Baked Cheesecake

50g butter
225g crushed digestive biscuits

2 eggs (separated)
225g caster sugar
400g cream cheese
200g greek yoghurt
150ml double cream
tsp Vanila extract

Fruit for topping –
700g nectarines, mango, strawberries, rasberries etc – whatever you fancy on top of a cheesecake.

A 20cm (8″) round springform tin.

Make the biscuit base and line the bottom of the tin.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 100g caster sugar (1/2 the sugar) until thick and pale. Beat in the cream cheese and yoghurt and vanilla.

In a 2nd bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks and fold into the cheese mixture.

In another bowl, whisk the egg-whites until stiff. Whisk in remaining sugar and fold into the cheese mixture.

Pour the mix onto the biscuit base and bake for 50 minutes. Leave in oven to cool. (leaving in in the oven to cools allows it to cool slowly, and stops the top from cracking.

Turn out and decorate with fruit.


Black current & mint Sorbet

200g golden caster sugar
200ml water
2-3 sprigs of mint
750g black currents
juice of 2 lemons
shot of vodka, (to keep soft serve)

Boil the sugar and water to make a simple syrup.

Add the blackcurrants to the syrup and boil for a couple of minutes until until the fruit is soft, and berries broken. Add mint leaves once off the heat and steep for 10 mins. (remove mint).

Strain into a bowl through a sieve , rubbing through as much of the pulp as you can, leaving the skins and seeds. Stir in the lemon juice and cool. Add the vodka. Freeze in an ice-cream machine

Goes really nicely with a meringue and a dollop of vanilla icecream!

Bread Pudding

225g (8oz) Stale Bread
110g (4oz) Currants, Raisins or Sultanas
50g (2oz) Brown Sugar
50g (2oz) Butter
½ tsp Mixed Spice
1 Egg
Milk

Pre-heat oven to 170°C: 325°F: Gas 3
Break bread into small pieces; soak in cold water at least 1 hour
Strain and squeeze out as dry as possible.
Place into a basin and mash with a fork.
Add the dried fruit, sugar, mixed peel and mixed spice, mixing well.
Add the egg and enough milk to enable the mixture to drop easily from a spoon.
Place into a greased baking tin.
Bake for about an hour or until slightly firm to the touch.
When done turn out on to a hot dish.
Turn out dredge with sugar and serve hot with custard, or allow to cool.

Chocolate Chestnut Terrine

Every year my Mum makes one of these. It’s incredibly rich, and guarded by my Dad through Christmas. It’s not offered to everyone!

One thin slice will go great with a little cream for a desert. It can be prepared days ahead, and lasts well.

1 tin unsweetened chestnut purée
6oz unsalted butter
6 oz caster sugar
10oz plain chocolate
1 orange
2 tblspn grand marnier
9″x4″ bread tin (lined)

beat pure till light and soft
beat butter to a soft cream then add sugar and beat again.
gradually beat melted chocolate with everything
fine grate the orange peel into the mix, along with the orange’s juice
add grand marnier
put into a lined tin and allow to set in the fridge over night

Chocolate Fondants

Chocolate Fondants
03 March 2007

Serves 4
Preparation time 1-2 hours
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
 
For the fondant
175g/6oz dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa solids)
110g/4oz softened butter
40g/1½oz ground almonds
2 large free-range eggs, separated
40g/1½oz cornflour
90g/3½oz caster sugar
4 good quality dark chocolate truffles
cocoa powder, for dusting
 
For the fondant, preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
8. Grate 40g/1½oz of the dark chocolate into a bowl and set aside.
9. Melt half of the butter and brush liberally around the inside of four ramekins. Dust the ramekins well with the grated chocolate, shaking out any excess, then place onto a baking sheet and set aside.
10. Place the remaining chocolate, including any shaken out excess, and the remaining butter into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water to melt.
11. Add the ground almonds, egg yolks and cornflour to the melted chocolate and stir well.
12. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.
13. Gradually add the caster sugar, whisking constantly.
14. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the melted chocolate mixture, taking care to retain volume in the whites.
15. Spoon half the chocolate and egg mixture into the base of each prepared ramekin. Place a chocolate truffle on top, then fill each ramekin with the remaining mixture.
16. Smooth the tops of the fondants with a palette knife, then transfer to the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes, until risen (the surface should be slightly wobbly), then remove from the oven and serve immediately.
 
Pasted from < HYPERLINK “http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/lavenderandwhitechoc_85602.shtml” http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/lavenderandwhitechoc_85602.shtml>
 
 
 

Chocolate Roulade

serves 6-8

6oz plain chocolate
5 eggs
6.5 oz caster sugar
1/4pt double or whipping cream
1/4tsp vanilla essence
Icing sugar for dusting

oil and line a 13″x 9″ swiss roll tin. oil and flour wax paper or teflon sheet.

Break up chocolate and melt in a bain marie. Separate the eggs. Add the yolks to 6oz sugar (hold back 1/2oz) and whisk till light and thickened. Add 2 tbl of hot water into the chocolate and beat into the egg yolk mixture.

in another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold whites and chocolate together – carefully, don’t over mix and flatten the mix!

Tip the mix onto the lined tin, and gently drag out to flat, filling the edges. Cook for 15 mins at 180°c (less for fan). remove from the oven, but leave in the tin. cover with waxed paper and a damp t-towel on top – stops a crust forming. Leave it overnight, or at least 5 hrs.

Whip the cream with vanilla essence and a spoon of icing sugar if preferred.

Sprinkle a clean fresh waxed sheet with the remaining sugar. Put the cake on the sugared paper and gently peel the first paper from the bottom (now top) of the roulade. Spread with the whipped cream and roll up, using the sugared paper to help hold it together.

Chill & serve.

Glengarry Flan

I found this recipe in an old 1930’s cookbook, and thought this is one to rescue.

Line a shallow pie plate (7 1/2 inches across) with sweet flan pastry. Filling:

 4 oz soft brown sugar
1 1/2 level tblspn cornflour
4 tblspn cold water
1/4 pint milk
2oz butter/marg
1 egg, separated
1/2 vanilla essence
1 1/2 caster sugar
mix brown sugar and cornflour in the water.
heat milk and butter, but do not boil. pour over the corn flour and sugar mix, and return to the pam. stir on a heat till thickened. Add the egg yolk and vanilla essence (careful not to curdle the egg as it adds to the hot mix). Pour into the pastry case. Bake for 30 mins at gams 6/ 400f. Remove and turn the oven down to 300f/ gasm2.
whisk the egg white stiffly and fold in the castor sugar. pipe the meringue mix in lines across the flan. bake till meringue is golden – c15 mins.