Crowdie cheesecake with bramble

Method

Prepare three individual 8cm ring moulds on parchment-lined baking trays. For the tuile, mix oats, melted butter, golden syrup and fleur de sel; press thinly onto a separate tray and bake at 160°C for 12-14 minutes until golden and crisp, then cool and break into shards. For the crowdie base, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks; in another bowl, cream crowdie and mascarpone with caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth, then gently fold in egg yolks followed by egg whites in two additions until just combined and no streaks remain. Divide equally among the moulds, smooth the surface, and bake at 150°C for 18-20 minutes until just set with a slight tremor in the centre. Cool completely, then chill for at least 2 hours. For the bramble compote, place berries with demerara sugar and water in a saucepan; simmer gently for 8-10 minutes until the fruit breaks down and syrup thickens slightly, then pass through a fine sieve to remove seeds and cool. To serve, carefully remove the moulds and place each cheesecake on a plate, spoon the cooled bramble compote around the base, and garnish with oat tuile shards and a small quenelle of crème fraîche or yoghurt.