Orange Cheesecake

I was feeling like cooking yesterday but I didn't know exactly what it was that I wanted to do. When my heart's not in it, anything I make is a good as useless. 

I poured through some of my favourite cookbooks and my mum's too but didn't find anything that made me jump to the cupboard and start measuring flour. 

I looked around the kitchen, my eyes resting on the fruit basket laden with a thousand oranges and a few grapefruit that we're forbidden to eat. Oranges it was then. 

I looked at chocolate orange cakes, orange trifle, orange and cranberry muffins - everything with that word in it but I found nothing. So I resolved to make it up as I go along. 

I grabbed a grater from the drawer and pulled thin ribbons of orange peel off and into a bowl. With the juicer in hand, I squeezed 2 oranges dry then scoured the fridge for what else I could add to this concoction. 

I was adamant that what ever I made was heading straight into the bin but after pouring icing sugar, Philadelphia, whipped cream and gelatin in the bowl, I had a cheesecake filling. I made a base for the dessert (crunching digestives with melted butter) and left it in a loose-bottomed tin over night. 

And this is what I got ... 

A very thin, but otherwise perfectly formed, orange cheesecake complete with a rose design made out of orange peel. 

Whether it tastes any good is still a thought that hangs in the air but nevertheless, if it doesn't taste that good at least it will have been nice to look at! 

Fruit Flan

What I love love love about any summer pudding or dessert at brunch is the BEAUtiful array of fruits in store. Nothing says summer like ripe fruits stacked on a light cake or in a sweet pastry that can be enjoyed with cream in the garden. I love it! I've just made this flan and (call it geeky or weird) I can't help but feel warm inside when I look at this flan :D

SUPER SIMPLE Granola Pots

So what with our healthy diet, I've been experimenting with low fat and low cholesterol foods - a novelty. I've always been fairly conscious of what I eat in recent years after stopping 5 day-a-week swimming training in year 11. However, as summer kicks in, I've a new-found drive to eat healthy food that's both filling and quick. This is definitely a breakfast, snack or dessert that ticks all of those boxes for me.

Granola Pots:

Ingredients:
A handful of blueberries
A handful of red grapes
A handful of raspberries
30g sultanas
4 dessert spoons of 'fat-free'/ low fat or skimmed natural yogurt
2 dessert spoons of rolled oats (porridge)

Method:
1. Wash your fruit
2. Place at the bottom of a tall glass
3. Spoon over the yogurt
4. Sprinkle the oats on top

As you can probably gather, this is a very basic recipe but you can always change any of the fruits for whatever you want; perhaps try dried apricots and bananas or strawberries and kiwi. You can, if the rolled oats aren't your thing, crumble a granola bar on top of the yogurt, toast your oats for 2 mins before placing atop or use a breakfast cereal such as cornflakes or a 'Jordan's' variety to pack in that crunch.

The end result should look something like this - I haven't made this; the image is purely for exemplification purposes (www.realfood.tesco.com)

Round-Up

Although I HAVE actually been baking recently, it's been a while since I posted anything. So, I just wanted to give a brief round-up of what's been baking in my house recently and, perhaps, inspire you to get baking this summer.

Flatbreads

These flatbreads were INCREDIBLY simple to make and very soft. The yield made 7 which we ate with a Hungarian Goulash as a substitution for rice so I made another 10 which I froze for easy use whenever. Whether from frozen or fresh these are such a fulfilling treat.

Spinach and Olive Bread

This bread was somewhat of my own creation, taken from an olive bread I found in the Italian cookbook. What made me decide to put Spinach in it, I seriously don't know but was quite a complimentary ingredient.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche 

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

These Mushroom and Spinach quiches were taken form my favourite recipe book - an old book from the Women's Institute full of real good food from the late 1960s as well as many English classics.

Stay tuned for recipes on simple granola pots and cheese and mushroom risotto. 

Pasta and Meatballs - A Student Meal

I made this one Tuesday night for my family. It's really simple but incredibly tasty and not too tight in the pocket :D - an added bonus!!

