Crème de Framboise Cheesecake

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. Statistically the 2nd June is the one day of the year were your most likely to have great weather. It was pure chance we booked our wedding on this day and the weather statisticians didn't disappoint in 2007, 2008 & 2009 soaking us with glorious weather each year. We'll ignore the fact that in 1975 snow fell on the 2nd June!

Last year we celebrated by eating our way around York, this year we made a bit more effort than usual with our weekday dinner and made some mini cheesecakes then washed it down with a delicious bottle of champagne. We are celebrating it again this weekend when we go to one of our favourite restaurants.

I always look forward to this time of year when raspberries come into season. Although our local PYO is yet to open I found some luscious Scottish raspberries in the supermarket. Loosely inspired by my Baileys cheesecake, and what I had in the cupboards I decided to come up with individual raspberry cheesecakes. When I've been making desserts like this recently I've been using light cream cheese rather than the full fat version as I find it makes a lighter dessert and I like to think it's a bit healthier. However this does make the mixture looser and is better served in ramekins rather than turned out onto a plate.

Crème de Framboise Cheesecakes
makes 2 individual cheesecakes

2 digestive biscuits
150g pack of cream cheese
40g icing sugar (to taste)
2 tbsp Crème de Framboise
punnet of raspberries

1) Crumble one biscuit into each of the ramekins.

2) In a mixing bowl whip cream cheese until smooth then add icing sugar to taste. Stir in Crème de Framboise. Mash together a handful of raspberries then stir into cheesecake mix.

3) Pour cheesecake mix into ramekins then chill for 3 hours before serving.

A rainbow of Peppermint Creams

Looking back to the days when I was the pupil in a Home Ec class rather than the person instructing the only thing I can remember making was ginger nuts, jam tarts and peppermint creams. Proper retro food.

A few weeks ago one of my pupils approached me with a cookbook she had been given for her birthday and pointed out the Peppermint Cream recipe and how she would like to make these. I thought it would be a good opportunity for the kids to play around with cutters and colours. Back in the 1980's we were hardcore in the Home Ec kitchen and used raw egg whites to make peppermint creams, but now thanks to me doing my Food Safety qualifications and realising that what I do in my home kitchen isn't appropriate to do in school I needed to find a recipe that didn't use raw egg. Using raw egg whites with kids and having to deal with the potential consequences (a salmonella outbreak flashed in front of my eyes) isn't my idea of fun.

It took some trawling through lots of recipes to find a recipe that didn't feature raw egg. Some replaced the egg with condensed milk and another with just plain milk. Then it dawned on me, could I just replace the egg with water? I haven't made them since my school days so this morning armed with a big bag of icing sugar, my new food dyes and some peppermint extract I set about experimenting with peppermint creams.

Now I have to admit I don't usually use food dyes, or if I do I try and use natural colouring but shopping in Lakeland has a habit of drawing me in and making me buy things I don't realise I need...especially when they come in a rainbow of colours. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to food dye and I need a bit more practice at thoroughly blending the gel dyes into the icing paste, just a good thing I like the marbled effect!

Peppermint Creams

400g icing sugar (you may need a bit more)
2 tbsp water (again you may need some more)
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
food dyes (optional)

1) In a large bowl sift in the icing sugar then add the 2 tbsp of water and peppermint extract. Mix until you have a dry, firm dough. The more you knead it the more it will come together. If more water is required to bring it together add 1/2 tsp at a time.

2) If using dyes, knead into the icing then roll out until 5mm thick. Cut out shapes and place on greaseproof paper. Allow to dry for a few hours before eating. Once they are dried they can be dipped in melted chocolate.

Baileys Coffee Cream Pots

My love of Baileys, is well known. Not just for drinking it, but also cooking with it. My Baileys Cheesecake is one of my most requested desserts and highest google hits. Hubby's late great-Aunt was a woman very much after my own heart as they only thing she would put in her coffee was Baileys, no matter what time of day it was. A coffee called Baileys Blitz also fueled my university days.

