Serves 4 50g/ 2 oz Oatcakes, crushed 50g/ 2 oz butter, melted 25g/ 1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated 1 lemon, grated 200g/7 oz tub Philadelphia cream cheese 2 slices Parma Ham, finely chopped 1 small handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped 4 slices Parma Ham, to serve Pesto dressing: 1 handful basil, roughly chopped 1 small handful lightly toasted pine kernels ½ garlic clove, finely chopped 75ml olive oil lime juice, to taste cracked black pepper
First make the cheesecake bases by mixing the oatcakes, butter, Parmesan and 2 tsp lemon zest, with plenty of black pepper Divide the mixture between the bases of 4 chefs rings (approximately 6cm in diameter) and refrigerate for 1 hour Whisk the cream cheese with a pinch of black pepper and 1 tsp lemon zest, and fold in the chopped Parma Ham and basil. Divide evenly between the cheesecake bases, smoothing over the tops before leaving to set in the fridge To make the pesto dressing, simply blend the basil, pine kernels, garlic and olive oil to a paste, and add lime juice and black pepper to taste When you are ready to serve, place each cheesecake on a serving plate and carefully lift off the rings. Drizzle with pesto dressing and a slice of Parma Ham Cook’s Tip: If you can, make your pesto dressing a few hours in advance to allow the flavours to develop. If you are looking for a lower fat alternative you can always use Philadelphia Light Recipe courtesy of the Parma Ham Consortium