WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY BAKED CHEESECAKE

BAKED WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

So... with Hugo returning from the Far East last week, and then packed off to begin a whole new chapter of his life on Sunday, I wanted to make him something that I know he loves... so I nicked the recipe from right under my mother-in-laws nose.  Doesn't it annoy you, that as a parent, you can try and try and try, but when the chips are down, all they actually want are Granny's cheesecake, Grandma's roast potatoes, and other Grandma's chocolate puddings? (I know - we are greedy, they have 3 grandmothers)....THEY ARE SPOILT FOR CHOICE, and I have tough competition.

This is simply delicious and it can stay in the fridge for at least 4 days winking at you, and giving you that come-hither look, as it does just get better and better, so best eat it all at once probably, and then you can't be tempted for the rest of the week...

It's also good to know, that if a load of your daughter's unexpected friends descend on your house at 3am on a Sunday morning, it is far better for them to tuck into cheesecake than an array of unheard of cocktails - so always be prepared I say!

INGREDIENTS

900g philadelphia cream cheese (I use the light, just to make me feel better)

2 large eggs

200g melted butter

250g crushed digestives (or chocolate ones if you fancy)

350g raspberries

300g white chocolate chips/buttons

3 tsp vanilla extract

115g caster sugar

3 tbsp cornflour

115ml double cream

Turn on the oven to 180 degrees, then the music and get cooking..

Mix the melted butter and crushed digestive biscuits in a pan, sometimes I add a little golden syrup, just to make sure that the biscuit base doesn't crumble when you cut into it later.  Once it's all mixed, press down in a spring form cake tin (one with a bottom that you can remove... wouldn't that be good), and when you have pressed it down, and it's all compact, then put in the oven for about 10 mins and take out to cool... then turn oven up to 200 degrees.

Mix the sugar, cornflour and philadelphia with a spoon, then if you have one of those hand electric mixers, now's the time to put it to use.  Beat the ingredients on high speed until it's properly mixed, then add the beaten eggs and the vanilla extract.  Now, really slowly, add the double cream until it has become a rather tasty, thick vanilla cream.  If you're not finding it is thick enough, and you are worried, you can add a little more cornflour, but it should be completely fine. So, when you are happy, you can then stir in the choccie chips and the raspberries.  If you like it a little fruitier, you can add a few more raspberries (not too many though!).

Pour onto the base, which should be ready for you on the side, and then put into the oven for around 1 hour.  If it's looking too brown on the top, cover with tin foil for a bit - but just check every now and again, it should be fine.  The way you can tell if it's done, is give it a little wobble - too much wobble means more time.  Or, you could stick a skewer/cocktail stick inside and if it comes out covered with runny hot stuff, get it back in quick..

When you are kind of convinced it's ready, then take it out of the oven, but LEAVE in the tin for hours before you take it out - otherwise it will collapse.  So, make it in the morning, let it cool, put it in the fridge (still in it's tin for the rest of the day), and then just before you serve the perfect cheesecake at supper time, wriggle it out of it's tin, dust it with icing sugar (if you have any), pop a few raspberries on the top and tuck right in.

My pictures are again a bit rubbish, but only because I had 5 people shouting at me to get the bloody thing on the table - it was delicious, but was it as good as the way Granny cooked it? Hmmm, let's just say, that in order not to cause a huge stink, they stayed very quiet.

PS:  MY FAVOURITE THING AT THE MOMENT IS FENNEL -  I know that it doesn't go with cheesecake, but I will surprise you with a really tasty twist on it later on in the week...



PPS: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE BEST EVER STREET FOOD - THEN LOOK NO FURTHER - I have literally chased him round the country for the last few years, and eventually tracked him down at Kerb's first street food birthday in Kings Cross last Friday - YEAH... I can't find his link but he is called Jahl Muri - Calcutta street food at its most brilliant, star of Rick Stein in India, and at last, I am at peace

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

As you can probably tell, I am slightly obsessed with salted caramel....So, when asked to deliver some sort of nosh to the Bradfield picnic/speech day on Saturday, I had to come up trumps (although my god - there are some amazing picnic makers around, that I was quite concerned my brownies might have been overlooked....(I think the chocolate dipped strawberries annoyed me - being bang next to my rather more unhealthy option - but they did start to melt - the joy!!)  I didn't see how the brownies went down, as Hugo, Mike and I had to race off to the Marlborough Leavers Ball - where I was coached the whole journey as to how I should behave (I mean, seriously, as if I didn't know..). Although, I didn't hear him complain as I loaded my handbag with vodka and extra wine, just in case!

