Summery Strawberry Cheesecake

It's National Strawberry Week and the luscious red fruits are appearing everywhere.  Personally I can't get enough of them and would happily sit down with a punnet and eat the whole lot myself.  When I was a kid, Dad used to bring home giant panniers full and, as Mum wasn't a jam maker, they'd be frozen on a baking sheet and packed into plastic bags.  I would then eat them like ice pops, sneaking one when nobody was looking!

I bought some strawberries at the weekend and really wanted some cheesecake (it's the base that gets me... every time!).  I don't have any individual loose-bottomed tins and as there's only 2 of us, making a whole cheesecake is dangerous i.e. we will eat it all, so I compromised and made them in bowls.

Summery Strawberry Cheesecake

7 Digestive Biscuits
25g Butter
1 punnet Strawberries
1/2 tub Philadelphia Extra Light
75ml Cream

Put the biscuits into a ziplock bag & beat the crap out of them with a rolling pin, until they're a smooth rubble (you can use a blender but beating things up is far more fun).

Melt the butter in a small pot, add the crushed biscuits and mix well.  Place into the base of two bowls and chill.

Mix the Philadelphia and cream using an electric beater, until well combined & thick,

Wash and hull the strawberries, reserving 4 for garnish.  Puree the remainder (I used a stick blender) and fold into the cheese.

Pour over the biscuit base and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Top with the reserved strawberries and serve.

Side view of the cheesecake

I used the last few drops of the puree on top... waste not, want not!

The finished dessert