Almost ready to be served :D

It's really not that hard. To serve 5, you'll need;

• an onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 x packets of pre-formed meatballs (each containing 16 meatballs)
• one jar of tomato sauce
• tbsp tomato puree 
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• 500g pasta
• pinch of salt 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a wok
2. Dice the onion and add to the pan
3. Fry until brown and then thinly slice the garlic cloves and add
4. Boil a full kettle of water 
5. Empty the pasta in a deep empty pan
6. Once the kettle has boiled, pour over the water until just covered and another tbsp of oil to it
7. leave to boil on a meduim heat
8. Meanwhile, put the meatballs into the onions and garlic and fry until completely browned and golden in some parts

The partially cooked meatball

9. Once cooked, mix with the tomato puree and then the sauce

10. Bring to the boil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper

11. Take the pasta off the heat and add a pinch of salt

12. Finely, cut the basil leaves and place in the meatball sauce

drain the pasta and serve

13. Turn off the meatballs and pour over the top

14. Serve

The good thing about this meal is that the meatballs stay lovely and moist and the sauce is very thick. Also, because the balls are beef, you should need to worry about them being cooked all the way through to avoid food poisoning as you do with chicken.   

BBQ Birthday

I turned 18 on the 8th of April this year and never got round to having a party because I was busy (celebrating with my family, doing revision and heading to a metallica concert!) But I finally got round to holding a pool party with many of my closest friends.
I made a couple of things to eat because everyone loves a BBQ with LOADS of food (especially me because I love left overs - though, 3 days later, I am a bit sick of eating couscous and kebabs).



I made;

• roasted vegetable couscous
• vegetable rice
• tomato and mozzarella pasta salad
• lettuce salad
• potato salad
• vegetable skewers (aubergine, courgette - yellow and green - mushrooms and peppers)
• strawberry pavlova
• mascapone cheesecake
• lemon and blackcurrant Victoria sponge 
• trifle (made by my mum)

Strawberry Pavlova;
(serves 8)
Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees C. Whisk 3 egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually, tablespoon by tablespoon, whisk in 175g caster sugar, beating well after each addition. Separately, combine a teaspoon of cornflour with a teaspoon of vinegar. Add this to the egg white mixture. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and spread 2 tablespoons of the mixture into an even circle in the middle. Dollop consecutive tablespoons around the edge until the circle is complete. Turn the oven temperature down to 140 degrees and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Whip 300ml cream and dollop all in the middle. Decorate with strawberry halves and serve.

Vegetable Rice;
(serves 6)
Steam 500g basmati rice in boiling water in a pan over the hob for 10 mins (with the lid of the pan on). Remove the lid and pour in 200g frozen chooped vegetables and return to steam for 5 mins. Serve.

(For left-overs my mum made egg fried rice with this;
Pour the rice into a warm frying pan. Crack an egg or two - depending on amount of rice - into the middle and stir until the egg is cooked and mixed into the rice. Serve)

Vegetable Couscous;
(Serves 6)
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Dice 1/2 a large aubergine, 1 orange bell pepper and 1 red pepper. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a baking dish and then pour in the cut vegetables. Bake for 20 minutes until the vegetable look slightly shriveled and roasted. Then pour enough boiling water to just cover 250g couscous in a pan. Wait for 10 minutes until the couscous is fluffy without putting the pan on the heat and then season with salt. Stir in the mixed veg with their oil and juices and serve.


I'll be doing a student dinners section very soon, teaching all the Uni students how to cook quick and delicious 'mummy' meals. Stay tuned :D

Lemon Drizzle

I was very lucky this Christmas to receive Paul Holloywood's 'How to Bake' recipe book. It features some wonderful recipes including this; which is named Mr's Post's Lemon Drizzle Cake. I made it today and it was an absolute treat and very light and fluffy. I found it best to do this recipe solely with a wooden spoon.

Makes 9 squares
Ingredients:
Cake:
75g butter
125g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon curd
2 1/2 tbsp full-fat milk

Drizzle:
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

1. Beat butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy
2. Add all the other ingredients (for the cake) and beat until thoroughly combined
3. Pour the mixture into a medium square baking tray
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden
5. As soon as the cake is taken out of the oven, mix the lemon juice and sugar (for the drizzle) in a small saucepan until just boiling (with small bubbles forming on the edges) and the sugar is dissolved
6. Pour evenly over the hot cake and allow to completely cool
7. When cool, cut into 9 squares
8. If you want, dust with icing sugar

Almond Shortbread

These shortbread biscuits are made at the suggestion of my good friend Danielle (www.greyeyesblueskies.blogspot.com) and were great to celebrate the end of my Jan exams! :D These were delicious but just needed a tad more sugar to the original recipe (which I have now added). I hope you enjoy their melt-in-the-mouth texture as much as I did!