Last week Baileys contacted me asking if I would like to try some of their new Baileys with a Hint of Coffee plus have a go at some of their recipes created by James Martin. Me being one to rarely pass on the opportunity to try a new alcohol or dessert recipe I jumped at the chance. It came at the perfect time as I had just finished my most recently bottle of Baileys and was trying to work out which Supermarket had the best deal for a bottle of it.

Hubby doesn't like coffee so rarely do I cook with it, even if it is one of my favourite ingredients. As I'm now on my Christmas break I took the opportunity to get up early (in reality far too early) and set about making some Baileys Coffee Cream Pots for myself as I knew it would take 6 hours to set.

After a lot of impatient waiting (and watching some quite frankly dire daytime TV) the 6 hours eventually passed, just in time to get a photo before the sunset. I have to say it was the perfect dessert for me. Creamy with a generous coffee hit. To often am I disappointed in restaurants with their coffee flavoured desserts as the coffee hit is never enough for me but this was spot on. If I could have 2 puddings on Christmas Day this would be my coffee course...now that's an idea 2 puddings...sorry I digress.

The only very slight alteration I had to make was the fact I didn't have any instant coffee in the house so instead used Lyons Coffee Bags that are usually reserved for our camping trips. If you would like to see the lovely James Martin make this dessert along with the accompanying shortbread click here

Baileys Coffee Cream Pots
Makes 6 ramekins

5 egg yolks
80g caster sugar
260ml milk
260ml double cream
5 tsp instant coffee granules
100ml Baileys with of hint of Coffee (or normal Baileys)

1) Preheat the oven to 150oc. Whisk together the egg yolks and 40g of the sugar.

2) Put the cream, milk, coffee and remaining sugar in a heavy based saucepan. Gently bring to the boil. When it has reached a boil take of the heat and stir in the Baileys, then add the whisked sugar & egg. Quickly stir then strain into the ramekins.

3) Place the ramekins into a deep roasting tin and pour boiling water until it is half the way up the ramekins. Bake for 25-30 until they have a slight wobble.

4) Chill for at least 6 hours before eating. Serve straight from the fridge.

To be blackberry, or not blackberry, that is the question

This week has been a bit crazy with a awe-inspiring theatre visit, poorly grandma (who is thankfully better), a wedding that turned out to be a Uni reunion and a fantastic weekend with friends.

Wednesday was my trip to see David Tennant playing Hamlet at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford. To say I was blown away by the performance would be an understatement. I was entranced for the whole 3.5 hours and it has reignited my passion for theatre. If you ever get the opportunity to see Hamlet or another play at The Courtyard Theatre grab it with both hands. The atmosphere and intimacy of the theatre is unlike any any other theatre I've been to.

Saturday afternoon good friends R & N came to stay. While dodging the rain showers we went for a walk and managed to come across a hedgerow laden with juicy blackberries. We spent a good 10 min tasting all the different berries. Most were succulent and delicious, but we did pick the odd tart one that made Hubby pull a face!

That night we had all good intentions on having a BBQ, but it wasn't going to be due to the wet weather. Anticipating the appalling weather I decided we could have steak as this could be done both on the BBQ or griddle pan in the kitchen. I don't know if it was due to my post-theatre delusion, but I didn't realise until we sat down to a dinner of steak, corn on the cob and crushed new potatoes that I had loaded each dish with herbs. The steak had been marinaded in herbs and soy sauce, the potatoes had mint and I made herby butter for the corn on the cobs...hmmmm. Thankfully my dessert of boozy crème brûlée , this time with blackberries rather than cherries, came to the rescue.

It was all washed down with some lovely pinot grigio blush and Sugar Plum's Pink Raspberry Sangria made with some delicious organic raspberry beer I found in Sound Bites. We didn't realise until this morning how much we had drunk between the 4 of us. However none of us were hungover...may be something to do with the over-consumption of herbs in the main course!

