White chocolate & apricot cheesecake

Ingredients

• 200 g shortbread cookies 
• 50 g butter melted
• 7  apricots ripe
• 2 sheets gelatin powder 
• 300 g chocolate white
• 300 ml double cream 
• 250 g cheese light such as philadelphia soft
• 85 g sugar 
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• whisk
• grill
• aluminum foil
• grill pan

Directions

1. Break biscuits into the food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.
2. Brush a little butter over the base and sides of a deep 20cm flan tin. Stir the remaining butter into the crumbs. Spoon into the flan tin, then press over the base and sides. Chill while you make the filling.
3. Stone and chop 3 of the apricots into small chunks.
4. Put the gelatine in a bowl, cover with cold water, then leave to soften for 10 mins. Break up chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl with 100ml of the double cream. Stand over a pan of simmering water, then leave until melted, stirring occasionally. Squeeze water out of the gelatine, then stir into chocolate mix. Take off the heat and stir until dissolved. Beat the soft cheese and sugar together.
5. Whisk remaining cream until stiff, then fold into the cheese. Fold in the chocolate, followed by the chopped apricots.
6. Pour into the prepared tin and chill for at least 4 hrs or overnight.
7. Line a grill pan with foil.
8. Cut remaining apricots into quarters, then place on the foil, cut-sides up. Dust with icing sugar and grill for a few mins until lightly browned. Cool, then arrange over the top. Shave some white chocolate curls, then pile up in the centre of the cheesecake and serve.