Makes 15
Ingredients:
150g plain flour
150g butter
75g cornflour
100g caster sugar
1 tsp almond essence
handful of flaked almonds

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees

1. Either in a food processor or with a wooden spoon, combine the flour, butter, cornflour, caster sugar and almond essence until it forms a strong dough (about 3 mins)
2. Place into a lined medium square baking tray and flatten to fill out the tray
3. Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly on top and prick the shortbread all over with a fork
4. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and firm
5. Leave until lukewarm and them cut out 15 pieces leaving in the tin
6. When completely cool removed and store

Mary Berry's Apple Cobbler

This recipe is the best Mary Berry recipe I've ever made and is remarkably easy as well as sweet. With such a recipe at your hands, it is no doubt that you will be viewed as a professional chef in no time! (Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture for this recipe)

Serves 5
Ingredients:
Filling;
200g raw brown sugar
45g plain flour
30g butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 large cooking apples

Cobble dough;
150g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
45g butter
175ml milk

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

1. Measure out brown sugar and flour (for the filling) into a small saucepan with 250ml water
2. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and continuously stir
3. When thickened remove from the heat
4. Immediately stir in the butter, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg (for the filling) until melted and thoroughly combined
5. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples
6. Arrange into a medium sized round baking dish
7. Pour the sauce over the apples
8. Now begin the dough; combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl
9. Rub in the butter with fingertips until loosely combined (not thin like breadcrumbs)
10. Add the milk and mix loosely so as the mix is still lumpy
11. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture over the apples but not in a way that the entire bowl is covered in the dough
12. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden
13. Serve immediately with cream/ ice cream

Juicy Teabread

This is a very quick, store-cupboard fruit loaf (or teabread) that is a perfect uni recipe or alternatively a lazy Saturday one (or Sunday if you're not in the middle-east). I've made this before and I find it so tasty so I wanted to share it with you.

Juicy Teabread
Ingredients:
Soaked fruit (150g raisins, 150g dried apricots and 50g glace cherries soaked for 30 mins in 150ml boiling water)
75g brown sugar
1 egg
175g self-raising flour

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C

1. Grease and line a loaf tin
2. Add the sugar and egg to the soaked fruit, folding in with a spoon
3. Sift in the flour into the same bowl and fold in until completely combined
4. Place in the oven for 50 minutes checking that the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer and ensuring that it comes out clean 
5. After 10 minutes, turn out the cake onto a wire rack to cool

Banana Bread; a twist

Banana bread is one of the most crucial recipes that anyone should learn but it super delicious and  moist. It is perfect as a warm pudding or taken in slices for packed lunches - like I had today :) This is my twist on the recipe which incorporates bananas, walnuts and coffee and finishes off with a toffee sauce. This is by far my favourite way to get rid of those over-ripe bananas without them going to waste.

Laura's Banana Bread

Ingredients:

3 large over-ripe bananas (mashed)

250g caster sugar

125g unsalted butter

2 eggs

'coffee concentrate' (2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved in 50ml boiling water)

260g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 handfuls of walnuts

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup cream

1/3 cup butter

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C

1. Line and grease a loaf tin with grease-proof paper
2. Whisk together the bananas and sugar for a good 4 minutes until smooth
3. Now beat in the butter until the mixture is, once again, smooth
4. Beat in the eggs, once at a time and then mix with 2 tablespoons of the coffee 'concentrate'
5. Now sift in the flour and baking powder and FOLD in with a wooden spoon
6. Fold in the walnuts pieces and the spread into the loaf tin
7. Bake for 45 minutes (This mixture tends to be quite wet so insert a skewer or fork from the top to the base of the cake to ensure it is fully cooked through - the skewer should come out of the cake clean)
8. Remove from the tin and leave to cool
9. Once cool, combine the brown sugar, butter and cream in a saucepan and constantly stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved
10. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture until thickened the pour directly over banana bread

Chocolate Yule Log

Glad Tidings! As Christmas is ever approaching - only 3 days to go :) - my search for culinary dishes more complex in taste AND decoration is beginning to hasten. Today, I decided to try Mary Berry's Chocolate Yule Log after searching on the internet and the result pool returning dry. In comfort, I turned to BBC iPlayer and found a Christmas episode of the Great British Bake Off. The chocolate log by Mary Berry looked absolutely delicious and rich so, with skepticism, I gave it a try. The part of the recipe I was most apprehensive about was making a cake that was thin enough to be rolled and then having to roll it without it cracking. Safe to say, this part was a great success and the entire cake turned out far far better than expected. You should be in complete comfort for this recipe as if I can do it, so can you. All that is required is a relaxed and focused mind, gentleness and slow working.