Many thanks to both Beth and Nilmandra for giving me the Arte Y Pico award. Now I should pass this on, but you'll have to give me a couple of days to think about who I'm going to pass it on too. Thanks again.

Boozy Cherry & White Chocolate Crème Brûlée

This dessert has been a long time in the planning, but I struggled to find British cherries anywhere. As you know I'm passionate about British produce and where possible if it can be grown in the UK I will always try to buy British and only when it is in season. It would turn out Derbyshire or the East Midlands in general is a bit of a desert for British cherries. Searching the local markets and farm shops proved to be unhelpful as most were selling cherries from warmer climes. Morrisons eventually came to the rescue, but I was rather put out having to pay equivalent of £10 (yes £10!) per kg of British cherries whereas the Spanish cherries sitting next to them on the shelf were on offer and far cheaper. Why, why, why can't British supermarkets support British produce for a change. Sorry rant over. If your interested in supporting the great British cherry pop along to CherryAid (thank you Beth for reminding me!).

Ever since we received a cook's blow torch for a wedding pressie, pyromaniac Hubby has been itching for us to make crème brûlée. A while back I made a baked custard, but never a crème brûlée so this was a bit new for me. Come to think of it, before this I've never eaten a proper crème brûlée.

I was really pleased how they turned out and they were very, very tasty. The cherries & liqueur refreshingly cut through the creamy custard and Hubby had caramelised the sugar perfectly. The sugar had a very satisfying crunch as you put the spoon through it. Rach & Nick, if your reading this don't be surprised if I make them for us in a couple of weekends time!

Boozy Cherry & White Chocolate Crème Brûlée
Serves 2

12 cherries, halved and stoned
2 tbsp Crème de Framboise
190ml double cream
35g Green & Blacks white chocolate, broken into small pieces
1/2 vanilla pod
2 egg yolks
2 tsp golden caster sugar, plus more for topping

1) Slowly heat cream, chocolate and vanilla pod seeds. Once the chocolate has melted take off the heat and allow to infuse for 15 min. White the cream is infusing share the cherry halves between the ramekins and cover with 1 tbsp of Crème de Framboise each.

2) Preheat oven to 150oc. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar then gradually stir in the cream. Strain into a jug and pour into ramekins on top of the cherries. Some of the cherries may float.

3) Place the ramekins in a deep roasting tin and pour boiling water into the tin until the water is 1/2 the way up the ramekins. Bake for 20-25 min until custard is set and has a slight wobble in the middle. Chill for at least 5 hours.

4) Generously sprinkle the top with golden caster sugar. With either a blow torch or grill caramelise the sugar. Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating to allow the sugar to harden.

Gin & Tonic Jelly

To try and get my cooking mojo back I decided to play around with an ingredient I've never used before, gelatine. Of course I've made jelly from the well known Rowntree blocks, but never from scratch. First challenge was finding leaf gelatine as the recipe I had was insistent that it had to be leaf gelatine and not the powdered form. I'm also not sure if it would work with vegegel. Most of the supermarkets near me are geared towards people who's idea of cooking is putting a ready-meal in the microwave for 3 min, so sourcing certain ingredients can be a challenge. A good friend came to the rescue when she noticed some for sale in the supermarket she uses.

I was told about this particular Nigella recipe a few months back and have been wanting to give it a try. Gin & tonic is one of my favourite alcoholic drinks, and the fact it can be made into a dessert is even better! The original recipe serves 8. I halved the recipe or Hubby may never make it to work tomorrow due to a hangover. I don't own any fancy jelly moulds so served it in tall glasses instead. Because of the alcohol content it takes a great deal longer to set than normal non-alcoholic jelly.

