Chai & Port Poached Pear Cheesecake

It was my hubbie's birthday weekend so not only did I have to join the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop with a tea inspired recipe, but I had to make his fave - a cheesecake. Well, what better than combine them both. I drink the odd tea to keep warm at work, but I'm not generally a tea person - much more into coffee (can't wait for the coffee blog hop!) I didn't want to wuss out though being out of my comfort zone, and of course I wanted to give it a go. I did choose a tea with a familiar favour though, to combine with the other ingredients.



Chai & Port Poached Pear Cheesecake (adapted from a recipe from "Eating for Goodness Sake" )

Poached Pears
4 pears
1 litre of Chai tea
500ml Tawny Port

Biscuit Base
200g Scotch Fingers
100g Butter
pinch of cinnamon

Filling
225g Cottage Cheese
70ml Sour Cream
75g Icing Sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond essence (or Frangelico!)

Icing Sugar to dust on top

Method

• Peel, core and quarter the pears;
• Poach the pears till soft in the tea and port, then leave to cool in the poaching juice;
• Reserve the poaching liquid for sauce
• Preheat the oven to 170C
• Melt the butter for the base;
• Whizz the biscuits in the food processor;
• Add the butter and a pinch of cinnamon to the biscuits and whizz till forms clumps;
• Press the biscuit crumbs into a greased 20cm spring form pan;
• Line the biscuit base with the quartered poached pears;
• Whizz the ingredients for the filling together till smooth;
• Pour the filling over the pears;
• Bake in the oven for about 20 mins or until the cheesecake has set;
• Remove from the oven and cool
• Meanwhile bring the reserved poaching liquid to the boil to reduce
• Turn out of the spring form pan and dust with icing sugar
• Serve with extra poached pear and drizzle some of the reduced poaching liquid.