Highland Crowdie cheesecake mousse with summer fruit jelly and berries

Preparation method

1. For the fruit jelly, gently mix the raspberries and strawberries in a heatproof bowl with the caster sugar. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water for one hour, adding more boiled water to the pan as necessary.

2. Place a large piece of muslin cloth over a clean bowl, then pour in the macerated fruit. Twist and tie up the edges of the cloth and hang over the bowl overnight to extract the juice. Squeeze out any excess juice using your hands, then discard the solids. Pass the strained juice through the muslin cloth again so that the juice is clear.

3. Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for ten minutes, or until softened, then mix into the fruit juice. Pour into a small, deep tray and chill in the fridge until set.

4. Preheat the oven to 135C/275F/Gas ½.

5. For the cheesecake, place all of the cheesecake ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined. Pour the mixture into a 7.5cm/3in x 25cm/10in baking tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and slightly spongy.

6. Leave the cheesecake to cool, then break apart and blend until smooth in a food processor.

7. For the Italian meringue, place the sugar and water into a pan and heat until the sugar is melted. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl. Once the egg whites begin to go pale, slowly add the liquid glucose and continue to whisk until soft peaks form.

8. Fold the softened gelatine leaves into the meringue along with the blended cheesecake mixture. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or until set.

9. Preheat the oven to 50C/120F.

10. For the strawberry crisp, boil the sugar, water and liquid glucose together until it forms a thick syrup. Lay the sliced strawberries on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, then brush the syrup over the strawberries. Place into the oven for 1-2 hours, or until the strawberries are dried out and crisp.

11. Meanwhile, for the poached rhubarb, bring the sugar and water to a simmer and poach the rhubarb slices for 2-3 minutes, or until tender. Drain, then place five strips per serving of rhubarb parallel to each other, overlapping slightly, on baking parchment and dry out in the oven for 1-2 hours.

12. Preheat the oven to 100C/210F.

13. For the shortbread, rub the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the almonds and flour. Shape into a roll, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge until firm. Slice into shortbread rounds, then bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp. Transfer to a cooling rack.

    Technique: Rubbing in

14. Remove the fruit jelly from the fridge and cut into rounds with a pastry cutter.

15. To serve, lay a sheet of dried poached rhubarb in the centre of each serving plate and place a piece of shortbread on top. Using two warm spoons, shape the cheesecake mixture into quenelles and place on top of the shortbread. Arrange the fruit jelly alongside, then garnish with the reserved fresh raspberries and strawberries and the strawberry crisps.

Overnight preparation time

Over 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4