Lemon cheesecake ice cream

I make no apologies as to my blogging (in)frequency.

What drives me to actually blog something on this hot spring day (35 bloody degrees in spring and some people still deny global freakin warming....aaahhh!) ? Food porn of course. 

I could have blogged the awesome veggo san choy bao I made. Lovely crispy iceberg, soft tofu and just the right amount of salty soy...but hey, I really am just not organised some days. We spent the morning at the beach (oh, an upside to global warming!) and the kidlets were too frazzled and needing food too quickly for me to photograph it!

Gratuitous family fun beach shot!

So what you get instead is LEMON CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM!!!!! Yep. I'm shouting. It was that good it deserves shouting. And squealing (but I haven't figured out how to type girly squeals.)

So without further ado, 

Lemon Cheesecake Ice cream

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup Ricotta

1 cup Thickened Cream

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 lemon rind zested. 

Handful of toasted nuts (optional)

Make a quick sugar syrup by combining sugar and water in a saucepan and boiling until sugar disolves. Remove from heat immediately. 

Add lemon juice (I used 3 lemons, you probably won't need this many, but since the kids hid my juicer...and hairbrush... and the remote I squeezed the lemons by hand) and zest and pour into another bowl to cool. 

In a separate bowl mix the ricotta and cream (you don't need to spend too much time doing this as the ice cream maker will do the bulk of the job for you). 

Add lemon mixture to cream / ricotta. Stir until combined and add to ice cream maker. You will need to do this step rather quickly as the lemon juice will begin to separate the cream, don't worry, it all comes out great in the end. Turn your icecream maker on and follow manufacturers directions (mine takes about 20 minutes). 

If you are using toasted nuts, go ahead and toast them now. I used pecans as they were what I had in the cupboard, but I suspect macadamias or almonds would taste better. A biscuit or shortbread crumble would also probably be unreal.

If it is 35 degrees I suggest pouring yourself a drink while you wait for your machine to magic up the icecream (white wine spritzers were my choice tonight, alcohol and and water with ice...how can you go wrong?)

Lemon Cheesecake Icecream

Serve in little bowls. This served 4 of us (including two little people servings), but was very rich and could have served six with less piggy appetites. 

Til next time. 

CC

Sunday afternoon baking

With the wind blowing and colds taking up residence in the house I got my bake on with some quick easy Apple Butterscotch Scones. Excellent way to warm up and use an apple that was starting to go a bit brown!!!

Normally my scones are pretty crumbly, which is as far as I'm concerned how they are supposed to be...but these have a more cakey consistency which I'm happy to go with this time around.

Apple Butterscotch Scones

2 cups of Plain Flour and 4 tsp of Baking Powder (Or Self Raising Flour instead...normally I will replace with 1/3 wholemeal four.....but I was out).
2 T Caster Sugar
Pinch salt
80 g butter
1 cup of Buttermilk (or if you are me and never have any 1 cup of milk with 1T of vinegar).

Filling
1 Apple (peeled and grated).
2 T butter
2 T brown sugar
2 T maple syrup (or golden syrup)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add dry ingredients to bowl and stir. Rub though butter. Stir in milk. Mixture will be a bit sticky...this is OK! Empty onto a floured bench (or floured chopping board for size) and spread.

Not pretty but you get the idea.

In a separate bowl mix all filling ingredients except apple.
Spread over scone mixture.
Grate apple over the top.

Roll up, roll up!

Slice into 1 inch pieces (most recipes like this say you will get 8-10 scones.....ummm no. More like 6-8!). Use a bread knife it cuts easier (yes, that's a Belinda tip)

Mum's helper.....in between trying to shovel brown sugar in his mouth

Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush with a little extra maple syrup.

Cook on 200c for about 20 minutes. Top will be a little brown and the bottom will be a little bit crunchy.

Classy chipped china and tea bags

Serve with lashings of cream and a nice cup of tea.

Poppet, Percy and the remnants of afternoon tea.

CC

Linking up with Gingerbread this week.

Broccoli and sweet potato pie

Yep. Another pie. I think i need to change the name of this to a million things to put in pastry. 

