My Black Forest Cheese Cake

I was delighted to come across fresh American cherries in the super market the other day that I just had to make a Black Forest inspired cheese cake. This is an ice-cream like cake and will be great for the summer months. That said, who said we can't have ice-cream in winter! Here is the recipe, serves 6.

You will need to begin this recipe two days prior to serving.

Two days prior to serving - what you need to do

Prepare brandy confit cherries

500g-600g fresh cherries (pitted)
1 cup brandy
2 tablespoon caster sugar

1. Bring the brandy and sugar to a low simmer until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add fresh cherries and confit on low heat, stirring occasionally until brandy confit thickens to a coolie consistency.
3. Set aside to cool and store in container in the refrigerator until required.

Prepare chocolate base for cheese cake

1 packet of chocolate biscuits (for this recipe I made my own)
50g unsalted butter (melted)

1. In a zip lock bag, crush chocolate biscuits and pour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add melted butter and stir to thoroughly combine.
3. In a spring form pan (or a round tart pan), press buttered biscuit crumbs into the pan to form the pastry base.
4. Refrigerate in the freezer until over night.

One day prior serving - what you need

250g cream cheese at room temperature (I used Philly cream cheese)
300ml light cream (You can use full cream if you like)
110g caster sugar
Juice of one lemon
4-5 tablespoon of kirsh

1. In a mixing bowl, beat cheese and sugar until sugar has dissolved and mixture is pale and thick.
2. Add lemon juice, and beat for 1 minute. Add cream and beat for 3-4 minutes or until mixture is double the volume (remembering not to over beat cream to avoid curdling).
3. Remove prepared biscuit base from the freezer, brush biscuit base with kirsh.
4. Pour cream cheese mixture onto biscuit base, spreading the mixture to the edges of the pan.
5. Arrange confit cherries onto cream cheese and pour confit liquid covering the cheese cake to finish.
6. Refrigerate in freezer overnight.

Enjoy!

Black Sesame Seed Financiers

My path crossed with the financier at Wallis and Ed, it was a pistachio financier that stole my heart. Luck has it that I already had this recipe on hand - in two books; Stephanie Alexander's "A Cook's Companion" and Le Gordon Bleu's "Chocolate Bible". With the two formidable institution of food behind me, this is my asian inspired version of the delectable financier.

Makes about three dozen, you will need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

What you need:

190g unsalted butter

75g plain flour

1 cup caster sugar

160g ground black sesame seeds (or toast whole seeds over medium heat and ground in mortar & pestal)

6 egg whites

How:

Day before

1. Sieve ground black sesame seeds and plain flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
3. Melt the 170g butter in a saucepan over medium heat until milk solids separates and stick to the bottom of the pan. The beurre noissette ("Brown butter") is ready when you are able to smell the nuttiness of the separate milk solids. Strain butter and set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, mix ground black sesame seeds, plain flour and caster sugar until combined. Add egg whites and beat at medium speed until increase in volume. Add beurre noisette in a steady stream gradually into the while batter continues to mix. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day

1. Preheat oven to 150 degree celsius.
2. Line mini cup cake moulds with melted butter and dust with plain flour to prevent batter from sticking to the mould.
3. Fill each mould with one tablespoon of batter.
4. Bake for 15 minutes- cake tester should come out clean.

Bon appetit!

Kathrin's Daisy Cupcakes

Inside pink boxes held together by a pretty pink satin bow were Kathrin's daisy cupcakes - home designed and made with love, they were moist vanilla cupcakes topped with fresh lemon mascapone buttercream icing. A field of hand made pink and baby blue daisies decorated these cakes to tie the whole theme together.

Happy Birthday Kathrin!

Strawberries, Cream and everything nice

If you have been to England, you would have had strawberries and clotted cream with home made scones at some point of your journey through the picturesque country of rolling hills and cottages. Strawberries and cream is a match made in heaven. Inspired by the flavours of sweet strawberries and a recipe for buttermilk pancakes by Matt (Matt Moran that is, from his book "When I get home"), I made pikelets dressed with a strawberry coulis and a cornel of mascarpone cheese for our breakfast table this morning. Serves 2 or makes about 10 pikelets. The same pikelet recipe can be used to make bellinis.

What you need:

For pillowy soft pikelets

3/4 cup plain flour (sifted)

2 eggs separated

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoon walnut oil

For strawberry coulis

1 punnet fresh strawberries (quartered)

2 cups water

1 cup caster sugar

How:

To make pillowy soft pikelets

1. Whisk egg yolks until thick and slightly pale. Add milk and walnut oil, whisk to combine. Add sifted flour and baking powder and whisk to combine. Set aside.

2. Once coulis is cooked, in a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks are form. Promptly fold into egg mixture. 

3. Heat non-stick pan on medium heat, spoon one ladle of the mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

To make coulis

1. Add all ingredients into a pot and simmer over medium heat to cook and thicken mixture. Set aside.

To assemble:

1. Stack pikelets and spoon coulis over. Add a cornel of mascapone cheese. For sweet tooths, whisk mascapone cheese with 1 cup of icing sugar prior to serving.

Bon apetit!

Simple Essentials Chocolate by Donna Hay

My dad has always said to me, it is always good to have the capacity to give than to take. I never really fully appreciate that mantra until of late, guess this comes with age. Going through my library of cookbooks, I thought there would be no better book to start my Book Junkies and Delectable series with none other than the Simple Essentials Chocolate by cookbook queen Donna Hay. First published in 2007, this book is 93 pages of chocolate goodness. I like that Donna explains the different types of chocolate that we can use for cooking from couvertures to bits as well as cooking methods (including tempering). Recipes that I have successfully made recently and thoroughly enjoyed is her double chocolate cupcakes (page 50) and layered chocolate cake for my husband's birthday (page 64). Will I cook from this book again? Yes! The proof is in the chocolate cake crumb left on page 64 of this book and the solo piece of layered chocolate cake remaining.

Book Junkies Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

My "A little bit fancy" summer triffle

I was inspired by Maggie Beer's peaches poached in verjuice (which is absolutely delicious by the way) and a bottle of Agrum sitting in my pantry. Plus, I am also a sucker for cold fruit jelly on a hot summer day. Here is how you can recreate this fabulous summer dessert in your own home.

Serves as many people as you have cups at home just increase the recipe proportions accordingly. Takes you approximately 30 minutes to cook and assemble 2 (in 250ml coffee cups) serves. Jelly is best made the day before to set in the fridge overnight.

What you need & how (cooking)

Agrum jelly
Note: If Agrum is not readily available, you can also use store bought orange juice or lemonade.

2 gelatine leaves
100ml hot water
100ml Agrum

Soak and dissolve one gelatine leave in each coffee cup (250ml) in 50 ml of hot water. Stir to incorporate gelatine in hot water until completely dissolved. Add 50ml Agrum in each cup. Set in fridge over night.

Poached fruits
Note: I used apricots and white peaches. If these are not readily available, you can also use pears.

4 apricots (stone removed and fruit halved)
2 white peaches (stone removed and fruit halved)
5-8 tablespoon of caster sugar
2 cups water

Bring water and sugar to the boil. Add cut fruits and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Roasted nuts

50 g mixed nuts

Roast mixed nuts in the oven (preheated to 150 degree celcious) for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool before roughly pounding into small bits a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

What you need & how (assembly)

1. Scoop 2 tablespoon (each) full of vanilla ice-cream into jelly filled coffee cups.
2. Add poached fruits and sprinkle with roughly pounded nuts.