What can I say. I love nectarines. They are just as sweet as peaches without the fury exterior. Which means you don’t have to peel them. And they look better! Roasted nectarines are so delicious, they are begging to go on top of a cheesecake. And this summery dessert just comes together like magic.

For the crust:

• 1 cup “digestive” biscuits, crushed (that’s about 8 biscuits)
• 1 cup almonds, coarsely ground
• 2 Tbs soft brown sugar
• 90 grams unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake

• 500 grams Italian ricotta, drained
• 300 grams “Philadelphia” cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup thick, full fat Greek yogurt
• 4 large eggs

For the topping

• About 4 ripe but firm nectarines cut in 1cm thick slices
• ¼ cup soft light brown sugar
• ½ cup dry white wine

Method

Preheat oven to 175 C. You will need a round 23cm (9”) spring form cake pan, with removable sides. Butter the pan and line base with parchment paper.

Make the crust by mixing the crushed biscuits, almonds and brown sugar in a bowl. Pour over the melted butter and mix well with a spatula until butter is well distributed. Put mixture into prepared pan, and cover the base, pressing down well with the back of a spoon. Bake for 10 minutes. Leave to cool slightly.

Reduce oven temperature to 160 C. Make the cheesecake mixture. Put all the ingredients for the cheesecake in the bowl of a blender or food processor. Blend until mixed and smooth. Pour mixture in pan, over the baked crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes. When you shake the pan the cheesecake will still jiggle in the middle. That’s ok. It will firm as it cools. Leave cheesecake to cool completely in the pan. Transfer to the fridge and cool for 12 hours before unmolding.

Make the topping: Preheat oven to 200 C. Place nectarine slices in a baking pan. Sprinkle with the sugar and mix with your hand to distribute. Pour over the wine. Put baking pan in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes until nectarines are soft and liquid is syrupy. Baking time will depend on how ripe your nectarines are. If liquid is syrupy and nectarines are still hard, add a little bit of water in the pan and bake longer.

To serve, run a spatula all the way round the sides of the pan. Release the sides and remove. Lift the cheesecake with a spatula and remove the greaseproof paper from the base. Transfer into a serving platter. Top with the nectarines and serve.