Anyway, I wanted to impress at the picnic, because after 19 years of schooling our kids, we have never been asked to join anyone (haha - how we've made it! We are normally the ones hiding in the corner looking terribly unpopular - not any more, hurray!!

INGREDIENTS (about 20 brownies)

FOR THE CARAMEL
200g white granulated sugar
50g water
200ml double cream
1 tsp sea salt

FOR THE BROWNIES
250g dark chocolate (broken up)
250g unsalted butter
4 large eggs
300g granulated sugar
150g plain flour
sea salt

FOR THE CARAMEL:
Put the water and sugar in saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes until the sugar has started to melt and bubble (don't stir - as for some reason, it seems to make it crystalise - so just swirl it around the pan every now and again.
When it has boiled, it should turn a light brown, so keep boiling it until it does change colour (maybe 5 mins or a few more). Wait till it's turned medium brown, and then take off heat.  Pour the cream into the mix, it will go a bit crazy for a moment, and maybe have some hard bits in it, but return to the heat for a few more minutes and this will all sort itself out.  Add the salt and then leave in a jar to cool...

FOR THE BROWNIES
Get the oven ready at 200 deg.
Put the broken choc and the butter in a bowl over a saucepan and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Put it to the side for a while to cool.
Beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl until thick and creamy, and then add the chocolate mixture.  Once you've mixed it all together, fold in the flour.
Line a tin (around 23cm x 23cm) with greaseproof paper, and then put HALF the brownie mixture in...
Now, for the really delicious part. Add 3/4 of the cooled caramel using a large spoon to coat the brownie layer evenly - then add the rest of the brownie mixture on top, spreading it all over.
Finish off with the rest of the caramel (picture below) - and use a spoon to make it all smooth.

DO NOT COOK MORE THAN 50 MINS - I have the harshest critics, and their brownies need to be perfect.  They do carry on cooking in the tin once they are out of the oven, so don't be fooled by thinking that they are not quite cooked, they probably are!

P.S. DO NOT EAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SQUEEZE YOURSELF INTO A TIGHT DRESS LATER!

p.p.s Thank you Jackie, if you read this for passing my blog on - so glad you tried and tested (and didn't like!) my beetroot dip ... (not all bad, she doesn't like beetroot!)
If any of you make my stuff,  let me know what you think - good or bad!
x


BEFORE COOKING

AFTER COOKING

INDIVIDUAL LEMON DRIZZLE POTS

INDIVIDUAL LEMON DRIZZLE POTS 

Wow... this week escalated early...
If you want my advice, do not go out on a Monday night with one of your oldest and dearest friends, that you haven't seen for too long - do not drink too much, and certainly do not ask the waitress if she is pregnant, and when she looks appalled, really do not collapse with giggles.  I blame Sammy entirely.

So that's great that that didn't happen.

Well, the sun is still out, and I would be in the garden under the rays, but Holly (I know, seriously why isn't she at school?) has settled herself into the only sunbed... so I am in the kitchen with Max still revising, and thought, as it is his 14th birthday coming up, that we needed a treat.  I've never made my lemon drizzle cake in separate little pots before, normally I double these ingredients and make it in a loaf tin.  I actually do make it at least once every two weeks, and if we don't finish it, my cleaner cleans us out (I did catch her once emptying my entire cake tin into her handbag).  It is so delicious, so I'm hoping they'll work - they're in the oven as we speak.

INGREDIENTS

125g butter (softened)
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
125g self raising flour
zest of 3 lemons
juice of 3 lemons
Icing sugar
More caster sugar

Zest and then juice the lemons, whizz up the sugar and butter till soft and creamy.  Add the eggs and whizz some more, then fold in the flour till all mixed - add a wee drop of lemon juice and about one third of the zest.  Put into greased ramekins - probably make about 6 or 7.

Put in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees, and cook for about 40 minutes.  Meanwhile, add most of the lemon juice with some caster sugar (about a tbsp and a bit) and cook in a saucepan till the sugar is melted.

