This recipe is from a friend of mine, Louise. This baked cheesecake is absolutely delicious and soooo light and fluffy! You won’t be able to stop at one!

Ingredients:
•250 mL milk
•250 g cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature
•60 g butter, softened at room temperature
•6 egg yolks
•55 g plain flour
•20 g corn flour
•Zest of 1 lemon
•6 egg whites
•1/4 tsp cream of tartar
•130 g caster sugar

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 170C.

2.Use a large bowl, pour in milk. Place the bowl over simmering water. Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Add cream cheese, stir occasionally, until completely dissolved and the mixture turns smooth. Stir in butter, till dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool down a bit, then add the egg yolks and combine well. (Note: Make sure the mixture is not too hot, as you don’t want to cook the egg yolks)

3.Combine cake flour and corn flour. Sift in the flours into the cream cheese mixture, a small amount at a time. Mix well between every addition, and make sure there aren’t any flour lumps. Stir in freshly grated zest. Set aside.

4.Place egg whites in a large clean bowl. (Note: Make sure there’s no oil or water in the bowl at all.) Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites for 3 minutes, then add cream of tartar and blend again. Pour sugar in the egg whites and blend until very stiff peaks form.

5.Fold-in the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture gently with a rubber spatula just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not stir or beat. For a better result, fold in egg whites with a small amount at a time, at least for 3 times.

6.Pour the mixture into a cupcake tray.  Bake for 24 minutes. Test with a needle or skewer that comes out clean.

7.Turn off the oven. Leave the oven door ajar for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove from the cupcake tray. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Chill in a fridge for about 3 hours. Enjoy!

Share/Bookmark

Ingredients

Base

• 1 cup Plain Flour
• 1/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 125g Butter, melted
• 1 Cup Strawberry jam

Topping

• 2 cups Desiccated Coconut
• 1/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 2 Eggs, whisked

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Line a slice pan baking paper, allowing the paper to hang over the sides
3. Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and mix until well combined
4. Press the mixture firmly over the base of the pan
5. Bake for 15 mins then set aside to cool for 10 mins
6. Spread jam over base, ensuring even coverage
7. Create the topping.Combine the coconut, sugar and eggs
8. Spoon the coconut mixture over the jam, pressing down slightly
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
10. Let cool in tray for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack
11. Pipe jam over top in a cris-cross fashion

Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Share/Bookmark

Ingredients

Base

• 1 1/2 Cups of Plain Flour, sifted
• 2 Tbs Icing Sugar
• 125g Unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Tbs chilled water

Filling

• 6 Granny Smith Apples
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tbs Cinnamon (ground)
• 1 Cup water

Crumble

• 1 Cup of Plain Flour
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 100g chopped chilled butter
• 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats

Method

Base

1. Combine plain flour, icing sugar, butter and egg yolk in a mixing bowl until it resembles bread crumbs
2. Add chilled water and mix well until mix becomes slightly moist
3. Turn our onto floured surface and form into a disc
4. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 30 mins, turning once
5. Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius
6. After 30 mins, remove pastry base from fridge, mould into flan tin. Be sure to use a tin with a removable base
7. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper over pastry and fill with dried beans or rice. Blind bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
8. Remove paper and beans or rice, bake for a further 10 minutes
9. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 170°C.

Filling

1. Chop Apples into 2cm cubes, put into large bowl
2. Combine Cinnamon and Sugar
3. Coat Apples well with Cinnamon, Sugar mixture
4. Add Apple mix to a saucepan and add water
5. Bring to the boil and then simmer until liquid reduces
6. Pour Apples into pastry base
7. Bake in oven for 10 Mins

Crumble

1. Combine flour, sugar and oats in a bowl
2. Add butter and rub mixture with finger tips until it resembles crumble
3. Carefully place over the top of the Apple pie
4. Bake in oven for 15 mins, or until crumble is brown

Slice Apple Crumble and serve with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Enjoy! 

Share/Bookmark

Ingredients

• 500g Plain Flour
• 2 tsp Bicarb Soda
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 400ml Buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2. Sift the flour and bicarb soda into a large mixing bowl
3. Make a well in the centre and add the Buttermilk slowly, stirring as you go
4. Once a soft dough is formed turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Dough should be soft and just off sticky
5. Lightly kneed dough into a rough ball
6. Transfer onto a floured baking tray
7. Using a large knife, cut 2 cross sections 2/3 through the dough to form a cross
8. Put into oven and bake for 40-45mins. Bread is ready if it sounds hollow when tapped from underneath.

Share/Bookmark

Adding the Homemade Soda Bread brings the whole meal together. It’s quick, easy and very, very satisfying.

Ingredients

• 500g Lamb
• 1 Tbs oil
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves
• 3 medium Potatoes (chopped)
• 2 Carrots (chopped)
• 250g Pumpkin (deseeded, skined and chopped)
• 1 Brown Onion (chopped into wedges)
• 5-6 Mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 cup Peas
• 1 Tbs Rosemary (ground in Motar and Pestle)
• 1 can Crushed Tomatoes
• 3-4 Tbs Tomato Chutney
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
• 2/3 cup Red Wine

Preparation

1. Chop Potatoes, Carrort and Pumpkin into rough cubes. Put into to saucepan, cover with water and par-boil for 10-15 mins.
2. Cut Onion into wedges.
3. Cut Lamb into cubes and coat with fine sea salt and black pepper to tenderise.
4. Boil a smail amount of water in a saucepan, add the Garlic and par-boil for 5 mins. This softens the Garlic and enhances the flavour.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degres.
2. Heat Oil in a large frying pan.
3. Add Lamb and cook on each side for 2-3 mins.
4. Add the onion wedges and stir for 5 mins.
5. Add the mushrooms and whole Garlic cloves and cook until mushrooms soften. Allow for juices to simmer in pan.
6. In a large Casserole dish layer ingredients in order below:
   • Lamb and onions
   • Potatoes, carrots and pumpkin
   • Can crushed tomato
   • Chicken stock
   • Tomato chutney
   • Rosemary
   • Peas
   • Red wine
7. Cover with lid and put in the oven for 2hrs. Do not stir.

Cooks Tip: Place a tray under the casserole dish in case of overflow as your casserole as it boil’s away in the oven.

Serving

1. After 2 hrs of cooking, remove the Casserole from the oven.
2. Remove the lid carefully. Be aware of the steam as the lid is removed.
3. Spoon generously into bowls. Ensure your spoon is deep in the casserole dish so all ingredients are served.
4. Add slices of your Homemade Soda Bread and Enjoy!

Share/Bookmark

Ingredients:

• 250g unsalted shelled pistachios
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups full cream milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, toasted, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup thickened cream

Preperation

I just use a $25 ice cream machine I purchased from ALDI which does the job fine. Remember that the ice cream tub should be frozen WELL ahead of time, I recommend at least 12 hours. This is the ensure that the mixture freezes.

Shell your pistachios until you have 1 cup  of shelled pistachios. I found that 250g was more than sufficient for this step and the chopped nuts.

Finely grind 1 cup pistachios and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a food processor.

Bring the milk and ground pistachio mixture to the boil in a heavy large saucepan. Then Remove it from the heat.

Whisk the 4 egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl.

Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Return custard to saucepan. Cook over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes (do not boil).

Chill until cold, about 2-4 hours.

Strain into large bowl. Stir 1 cup whipping cream and chopped pistachios into custard.

Process mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer to container and freeze.

Share/Bookmark