Apple Crumble Cheesecake Slice

250g plain or gingernut biscuits

125g butter, melted

500g philly cheese, softened

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup cream

1 teaspoon mixed spice

5 (500g) apples, 3 peeled and finely chopped, 2 sliced

1 cup rolled oats

¼ cup plain flour

¼ cup brown sugar

50g butter, chilled, chopped

Line base of 30 x 20cm pan with baking paper. This makes the cheesecake easy to remove.

Process biscuits until coarse crumbs, add melted butter, and process again until finer. Press into the base of lined pan.

Beat the Philly, caster sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until just smooth.

Beat in the eggs then stir through the cream and mixed spice.

Fold through the chopped apple then pour onto the prepared base. Arrange sliced apple over the top.

Place oats, flour, and sugar in a bowl. Rub in butter until combined. Sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 180 for 30 to 40 minutes or until just set (cheesecake will wobble a little

in centre). Turn off oven. Cool cheesecake in oven for 3 hours with door ajar. Refrigerate thoroughly.
Cut into squares and sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.

Coffee Toffee adapted from Smitten Kitten (in metric)

I think it might be nice to try 1 cup slivered almonds stirred into the toffee just after it's reached it's maximum temperature.
250g butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons molasses (can swap corn syrup or honey)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
170g or 1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (toasted, skinned and cooled) or another nut of your choice

Line a small baking sheet (mine are 9×13, to fit in my puny oven) with parchment paper or a silicon mat and set aside.
Melt butter, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, salt and espresso together. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk (one that reaches into the corners is especially helpful here) until the temperature approaches 120C at which point you should stir constantly until it reaches 148C.
Pour immediately into the prepared baking sheet — you can spread it more evenly with a offset or silicon spatula but don’t worry if you have neither.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee and let them sit for a minute until soft, then spread the chocolate evenly over the candy base.
Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped hazelnuts and then, if you’re as impatient as we are, you can slide the sheet onto a cooling rack in the freezer until the toffee is set.
Break into pieces and store in an airtight container. If you’re kitchen is warm, you might prefer to keep it in the fridge so the chocolate doesn’t get soft.

Japanese Cheesecake

500 g  (16oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

60 g (6 Tbsp.) caster sugar

60 g (4 Tbsp) butter, at room temperature

6 large egg yolks, at room temperature

200 ml cream, at room temperature

10 ml (2 tsp.) lemon juice

80 g (2/3 cup) plain flour

For Meringue

6 egg whites, refrigerated

100g (10 Tbsp.) caster sugar

If the ingredients aren’t at room temperature,
place them in the microwave on defrost for a short while.

Preheat oven to 160C (320F) degrees.

Line the base and sides of a 23 cm (9”) cake tin.    

Beat the egg whites on medium low speed (speed 4) till opaque and foamy and bubbly. Then add ⅓ of the sugar at a time as the mixer runs, continuing to beat for 10 seconds after each addition. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to high (speed 10) and beat for approximately 4 minutes, until the meringue has doubled in volume and is thick and glossy. Transfer the meringue to a bowl. No need to wipe out the mixing bowl

Beat together the cream cheese, butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth.

Add the egg yolk, lemon juice and cream and mix until very smooth.

Add the flour all at once and mix well.

Add ⅓ of the meringue to the batter and mix this well.

Then add the rest of the meringue all at once and fold it in (not mix this time). It's ok if small white pieces from the meringue remain.

Pour the batter in the cake pan and then drop the pan from 2-3” (5-7 cm) high to the benchtop to remove any air bubbles.

Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan and pour in 1” (2.5 cm) of cold water.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake at 320F (160C) for 60 minutes or until light golden brown. Then reduce temperature to 300F (150C) and bake for another 30 minutes.

When a wooden skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean without wet batter, turn the oven off. Let the cake sit in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before refrigerating for a few hours.

Helen and Judy’s Christmas Pudding

This recipe is deceptively simple, but just so delicious and moist. The pie apples make the difference.
Before beginning ensure you have a large, deep heat proof bowl that fits into an even larger saucepan.

