Halve the cheesecake mousse ingredients if you prefer a fruitier dessert.

Peach cheesecake cups

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the crumble 

200g ginger biscuits
6 Tbsp (90g) melted butter, divided
½ tsp (2.5ml) cinnamon

For the syrup 

2 cans (410g each) peach halves in syrup
3 Tbsp (45g) treacle sugar
2 tsp (10ml) lemon juice
2 Tbsp (30ml) bourbon (optional)

For the cheesecake mousse 

1 cup (125ml) whipping cream
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla essence
¼ cup (30g) icing sugar, sifted 
2 tubs (250g each) mascarpone, at room temperature 

Method

1. Crush biscuits into a coarse crumb.
2. Combine crumb with half the butter and cinnamon, set aside. 
3. Decant peaches, reserving the syrup.
4. Add syrup to a pot with sugar, lemon juice and bourbon, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. 
5. Halve peaches and add to a pan over medium heat.
6. Add remaining butter and stir. Cook until caramelised and lightly charred, turning peaches occasionally to char on all sides, about 10 minutes. 
7. Add a final drizzle of peach syrup (about 3 Tbsp) to the pan and stir to coat. Remove from the heat. 
8. For cheesecake mousse, combine cream and vanilla, then whip to stiff peaks. 
9. Whisk icing sugar and mascarpone until smooth. Fold through cream mixture. 
10. Add spoonfuls of biscuit crumb to 4-6 glasses, followed by dollops of cheesecake mixture and syrupy peaches. 
11. Repeat to fill glasses and serve with an extra drizzle of syrup. 

Chef’s tip: Refrigerate for a maximum of 1 hour before serving to prevent the biscuits from becoming soggy. 

Recipe & styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: 4 unconventional recipes with peaches