Blueberry Cheesecake Borek

Sorry, what?!

Done in 3 hours

Serves 6-8

Dish by Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

What you'll need:

400gfresh or frozen blueberries

150ggranulated sugar

600gfull fat cream cheese

250gcaster sugar

1 egg yolk

1 whole egg

4 tbspplain flour (optional)

1vanilla pod

1 packfilo pastry

250gunsalted butter, melted

5digestive biscuits, crushed

to servevanilla ice cream

This is a wild one - it's a blueberry cheesecake, in a borek. It's America meets the Balkans, it's an international party in your mouth. All the best people are invited: blueberries, crispy pastry, ice cream.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. To kick things off, place the blueberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir until the blueberries have let out their juices, but take them off the heat before they burst and lose their shape. Strain them through a sieve, keeping the juices safe until late.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved, then add the vanilla and eggs. Whisk until completely combined. At this point you can add some flour for stability if you wish. Stir through the strained cooked blueberries.

Now, working quickly, lay out the first filo sheet and brush with butter. Top with another sheet and repeat until you have about 4 layers.

Now, take half the cheesecake mix and roll it up into a tight sausage. Make another one, then roll them up (carefully) into a tight spiral on a sheet of baking paper on a baking sheet. Top with a cake tin to stop it unravelling.

Brush with butter then bake until golden and crispy. Leave to cool for around an hour. Drizzle with the blueberry syrup and top with ice cream and crushed digestives.

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Hugh Woodward

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Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.