thin down the remaining jam with 1-2 tbsp boiling water and use to glaze the raspberries. Press the crushed pistachios onto the sides of the cheesecake. Return to the fridge for 1 hour before serving.