Fruit Mix

500g Raisins
500g Currants
500g Breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons Flour

Pudding Mix

125g Butter
500g Brown sugar
110g Pie Apples
4 tablespoons Brandy
8 Eggs
1t Salt

Combine the ingredients for the fruit mix in a large bowl.
Using a mixer, mix all the pudding ingredients together. Don't mix too long, you don't want to mix air into this.
Stir creamed butter mixture into fruit.
Place in pudding basin and steam 5 hours. To do this watch http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/technique/how-steam-pudding, or see the instructions at the bottom of this page. I never remove and replace the foil and baking paper, but it still keeps for months.
Cool thoroughly.

On Christmas Day, remove the foil and run a knife around the outside of the pudding. Place a plate over the top of the pudding and turn it upside down. Lift the basin off. 

Microwave on medium until hot, about 15 minutes. Heating this in the microwave is amazingly easy and tastes exactly the same as steaming.

To flame the pudding, gently heat about 75 mls brandy to a little warmer than body temperature. Pour this over the warm pudding. Bring to the table, and then light with a match.

Serve with Brandy Butter.

Brandy Butter or Hard Sauce

500 grams butter, softened,
500 grams icing sugar
20-100 mls brandy, to taste
Cream the butter and sugar with electric beaters. Whip until lightened in colour.
Add brandy tablespoon by tablespoon, tasting after each addition until it is to your liking.

From Grandma Glen, Helen and Judy Hudson’s mother’s mother’s mother. Grandpa Dunhill’s parents.

Tryst House

10 Finkle St

Market Weighton,

Yorkshire

Kitchen Aid method

Cream butter and brown sugar with K beater. Add pie apples and continue until they’re mashed.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Add flour.

With dough hook add the rest of the dry ingredients. Steam 5 hours.

To steam the pudding

Take a large sheet of aluminium foil and a piece of buttered greaseproof paper about the same size. Make a pleat by folding a crease in the centre of both the paper and the foil.

Turn the buttered sheet over so the foil’s on top and press it around the bowl with the fold on top. Tie the foil tightly around the bowl using a long piece of string.

Trim away excess foil and greaseproof paper. Leave about two inches or 10 cm of foil and paper around the sides of the bowl.

Tuck the paper in and fold the foil around it to totally encase the paper and give the pudding a water-tight seal.

Make a handle for bowl by threading a double length of string through the string already tied around the pudding. Pull it through to the other side and secure. The pudding is now ready to go into the pan.

Place the pudding into the steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water, or use a large saucepan with a saucer in the bottom.

Steam for several hours, or as recipe indicates. Top up water when necessary.

When the pudding is steamed, cut the string around the bowl. Gently ease away the paper and foil.

Before storing the pudding ready for re-steaming, recover with a fresh sheet of foil and paper as before. Tie a handle around it for ease of removing

Microwave Custard

2 egg yolks
2 heaped tablespoons cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons caster sugar

1.      Whisk egg yolks, cornflour and vanilla to a smooth paste with a tablespoon of the milk.

2.      Place remaining milk and caster sugar in a separate microwave bowl. I use a clear Pyrex 4 cup jug. That way I can see through the window when it boils and the jug is big enough for it to not boil over.

3.      Heat milk in microwave until it boils. This takes 5 minutes in my microwave, but will be different in yours. It must boil or the custard will not thicken.

4.      Remove from microwave and pour into the egg yolk mixture, whisking as you do this.

5.      Whisk until thick.

Pistachio Rose Cake Recipe

Created by Steve Parle and Emma Grazette
12 filo pastry sheets, cut into 30 cm (12 inch) discs

75 g (2½ oz) butter, melted
300 g (11oz) pistachios, roughly chopped
4½ tbsp honey
4½ tbsp rosewater
500 ml (2 cups/18 fl oz) cream
dried or fresh rose petals, (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 160˚C (325˚F/Gas 3). Line two baking trays with baking paper, then butter the baking paper.

On the baking tray, divide the filo discs into three piles, painting a little butter in between the layers of each pile. Mix the nuts with the cumin seeds, honey and 3 tablespoons of the rosewater, then spread one-third of the mixture over each pile. You will have three stacks of filo and pistachio mix. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the pasty is golden.