I'm happy with this, the filo pastry is crispy, the fetta is salty and that complements the sweetness of the sweet potato nicely. The middle eastern veg has lots of cumin and coriander and other yummy spices. So, yeah happy!

Surprise, surprise I turned to Belinda Jeffery for inspiration. I picked up her latest offering Belinda Jeffery's collected recipes from the library as soon as the boss was finished with it. (I really should take it back and let others borrow it! I'll add to my pinterest board of books people should buy me if you want to know what to get me for Christmas) The middle eastern baked veg here is inspired by her Middle Eastern vegetables with chickpeas (page 133 if your interested!). I've changed the amounts a bit and omitted the eggplant and the pasta sauce she used...mainly because I had made eggplant parmagiana the night before and couldn't do something so similar so quickly (especially since I'd had the leftovers for lunch!).

From Penguin. Gotta say, I'm not a fan of the photography on the cover... especially since the photo's inside are amazing. Maybe it's just my aversion to meat? 

While still on the subject of the cookbook, go and buy it (or at least pop down to the local library and borrow it once the staff have finished with it ;-). It has some reprints of favourites like her Spicy red lentils with caper and currants (with a dressing that works on almost anything) a Slow cooked salmon with lime and lemongrass butter (that the husband is wanting to cook as soon as he can wipe the drool from his chin) and as per usual some AMAZING looking desserts (raspberry semifredo anyone?)

Now without further ado......pie!

Broccoli and Sweet Potato Pie

6 sheets of filo

2 medium sweet potato (kumara)

1 head broccoli

100g fetta

Handful of chopped dates

Cumin to taste (1 tsp?)

Crushed coriander seeds to taste (1tsp?)

Grated lemon zest (again to taste.....about 1 tsp....sorry about not being precise!)

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 180c

Peel, chop and boil sweet potato and steam the broccoli above it (I'm guessing it would taste better if it was sautéed but this is faster). Remove broccoli when still green and firm. Cook sweet potato until a fork goes through it. Drain

When both cooked empty into a bowl (or the saucepan if your as washing up adverse as me). Stir though spices, fetta and dates. 

I used a cake tin to bake this as that's what I have at the moment. You could go all fancy and use a pie dish. 

Line base of tin with baking paper. Spread sheets over dish so that the ends are sticking way over the edge. (Oil between layers). Add veg mixture and folder pastry over the top. Brush with oil. 

Cook until brown. (About 25 mins)

Middle Eastern Veg

2 Carrots

1 Zucchini

1 Red capsicum

1 Onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup canned chickpeas

lemon juice

Olive oil

Natural yoghurt, coriander, parsely (optional)

Chop veg add to baking dish, pour over oil and spices and swish around the tray. Cook for 1/2 hr at 220c (stir halfway). Add chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add lemon juice and herbs. Add a drizzle of yp and would serve yoghurt when you plate it. Om nom nom (really good with an amber ale or a glass of red!)

Note: alter the veg in this to whatever is in season. The whole thing was super cheap and would serve 4 adults. 

Spiced roasted vegetable and lentil soup

I started making soup the other day by roasting some vegetables and then sat down to have a flick through this months Delicious. Two minutes later I was up and tweaking my soup with something inspired by the flavours of James Walt's Butternut pumpkin soup with spiced creme fraiche. Apparently his restaurant Araxi is one of the best in Canada (it says it in the article so it must be true). Anyway his soup is on the cover of this months magazine and mine looks....a bit special (mainly due to blurry photos). I know there is some sort of bloggy rule about not including blur, but I have decided to whack it up anyway as it just tastes so damn good!

The original recipe looks great and easy to follow...but as per usual I didn't have most of the ingredients so this is what you get instead.

Spiced roast vegetable and lentil soup

Roast vegetables (use whatever variations you have)
3 Carrots
1/3 Kent pumpkin
2-3 Sweet Potatoes
1 Red Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Garam Marsala
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Cumin
3/4 Cup Red lentils
4 cups of stock (add more water if needed)

Use about this many vegies!

Chop vegies and roast in a large roasting pan with a glug of olive oil, cumin and garam marsala. Roast in a moderate oven until cooked (you know what I mean, brown and smooshy) about 45 mins.

