So, you've made your pavlovas (meringues with yoghurt/cream and fresh berries) and now have a few egg yolks in the fridge just waiting to be used. My fridge always seems to have a jar of leftover egg yolks or egg whites as I am constantly experimenting in the kitchen. One recipe calls for egg whites – the other calls for egg yolks; it's the prefect yin to the Pigtailed Baker's yang!

As a true cheesecake aficionado (some might even call me a cheesecake snob), I am constantly striving to perfect perfection. (Although, you really can't go wrong with a cheesecake – or rather, you shouldn't!) I've sampled plenty and they usually have something special to offer. (The Swedish version is simple, less sweet, rather "curdy" and quite lovely.) Simple is the key to a great cheesecake - the ingredients may vary - but the basics are the same. Creamy cheese (cream cheese, mascarpone, quark). Eggs. Sugar. Vanilla. You can also add cottage cheese, yoghurt or sour cream or spice it up with liqueurs, throw in some fruit and/or citrus or even a good veggie (pumpkin or sweet potato) – but the basics are the basis of a sublime cheesecake.

My Key Lime Cheesecake recipe is a combination of different recipes and a few "leftovers". Enjoy!

Ingredients:

20 butter cookies (Scottish shortbread or Lorna Doones), crushed finely in a food processor

4 TBS unsalted butter, melted

2 packages (16 oz/450 g) Philadelphia Cream Cheese (I used one and a half packages as that's what I found in the fridge –worked great!)

1 cup Key Lime juice (works with regular limes as well)

2 TBS lime zest

4 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 can (14 oz/387 g) of sweetened condensed milk

2 cups (5 dl) sour cream or creme fraiche

3 TBS. granulated sugar

2 TBS. lime zest

Optional: candied lime slices

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a spring form pan, combine the finely crushed cookies and melted butter. Pat down with your fingers and make a thin crust that covers the bottom of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes and let cool.

Zest and juice the limes. You'll need 4 TBS of zest. I used a garlic press and juiced a whole pound (roughly half a kilo) key limes which yielded over 2 cups of juice. Lovely! I now have some in the fridge for my next culinary experiment.

Whip the cream cheese with an electric beater until fluffy. Add 2 TBS. lime zest and 1 cup lime juice.

Add the vanilla and condensed milk and whip for a couple of minutes.

With the beater on medium speed, add the egg yolks one at a time and mix until combined.

Pour the batter on the cooled crust and bake for 30 - 40 minutes. The cake will be jiggly but will set after cooling. Let cool for 30 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl, combine sour cream, 2 TBS. lime zest and 3 TBS sugar. Pour on top of the cooled cheesecake and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Decorate with candied lime slices.

Recipe for lime slices:

Blanch 10-20 lime slices in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain.

Bring one cup of sugar and one cup of water to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer.

Toss in the lime slices and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Cool on parchment paper for an hour and then dip the slices in granulated sugar.

Leftover candied lime slices can be frozen and used for later. Or you can just eat them! They're so good!