When cool, beat the cream with the remaining rosewater until you have soft, undulating waves. Spread the cream over two of the pastry stacks, then layer the stacks on top of each other, finishing with the stack without cream. Scatter with the rose petals and serve. 

Rice Pudding with date and pistachio topping

1 litre milk
240ml cream
1 tspn vanilla extract 
1/2 tspn salt
120g arborio rice
300g sweetened condensed milk

Optional
200g pitted dates
3 tbsp pistachios

Bring milk, vanilla, salt and cream to the boil, add the rice and turn the heat down very low. 

Stir frequently till rice is soft and thick - 30-45 minutes. 

Add sweetened condensed milk and continue stirring and cooking for a few more minutes. Take off the heat. Allow rice to stand in the pot for 5 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, cover dates with 1 cup of water and bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.Lightly mash with a fork. 

Toast pistachios in the oven for 5 minutes. Once they have cooled, crush lightly.

Top rice pudding with dates and pistachios.

Mango Sticky Rice (in the microwave)

2 cups sticky (glutinous) rice
1 400 mls (14oz) coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
½ tsp cornflour
½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 ripe mangoes, cheeks sliced diagonally

1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for at least 3 hours before cooking.
2. When ready to cook, drain off excess water from rice.
3. Reserve ¼ cup of coconut milk and set aside for coconut sauce.
4. Add remaining coconut milk to drained rice and add water as needed to bring the level 1cm (1/2 inch) above the rice level.
5. Cover and microwave for 15 minutes at high, stirring 3 times during cooking.
6. Add sugar to the cooked rice, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Fluff rice.
7. To make coconut sauce, mix cornflour with a little water and add to coconut cream with salt. Microwave until thick, around 3 minutes.
8. Peel and slice ripe fragrant mangoes. If mangoes are not in season, use canned jackfruit, palm fruit or lychees.
9. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on rice and serve with mangoes on the side.
10.   For a different presentation shape tablespoons of rice into sushi shapes, drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with mango slices.

Buttermilk Pancakes adapted from Cooks Illustrated

2 cups self raising flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Combine flour, sugar and salt in one bowl, and buttermilk, sour cream, eggs and melted butter in another.

Mix together gently until just combined – it should still be lumpy with streaks of flour. Overmixing will make the pancakes tough. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Heat a little oil in a 30cm nonstick frypan on medium heat. 

Spoon ¼ cup batter into pan and tilt to spread it around. Cook on the first side until the edges are set and bubbles form on the surface, about 2-3 minutes.

Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and cooked through. 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffeecake

Thanks Naomi for this recipe. So delicious.

Butter Cake & Crumb Topping

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

125g butter, cold and cut into chunks

½ tsp bicarb soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup sour cream (full fat)

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling

250g cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 large egg

Strawberry Filling

1 ½ cup fresh strawberries, cut into pieces

3 tbsp sugar

3 tsp water

1.5 tsp cornflour

Preheat the oven to 175C. Line an 20cm round pan with removable bottom with non-stick baking paper.

Prepare the strawberry jam.

Combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry in a bowl. Mix the strawberries and sugar in a pan. Cook over low heat until the strawberries release their juices about 5 minutes, then add the cornstarch mix and stir until well combined. Stir for another minute or two until it has thickened. Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the cake.

Prepare the cream cheese filling.

Beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 30 seconds until smooth. Add in the sugar and egg and beat until well combined.  Set aside.

Prepare the cake.

Combine the flour and sugar together in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or just 2 forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Measure ¾ cup of the mixture and set aside. Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix well.

In another bowl, beat the sour cream, egg and vanilla extract until well blended. Using a hand whisk or a spoon, stir gently into the flour mixture until just incorporated. Batter may be a bit lumpy. Set aside.

Spread the batter in the pan, with about ½ inch up the sides, also leaving a ½ inch border around the edges bare (like making a well). Pour the cream cheese mixture over the batter, being careful not to go beyond the border. Spread the strawberry jam on top of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup crumbs over the strawberry filling. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing the cake.