Chocolate Yule Log
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
100g caster sugar
65g self-raising flour
40g cocoa powder
icing sugar to dust

300ml double cream

300ml double cream
300g dark chocolate
OR 
Betty Crocker 'Rich & Creamy' Chocolate Frosting

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C

1. Grease and line a swiss roll tin (a metal cooking tin that it large so the mixture will spread very thinly)
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and slightly thicker (It should resemble a loose meringue mixture) 
3. Sift in the self-raising flour with the cocoa powder into the egg mixture and gently fold in, careful not to knock out the air of the mix
4. Spread thinly into the tin, ensuring that the mixture reaches the sides and bake for 8-10 mins (I found that mine was fine with only 8 mins)
5. Meanwhile, cut a piece of greaseproof paper that is larger than your tin that is now in the oven and dust liberally with icing sugar
6. Insert a skewer into the mixture once removed from the oven to check that it is cooked (it should come out clean without any sticky residue)
7. Quickly yet carefully, turn out the cake onto the parchment dusted with icing sugar and peel off the backing
8. Now, score a line about 2.5cm in, on the long side of the cake and roll tightly from this end, rolling the greaseproof paper inside of the cake (The scoring ensures that the cake will roll tightly and therefore won't unbind whilst cooling)
9. Leave to cool completely
10. Whisk 300ml of double cream until stiff
11. Once the cake is cooled, gently unwrap and spread the cream evenly inside
12. The re-roll without including the greaseproof paper
13. Roughly, cut about one third of the log at an angle and attach to the side of the longer end so that it resembles a thick branch (Place this on a serving dish)
14. Now make the ganache that will coat the log by heating 300ml of cream until scalding then removing from the heat
15. Add the chocolate broken into squares and stir continuously until melted
16. Place in a piping bag with star nozzle and pipe long verticle lines atop of the cake until completely covered 
17. To finish, sprinkle icing sugar over the top to create a snowy effect

(A Cheat's) Mince Pies

Father Christmas is on his way so what better way to greet him than with some warm, melt-in-the-mouth mince pies. Although I'm usually all for good honest, home-made food (quite a Jamie Oliver - I know :P) I just had to cheat with this one. For me, mince pies are and have always been the epitome of Christmas, if we exclude the GORGEOUS stuffed salmon parcels my parents make on Christmas day. I'm not quite sure why it is that I idolize these scrumptious pastries so much but I do think that the key to a good mince pie lies within the juiciness of the mincemeat and that perfect pastry that dissolves like candyfloss on the tongue.

A Cheat's Mince Pies
Ingredients:
Butter (for greasing)
1 Pack of shortcrust pastry (pre-cut into squares)
1 Jar of good quality mincemeat (e.g. Robertsons)

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C

1. Liberally, grease the inside of a yorkshire pudding tin with butter
2. Lay each individual sheet of shortcrust pastry out on a greased surface
3. Cut out a circle in the middle of the pastry with a circle biscuit cutter and place in one of the yorkshire pudding holes
4. DO NOT DISCARD THE EXCESS PASTRY, leave it to one side 
5. Continue steps 3 and 4 until you have cut 12 circles
6. Place in the oven for 5 minutes 
7. Meanwhile, on a greased surface, roll the excess pastry into a ball
8. Roll out thinly and evenly with a rolling pin and cut from it 12 stars that will partially cover the top of the mince pies
9. When cooked, remove the pie cases from the oven, leaving it on
10. Spoon about 1 tsp of mincemeat into each case and top with a star
11. Place back into the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling
12. Remove from oven and leave to cool before removing from the tin

If you fancy a proper HOME-MADE mince pie recipe please visit:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1813664/mince-pies

Christmas Cupcakes

So, yesterday was the last day of term 1 and now we're off for the Christmas break - I'M SOOOO EXCITED!! But just because we were breaking up, it didn't stop me cracking a few eggs and getting in the Christmas cooking spirit; I made 24 cupcakes for my friends and classmates complete with a variety of winter decorations.