Preheat the oven to 170°C/ Fan150°C/ Gas Mark 3½

Grease the inside of the casserole with butter and line the base with a 19cm disc of non-stick baking paper. Halve the plums, discard the stones and cut the fruit into wedges. Put the pistachio nuts into the bowl of a food processor and grind coarsely. Add 50g of sugar and grind once more until really fine and the texture of ground almonds.

Beat the butter in a bowl for 1 minute until soft. Add the remaining sugar and beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in 50g of the ground pistachio nuts, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the remaining ground pistachio nuts, yoghurt, polenta, flour, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared casserole and arrange the plum wedges and strawberry halves on the top. Bake for 1½ hours or until a skewer, pushed into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. Remove from the oven, brush the surface with the warmed honey and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, for the cheesecake cream, beat the cream cheese, rose water and sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Lightly whip the cream in another bowl into soft peaks. Fold this into the cream cheese mixture with the yoghurt. Spoon into a Le Creuset Stoneware Petite Casserole and decorate with the dried rose petals, freeze-dried strawberries and/or pomegranate seeds and extra chopped pistachio nuts. Serve with the cake.

Cook's Notes

If you are not fond of the flavour of rose water in the cheesecake cream, simply add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon instead.