New York cheesecake with strawberry-mint purée

This is my favourite version of cheesecake, and probably the best proof that sometimes there is nothing left to improve. It is creamy and denser than a traditional Polish cheesecake, has a very dark base of black biscuits, and the fresh strawberry, mint and honey purée cuts through the richness beautifully.

This cheesecake has also been thoroughly battle-tested: for years it has appeared at every company Christmas gathering and almost always disappears. That is perhaps the best recommendation a dessert can get: both cheesecake lovers and people who are usually sceptical of it enjoy this one.

I leave the purée completely fresh, without cooking. The strawberries should taste of strawberries, the mint should simply lighten things up, and the honey should gently round off the acidity. That keeps the whole dessert from becoming too heavy.