Cooking with Paula McIntyre - Ginger cheesecake with Pedro Ximenez candied pears

Download Ginger cheesecake with Pedro Ximenez candied pears

Recipe

Biscuit base
250g gingersnap biscuits, crushed
150g melted butter

Grease an 8 inch cake tin. Mix the biscuits with the melted butter and press into the cake tin. Chill.

Filling
250g mascarpone cheese
400g full fat cream cheese
75g icing sugar
250ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
35g crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Whisk the cheeses, sugar and cream until thick. Fold in the ginger and vanilla and spoon onto the biscuit base. Smooth off the top and chill.

Pedro Ximenez Sherry candied pears
4 pears
100g castor sugar
75ml Pedro Ximenez sherry
1 tablespoon honey or maple syryp

Quarter the pears, remove the core and cut each quarter in half.
Heat a large frying pan and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Cook to an amber liquid then add 100ml of boiling water and the sherry. Boil to a thick syrup and add the pears. Cook until the pears are soft and glazed – about 5 minutes. Add the honey and cook for another minute. Cool.
Spoon the pears onto the chilled cheesecake.

Published on Saturday, 6th December 2025.

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