When cooked transfer to a stock pot with stock and lentils. Cook on a medium heat until lentils are cooked through (about 45 mins). Wizz! (With a stick blender or transfer to normal blender). Add a little hot water if too hot. 

Serve with Yogurt / Sour Cream and Crusty bread. 

Super blurry photo due to haste at eating while hot!

Walt's recipe was served with a spiced creme fraiche, which I never buy unless its on special. What I had in the fridge was home made yoghurt and some low fat sour cream. So this is what you get.

Spiced Sour Cream and Yoghurt
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
2 Tbsp Yogurt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

Mix together and put in fridge for an hour.

I used the leftovers of this the next day on a jacket potato wit lashings of cheese, yum!

Love Pie

Since its well and truly on the way to winter I'm finding more and more meals I am cooking are of the comfort variety. I love pie, its easy, and sooo comforting!

This recipe owes a lot to Veggie num num. I didn't have all the ingredients so came up with this instead.
Despite being vego it has to be the meatiest pie I have made. Mr CC kept stoking on the gravy and polished it off in about two minutes flat.

And yes, this is made in a love heart cake tin.......my pie dish broke a while back and I have been too lazy to replace it.
Enjoy!

Mushroom and Lentil Pie
Pastry (enough for pie and top).
Surprise surprise I used Belinda Jeffery's Shortcrust recipe. The pastry from veggie num num above looks pretty good, or use your own (or just buy some).

For the filling
500g  mushrooms, diced. (I used flat)
1 leek
1 clove garlic
Splash red wine
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1Tbsp flour
1 can brown lentils
sage
rosemary
1 dollop sour cream

Brown leek in a sauté pan in some olive oil on a medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until mushrooms start to brown. Add lentils. Add a generous splash of red wine (and some for yourself!). Mix the stock and flour together and add to pan. Add herbs to taste and put on a low heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until gravy has started to reduce. Stir sour cream through just before spooning into pie.

Line pie dish with pastry, add mushroom mixture, put on a pastry lid and brush with milk and bung it in the oven on about 180c for about 30 minutes.


While at the farmers market I managed to score a bunch of heirloom carrots! They are so pretty, I wanted to stick them in a vase. I also managed to get the last bunch of baby asparagus. I usually use foil in the recipe below, but didn't have any, hence I get to go all masterchef wanky and call in something that sounds remotely french and fancy. I also served it with some potatoes in olive oil and rosemary (hmmm, what fancy words can I call that?)

Honey Carrots and Baby Asparagus in papier. 
1 bunch of carrots
1 bunch of baby asparagus
T butter
T honey
sprinkle thyme

Wrap all ingredients in foil or baking paper.

Wack in the oven for about 45 minutes on 180c.

OK. Not the prettiest pictures ever...but hey, I have 2 kids under 3 and I'd rather dinner was hot. 

What comfort foods do you crave?

I love Belinda Jeffery

Of course I've never met her and this is completely based on her food. But I do.
I love the way her books give me an insight into her past. I love the photography of the food that I KNOW is still edible even after being under studio lights. How do know...well, because it's Belinda's cooking it has to be.

Most of all I just love the food and the way her recipe's just work.

Mix and Bake is the most useful cookbook I have come across. I used 3 (yes 3!) of its recipes as my wedding cake, her scones are MY scones and as is the case with the following recipe, you can make some tweaks and generally not stuff things up.

Image from Penguin

Belinda (yes I am on first name terms with all of my favourite cookbook authors Belinda, Jamie, Stephanie...) herself says that there are many variations of her "simple upside-down tomato and basil pie" and I think I try something different every time I make it.

Sometimes I halve the amount of canned tomatoes (and it still works), I sometimes replace the mustard powder with dijon or wholegrain mustard (and it still works), I never have Tabasco in the house so chuck in some chili flakes (and it still works) and most of the time I'm out of basil and will use another random herb instead and yes it still works. And of course I don't use egg and it works with "No-egg" replacer.

Tomato and Basil pie...sans basil!

In this particular version it was I added a can of cannellini beans after the tomato. I really enjoy this variation and it packs some extra protein points in.

So try it, Belinda's way, my way, your way....whatever, it still works.