Wait till your cakes have risen and they are not too soggy inside - do the skewer test, and if it comes out clean, they are definitely ready.

When they are out, use the skewer to pierce holes all over them, and then spoon your sugar and juice mix over the top, so it all seeps through.

With the rest of the lemon juice, add the icing sugar till it's a sort of thickish consistency, and when the cakes are cool, then drizzle this with a teaspoon over the top.

They should look amazing, and taste even better.

Sometimes, if I'm feeling really bad - I will make it in two normal cake tins and put lemon butter icing in the middle - but really think maybe I shouldn't.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

I actually had to make 2 of these, one to take to a friend's party (where I ate most of it anyway) and the other to keep at home (where I ate most of it anyway too).... I did take a photo or two, but have been told by a pure professional that my photos are really not up to scratch - In fact - she said they were rubbish - (not many people can get away with that - but luckily she's great so she can) I love constructive criticism (?!), so hopefully in the future - now I have a few helpful tips to hand, my photos might do my food some justice...

Also, I'm taking a trip back to some healthy eating after today, (have a delicious green cous cous that I will share later in the week) - but I do have a back log of puddings I would also  love to share, but might have to mix them up a bit in between a salad or two ....So, for today, my offering is double chocolate cheesecake, it is rich but so very very tasty (exactly how I like my men)... and once I get my hands on it .... (I must stop there)

INGREDIENTS

For the base
1 packet (or maybe a packet and a half) of chocolate biscuits (I used chocolate hobnobs and chocolate digestives)
150g butter
2 big tablespoons golden syrup

For the topping
300g philadelphia (I used 'lightest' (Ha!) just to make me feel better)
200g mascarpone
300g milk chocolate melted
100g dark chocolate melted

In a saucepan, melt the butter and then add syrup - add the biscuits which you need to have crushed.  I just bang the packet with a rolling pin until it starts flying out of the sides.  A joy for any pent up tension.  Turn off the heat and mix it all together.  Then chuck into a a springform tin (love the technical term - but you know what I mean, one of those with the removable bottom).  If you have a plate the same size, then press it down on the top of the biscuits and put something heavy on top.  This will stop it crumbling when you cut it, so make sure it's densely packed.
Put in the fridge for an hour or two.   Then make the top.
Once the chocolate has melted, and a little bit cooled, then add in the other ingredients and spoon it on top of the biscuit.  Before serving sprinkle with icing sugar (not pour the whole packet on by mistake)

So simple - keep it in fridge to set for at least a few hours - overnight is better.  The tricky bit is taking the bottom off and not dropping it ... Basically this is chocolate biscuit cake with more chocolate on the top - WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT??!!

I know the photo is shit!!
But it was delicious!!

WHITE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

IT IS OFFICIALLY TREAT TIME!!

The kids are at home (well two of them anyway), I've had a busy day at the studio - and then home to cook....and it is only fair that I put in a little baking time for the family...

So, thought of white chocolate brownies or Blondies - and as a natural blonde myself, thought it would only be right.

They are too good, but a little odd when you're used to your brownies brown, so obviously you need more than one to adjust your taste buds. Be brave and get stuck in.

INGREDIENTS

100g white chocolate melted
100g white chocolate chopped
2 large eggs
115g butter
115g caster sugar
65g plain flour
Half tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 180 deg
While the chocolate is melting, whisk up butter and sugar until creamy... add the eggs (one by one), chopped chocolate, vanilla extract and then the slightly cooled melted chocolate, and then the flour.  Lick the bowl and spoon clean.

Put into greased or greaseproof lined baking tin for no more than 20 minutes - they literally hardly have to cook at all, infact just eating the mixture is pretty much fine for me...But also they cook a bit more when out of the oven.

Put onto cooling rack, and when cool, cut into squares and sprinkle either with grated milk choc or icing sugar.

My harshest critic in the house gives the thumbs up (Hugo) - and my dear friend Melanie who popped round for a cuppa, while I had my apron on finished off the trimmings.

Loving being blonde.

Have been up to no good with a double chocolate cheesecake too, so once my camera is back in action, I shall bore you with that recipe as well, but for now it's in the fridge chilling overnight... which is exactly what I'm about to do.

xxx