Chocolate Crackles with Cinnamon and Chilli

Makes : 24

4 cups rice bubbles

1 cup icing sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
3 tbsp cocoa, sifted

250g copha, chopped

Method

In a large bowl, mix the Kellogg’s Rice Bubbles, icing sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, chilli & coconut.

Slowly melt the copha in a saucepan over a low heat.

Allow to cool slightly.

Add to rice bubbles mixture, stirring until well combined.

Spoon mixture into paper patty cases and refrigerate until firm

Ricotta and coffee cream

From Marcella Hazan

This is the most amazing low fat high flavour dessert I have ever tasted. And amazingly easy as well. Maximum effect, minimum effort.

Process

     500g ricotta

     120g/ ¾ cup sugar

     100mls dark rum

     100 mls very strong espresso coffee

Do not overprocess or it will become runny.

To make a chocolate version substitute 5 heaped teaspoons cocoa powder and 100mls water for the coffee. 

Creme Caramel Brulee

Caramel
Mix 1 cup sugar
½ cup water

Heat, stirring until dissolved. Then boil over medium heat without stiring until a brown caramel colour. Test by removing a placing a little on a plate, but be careful not to over cook or it will taste burned.
Place into 6 ramekins and swirl to distribute the caramel up the sides. Don’t allow the bottom caramel to be too thick or it won’t melt properly.
Preheat oven to 150.

Custard
300mls cream - unthickened
200mls milk
1t vanilla essence or extract
½ cup sugar
Heat until nearly boiling, then cool a little.

Whisk together
3 eggs
3 egg yolks

Add slightly cooled milk mixture, whisking as you add it.
Strain through a fine strainer, and pour into prepared dishes.
Place folded tea towel on the bottom of a baking dish. Place creme caramels into baking dish and pour boiling water around them to come 1/3 to ½ way up.
Cover with alfoil, and place in 150 oven for 20 mins. Turn the dish around, and cook another 10 minutes. After this time remove any that are set, and cook those not set for another 5-10 mins. The length of time in the oven depends on the temperature of the milk mixture before you put them in and the actual temperature of the oven.
Remove from oven and chill 4-5 hours.
Either turn them out to serve, or sprinkle with caster sugar and brown the sugar on top with a blow torch or under a grill on high.

Granny's Caramel Sauce

Combine in a saucepan

1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons butter

Melt together, then add
1 cup cream.

Crepes Suzette for a crowd

This recipe serves 4, but can very easily be multiplied to feed a crowd.

50g butter, melted

120mls orange juice

2 Tablespoons marmalade
8 crepes, folded into quarters

Pour a little of the sauce into the bottom of a baking pan

Place crepes in baking tin

Cover with more sauce, reserving 2 or 3 tablespoons.
Cover with alfoil or cling wrap, depending on how you are reheating it. 

Heat in microwave or slow oven

Place 2 crepes per person on individual plates

Reheat sauce and pour over crepes

Chocolate Mousse

Place in processor
150g sugar
30g cocoa
100mls milk
Process to dissolve sugar
Add 500g ricotta
Process again
You may need to add a little more milk if it's too thick.

That's it. It's actually low fat, but you'd never know. Tastes creamy and rich.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pavlova

I often take this to functions, and it's so delicious someone always asks me for the recipe.

Preheat oven to 180. Line baking pan with baking paper.

Beat 6 egg whites until stiff

Add 1 ½ c or 300g caster sugar
Beat on high 2 minutes

Sift in 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Add 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cornflour
Beat on low speed to combine

With a spatula fold in
50g choc chips
1/2 cup toasted hazelnut meal

Place on baking paper and shape into a 20 cm circle
Place in oven, turn down to 150, and cook 1-1/4 hours.

Top with 300 mls whipped cream,
250g strawberries or frozen berries pureed to a coulis.
Grated chocolate
Serves 6 but you can easily halve or double the quantities.

Hazelnut meal is available in the supermarket. Place in a saucepan without oil on medium heat and cook until it is toasted.