Khosro's Aubergine Cheesecake
| Prep Time: 45 min | Serves: 4 |
| Cooking Time: 30 min | Yield: 4 portions |
Like all good cheesecakes, tucking into this is so effortless and soothing that it's easy to forget yourself and just gobble up more and more. And, like a sweet cheesecake, it's also a bit of a no-brainer that yields very impressive results. Cut it into elegant squares and serve as a starter with a lemony salad of bitter leaves and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 90 mL Olive Oil
- 300 g Fresh Aubergine
- 150 g Feta
- 150 g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 60 ml Double Cream
- 3 egg
- 150 g Baby Plum Tomatoes
- 1 tsp Oregano, Dried
Directions
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Line with foil the base and sides of a deep, 19cm square baking tin (or a round, 22cm diameter dish), then brush lightly with oil.
Lay the aubergine slices on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and brush all over with four tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in the hot oven for 40 minutes – the aubergines need to go soft and golden. When cooked, remove, set aside to cool, and lower the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2.
Put the feta, cream cheese, cream, eggs and some pepper in a bowl and whisk until smooth and thick.
Arrange the aubergine neatly in the baking tin – the slices should fill up the tray as they lean against each other, almost standing on their sides. Fill the gaps with tomatoes and sprinkle over half the oregano.
Pour in just enough of the cheese mix to leave some aubergine and tomatoes exposed, sprinkle over the remaining oregano and bake for 30 minutes, or until the "custard" sets. Leave the cake to cool down to room temperature, then remove it from the tin and cut into four squares (or into wedges, if using a round dish).