This is a truly delicious and deceptively simple pudding to really impress your dinner guests or just a treat for a Saturday night! What’s more, you can even make it up to a day ahead, giving you more time to get on with the rest of the meal or just to enjoy yourself. You can use any autumn berries in this recipe or even better a mixture of berries, such as brambles (blackberries), blueberries and raspberries.

Ingredients

• 140g Brambles or autumn berry mixture (brambles, blueberries, raspberries)

• 50g Caster sugar

• Pinch of cinnamon

• Grated zest and juice of half a lemon

• 220g soft cream cheese

• 150g full fat crème fraiche

• 6 digestive biscuits crumbled

• 4 tbsp demarara sugar

8 Steps to the perfect bramble cheesecake brulee

1. Put the berries in a thick bottomed pan with 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar, a pinch of ground cinnamon and the lemon juice – cook for 5 minutes. Divide the berry mixture between 4 oven proof glass ramekins

2. Mix the soft cream cheese, crème fraiche, lemon zest and the rest of the  caster sugar

3. Add the crumbled digestive biscuits on top of the berry mixture in the ramekins and press down gently with the back of a teaspoon

4. Top the ramekins with the cheesecake mixture

5. Cover and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour

6. Sprinkle each ramekin with 1 tbsp of demarara sugar and mist with water (this will help it caramelise)

7. Pop under the grill for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has pretty much melted

8. Return to the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes (and up to 24 hours) before serving

For even less hassle (just not quite as naughty), omit steps 6 & 7 and simply decorate the cheesecake mixture with a few berries and lemon zest strands. 

 

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Original brambles picture by Anne Burgess available here