The last strawberries this season

India has a strange strawberry season. They red berries come into the market end of January, just when winter has started to ebb into spring. And by mid-March, even before summer sets in, they are all gone. I have been doing a lot of strawberry eating past few weeks but I wanted to keep this cheesecake, a recipe I spotted in a magazine a few months back, for last.

Then, for a week, there were no strawberries to be seen and I thought I'd waited too long. That I'd have to wait another year to make this one. But then, this one last box made a miraculous appearance and here it is - the grand finale of strawberry season.

The magazine I picked the recipe from had a full scale 9" springform pan in mind. But I have it here adapted to my mini 3" tart tin. You start with the biscuit base. Break 4 digestive biscuits into 3-4 pieces each. Drop in a plastic bag and use your rolling pin to turn them into crumbs. Heat 30 grams butter in a microwave until just melted and pour on the crumbs. Mix well, then spread in the tart tin to make your biscuit base. Put this in the fridge for at least an hour to harden. At the same time, take out 80 grams of cream cheese to soften.

After an hour, mix the cream cheese with 30 grams caster sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla essence. Whisk until well blended. Add 2 tbsp heavy cream and keep beating until it is smooth. Spread on the biscuit base, making it as even as you can and leave to set it the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Once the cheesecake has set, unmould and pile halved strawberries in the centre. Puree 4-5 strawberries with a tsp of sugar and pour on the cake. Then go find friends to share this last berry bounty of the season.