It had a lovely refreshing taste with a pleasing G&T kick. I believe a proper G&T should have lime and not lemon in it so next time may replace the 1 lemon for 3 limes. It would be a perfect BBQ dessert for adults. I'm thinking of using the same technique to make a Pimms jelly with the traditional Pimms fruit suspended in it for my Birthday get together at the weekend.

Gin & Tonic Jelly
Makes around 650ml of jelly (serves 2-4)

150ml plus 25ml water
150g caster sugar
juice and zest of 1 lemon
200ml tonic water (don't use slimline, it won't work)
125ml gin
4 sheets of leaf gelatine

1) Put 150ml of the water and the sugar in a saucepan. Boil for 5 min, take off the heat, add lemon zest and allow in infuse for 15 min.

2) Strain into a measuring jug. Add lemon juice, gin and tonic. It should reach the 600ml mark. If not top up with either more lemon juice, gin or tonic.

3) Soak the leaf gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 min. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine, then whisk gelatine into 25ml of boiling water. Add a small amount of the lemon syrup to the gelatine then pour this back into the jug of lemon syrup. Stir to ensure it is well combined.

4) Pour into glasses or lightly greased jelly mould. Put in fridge and allow to set for 6 hours.

Plum & Port Brulee

We've had some plums for a few weeks now that have been refusing to ripen, so rather than making a jam with them I stewed them with port and served it as a kind of creme brulee for pudding tonight. Photo isn't great as hubby kept on casting a shadow as he was blow torching his pudding. Plus the dodgy things that look like chicken nuggets at the front of the plate are actually pieces of puff pastry (leftover cuttings from the pies!) that had been dusted in icing sugar and baked in the oven!

Plum & port brulee
Serves 2

4 plums, stoned & quartered
2 tbsp port
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 star anise
6 tbsp yogurt/creme fraiche
demerera sugar

1) Simmer vanilla sugar, port and plums for 10 min. Allow to cool for around 10 min then spoon into ramekin dishes.

2) Spoon yogurt over plums then sprinkle liberally with demerera sugar. Either place under grill or use blow torch to caramelise sugar.

Caramalised Banana & Yogurt Fool

I had some creme fraiche and yogurt in the fridge that really needed using up and I came across a recipe for banana & yogurt fool. It is possibly the quickest pudding I have ever made and was tastier & lighter than I was expecting, but hubby wasn't too keen and admits he prefers my other puds. He was, however, very excited about getting to use his cooks blow torch for the first time. Spot the custard creams in the background!

Caramelised banana & yogurt fool
Serves 2

3 bananas
2 dsp caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp honey
200ml creme fraiche
100ml natural yogurt
healthy sprinkling of grated chocolate

1) Peel and cut one of the bananas lengthways. Sprinkle with sugar and caramelise with a blow torch.

2) Mash remaining bananas and mix with lemon juice and honey.

3) Whisk creme fraiche and yogurt until smooth and thickened. Fold in mashed bananas and grated chocolate.

4) Put caramelised bananas into glass then spoon over banana yogurt mix. Sprinkle with chocolate.

Meringues

Yesterday was my birthday and my best friend came up trumps by sending me some Hotel Chocolat marbles, which I seemed to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a cup of tea! For birthday pudding I made the meringues and turned them into a kind of Eton Mess. This was the first time I had made meringues and I was really pleased as to how they turned out. They were crispy on the outside and slightly chewy in the inside. I also used the vanilla sugar I made at xmas, and this gave them a nice hint of vanilla. No photo's as I *cough* got bored waiting for the meringues to cook and cracked open a bottle of fizz.

Meringues
makes about 12 medium sized meringues

2 egg whites
100g caster sugar

1) Preheat oven to 100oc. Whisk egg whites in a dry clean bowl until you get soft peaks.

2) Whisk in half the sugar. It will thicken to the consistancy for shaving cream.

3) Fold in remaining sugar, ideally with a large metal spoon. Blob onto baking parchment. Bake for 1.5 - 2 hours until they are beginning to brown the surface is beginning to crack.