Stilton cheesecake with rhubarb compote

Method
Prep:1hr  ›  Cook:9hr  ›  Ready in:10hr 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4.
2. Make shortcrust base: Blend together flour and sugar with an electric mixer. Add butter and blend until mixture resembles coarse meal (it will not form a dough). Transfer to a buttered 24cm springform tin and press evenly onto bottom. Bake in middle of oven until pale golden, about 30 minutes, then cool in tin on a rack.
3. Reduce temperature to 150 C / Gas mark 2.
4. Make filling: Beat together crumbled Stilton, cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in flour and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in soured cream and vanilla, then pour filling over cooled crust in tin.
5. Bake cheesecake in middle of oven until puffed and pale golden around edge, about 1 hour. Transfer cake in tin to rack and run a knife around edge of tin to loosen. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of tin and transfer cake to a plate.
6. Make compote while cake is cooling: Boil Port, 100g sugar and peppercorns in a nonstick frying pan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, until reduced to about 125ml, 2 to 3 minutes. Add rhubarb and gently stir to coat. Simmer rhubarb, stirring gently once after 5 minutes, until just tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes, and transfer to a bowl. Chill compote, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours.
7. Make optional caramel topping: Just before serving, sprinkle tablespoons sugar evenly over cheesecake and heat with a blowtorch, moving flame back and forth just over sugar until evenly melted and caramelised.
8. Serve compote with cheesecake.

Cook's note:

Cheesecake and compote can be chilled up to 2 days before caramelising top of cheesecake and serving.