STILTON CHEESECAKE WITH RHUBARB COMPOTE

Steps:

• Make shortbread crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 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 24-centimeter springform pan and press evenly onto bottom. Bake in middle of oven until pale golden, about 30 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack.
• Reduce temperature to 300°F.
• 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 sour cream and vanilla, then pour filling over cooled crust in pan.
• Bake cheesecake in middle of oven until puffed and pale golden around edge, about 1‚ hours. Transfer cake in pan to rack and run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate.
• Make compote while cake is cooling:
• Boil Port, 1/2 cup sugar, and peppercorns in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, stirring until sugar is dissolved, until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 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.
• 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 caramelized.