Rosella and White Chocolate Cheesecake Slice

Rosellas, (not the feathered type) are really delicious to eat once cooked or preserved. A couple of bushes of these hibiscus relatives provides so many of them that they keep us going all year with frozen, preserved and dried pieces.
I served this recipe at a workshop and received rave reviews. It’s a smooth, creamy,and decadent dessert.
In the picture my model Emma devoured the props shortly afterwards!

Base:

250g packet Butternut snap biscuits crushed finely in a blender or processor
125g unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

3 teaspoons gelatine
¼ cup hot water
¼ cup caster sugar
375 gram Philly cream cheese
Juice ½ lemon
1 cup organic rosella preserves (easy recipe below)
250ml thickened cream whipped to soft peaks

150 gram white chocolate, partially melted so there are still some chunky bits

Prepare the rosella preserves first and allow them to cool.

Base:

Line a 20×30 baking or lamington tray with foil or baking parchment. Mix the processed biscuit crumbs and melted butter in a bowl, then press into the prepared tin with the back of a metal spoon. Pop into the fridge to set firm.

Cheesecake:
Sprinkle gelatine over the ¼ cup of hot water in a teacup. Stand the teacup in very hot water to soften the gelatin. Stir the gelatin and dissolve completely. Cool slightly.

Put the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl and beat with an electric beater until combined and smooth. Pour in the cooled gelatine mixture and stir through. Next add the whipped cream and stir through gently again.

Add the partly melted chocolate into the bowl with the cream cheese and incorporate just a little. (I like the chocolate to be swirled through rather than completely combined. This way you’ll get little ripples of chocolate when it’s cooled).
Pour the mixture over the crumb base and smooth out. Finally, using a knife, swirl the rosella preserves through the top of the cheesecake to create a pretty pattern. Don’t mix too much, just enough to create swirly patterns. Put the whole lot into the fridge and try to resist eating it for about 2 hours before cutting into segments for dessert.

Organic Rosella Preserves

1 cup firmly packed rosella sepals (pull the red sepals away from the seeds and just use the red part)
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water

Place all ingredients into a small saucepan. Cook gently about 20 minutes until all the sepals are soft and the juice is reduced to a thicker consistency.
Pour into warm, sterilized jars and seal while hot. Keeps well in a cool place.