Beetroot cheesecake

Heat the oven to 180c/gas 4

Line a 23cm spring form tin with baking parchment and set aside. Pop the pine nuts in a dry pan until nicely toasted. Watch carefully as they burn easily. Blitz the biscuits and pine nuts in a processor.

Add the chopped basil to the biscuit/pine nut mix and stir in the butter. Press the mix into the prepared tin and bake for 5 minutes. Once baked, set aside and reduce the oven temperature to 160c/gas 3.

Drain the cooked beetroot, keeping the juices and blitz the beetroot bulbs until smooth and have a little texture. Using an electric whisk, in a separate bowl, beat together the soft cheeses. Add the sugar and beat in along with the whole eggs and egg yolks. Finally, add the beetroot pulp and beat together thoroughly. Pour into the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake has a little wobble. When baked, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door open. This helps to stop the cake cracking.

To make the jelly top, soften the 2 gelatine sheets in cold water until pliable. Add the orange juice, water, beetroot juices and sugar to a pan and gently heat until the sugar has disolved. Squeeze the water surplus from the gelatine sheets and add the leaves to the pan. Heat until the gelatine has disappeared into the mixture. Stir thoroughly and allow to cool a little, but don't allow it to set. When the cheesecake is completely cool, gently pour the jelly mix onto the cheesecake and chill in the fridge until set.

SERVING TIP: Make sure you use a hot blade to cut the cheesecake. I soak a knife blade in very hot water and dry it before cutting.