St honore-style cheesecake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

2. First make the cheesecake. Mix together the crushed chocolate biscuits and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture into a 22cm spring-form cake tin, forming an even biscuit base.

3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water. Allow to cool but not to set.

4. In a food processor, blend together the cream cheese, eggs and sugar. Mix in the cooled melted chocolate and the rum.

5. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the biscuit base. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour until set. Remove and cool.

6. To make the choux pastry preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

7. Put the butter and water in a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted.

8. Remove from direct heat, tip in the flour straight away and mix well.

9. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture forms a smooth, glossy paste.

10. Place the soft warm paste in a piping bag and pipe small blobs of the paste onto a lined baking tray.

11. Bake the choux pastry for 15-20 minutes until the pastry puffs have risen.

12. Remove the choux puffs from the oven and pierce each one with a skewer to release the steam. Cool on a wire rack then cut a slash in each choux puff and fill with whipped cream.

13. To make the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water.

14. Meanwhile, gradually bring the double cream and sugar to the boil in a non-stick saucepan. Stir in the vanilla extract, then the melted chocolate. Stir in the butter.

15. Top the cooled cheesecake with the cream-filled choux puffs, arranging them around the top edge of the cake. Fill the centre of the cake with the rum-marinated fruit. Spoon over the chocolate sauce and serve at once.