Friends and pineapples

A wonderful night with good friends starting with pineapple cocktails and ending with pineapple cheesecake (with a lovely dinner in between) subtly lit by a pineapple candle created by Donna.  Thanks Griffiths family! Anne.

Pineapple Breeze Cocktail 

Ice; 44ml Malibu Rum; 15mls Sprite lemonade; ¼ cup pineapple juice; ¼ cup orange juice.

Stir.

Pineapple Mocktail 

118ml pineapple juice; 1/4 cup mint leaves; 30ml coconut cream; ½ cup crushed ice

A Piece of (Cheese) Cake! Luscious cheesecakes by Cookery Editor Jan Oldham, Woman’s Day/Woman’s World 1981

“They’re not hard to make – just impossible to resist!”

Pineapple Icebox Cheesecake

“A refrigerator cheesecake with a smooth, creamy texture and a tangy flavour.”

Serves 8

Crumb crust: 1 ¾ cups crushed plain sweet biscuits; 3 tblspns butter or margarine, melted; 1 tspn cinnamon

Filling: 2 tblspn gelatin; 1 cup hot water; 3 egg yolks; ½ cup sugar; 500g cream cheese; grated rind and juice of 1 lemon; 1 medium can crushed pineapple; 4 egg whites; 1 cup cream

To decorate: wedges of canned pineapple

Lightly grease a 20cm springform pan with butter or margarine. Tip the biscuits crumbs into a bowl, add the melted butter or margarine and cinnamon and mix till well combined.

Tip crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Press evenly and firmly over the base of the pan using a spoon and a flat-bottomed glass. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.

Filling: Sprinkle gelatin over ½ cup hot water and stir till dissolved. Mix together egg yolks, sugar and remaining hot water. Stir over simmering water until lightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and stir till thoroughly combined.

Beat the cream cheese till smooth. Gradually add the egg yolk mixture and lemon rind and juice. Drain pineapple well and fold into the cheese mixture.

Whisk the egg whites till they just form stiff peaks. Whisk cream till thickened. Fold through the cheese mixture, then add the egg whites and fold through the mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared pan. Place in the fridge till set.

Decorate with wedges of pineapple and serve.