CC.

New celebrity food crush

Hugh Fearnsley -Whittingstall. Your name is rather, well posh. Not really your fault I suppose. With a name like that I would expect your food to completely inaccessible. Its not, its lovely!

OK...thats enough of the fan girl. I picked up the new River Cottage Veg from work this week and it is packed full of accessible recipes that even the most ardent meat eater would love. It also explains to meat eaters WHY they should eat less meat AND is by someone that actually likes meat (as opposed to moi).

Gorgeous photos, intro's that include food sustainability without being overly preachy and fantastic food...what's not to love?

So far I've cooked a yummy baked eggplant and Porotos Granados (Chilean Bean Stew) and thinking tomorrow may be a beetroot soup. I wouldn't normally try so many new recipes a week...but they all look so good and so easy!

I made the stew with few modification......I didn't have enough corn so chucked in a red capsicum and through in a tomato....just because I thought it needed it. I also used dried oregano and bog standard paprika.

A fridge full of salmon and a koala in a gumtree

Three weeks after Christmas I'm sure everyone wants to forget about it for another year and get on with paying off the debt, so I'll keep this short.

Mini CC!

Presents were opened and parental interests were foisted on the young.

Like most people in the privileged western world we stuffed ourselves on Christmas day. Somehow for 6 adults (and 3 little people) we ended up with Ham, Turkey and Salmon sitting on the table. Add to this the salads, nibbles and deserts and I'm surprised we were able to move afterwards. 

We have recently rediscovered the joys of  potato salad  thanks to egg free mayonnaise. I know, i know if it doesn't have eggs it ain't mayo...but if it quacks.  98% fat free from Praise and I love Coles are both egg free and vegan too! (Aldi is egg free but has rennet).........so anyway the point is I got to eat potato salad for three days. 

Despite living in Australia, this is the first Koala I have seen in the wild. No they are not on every street corner. 

Uninvited dinner guest

We also had three days of salmon thanks to the smallest fish available being 4kg! And so the creative use of leftovers begins! 

I cooked the salmon pretty simply in the first place (giant roasting dish, butter, lemon dill, splash of white wine) so was able to turn the leftovers into pasta, pie and pancakes. Om nom nom!!!

Salmon pie and pumpkin scones

Since the Christmas season brings my parents and my brothers birthday I also used the great old style kitchen to make pumpkin scones for a birthday brunch. I love Belinda Jeffery's recipe  although I seldom use buttermilk and usually use milk with a tablespoon of vinegar. My scones have come out a little flat after I ran out of baking powder (arrowroot and a bit of extra bicarb seemed to work as a substitute) however they still tasted great!

The salmon pancakes were super easy. We just used the regular pancake recipe and chucked in some salmon! Served with a dollop of sour cream and some chives they were a decadent brunch. 

Salmon Pancakes

The salmon pie was another easy one. A simple shortcrust pastry, top with a salmon mornay and they some mashed potatoes. I'll write out a proper recipe for this later (it's a fall back that we eat variations of regularly)

Vintage 70's thrifted skirt and matching Christmas pressies (not deliberate I swear!)

Happy washer-upperer

Thats it for Christmas!! Hope yours was just as great as ours!

Not so silly..........

So this years season can be considered pretty straight in the silly terms. Guess that's what happens when the midgets begin to rule your world.

This year we went to visit my folks on the mid north coast and despite the weather (yep, go north for the weather and end up with rain!) had a brilliant week of family and feasting.

We stayed in National trust listed house with tonnes of vintage style, took advantage of the crap weather and did lots of cooking and spent time being a family without the pressures of the day to day.

Cooking Pancakes

Morning started with pancakes...made by the incredible husband. He does pancakes much better than me...I cook most of the time, but his pancakes blow mine out of the water. So here is his recipe.








Ricotta Pancakes 

2 cups flour (1 plain, 1 wholemeal)
2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups milk
3 healthy dollops of ricotta with a tablespoon
2 eggs or No egg substitute

Dump it in a bowl, mix it up, don't get fancy with it. Heat your hotplate to halfway on the dial, ladle palm sized servings into a hot buttered frying pan and replace butter as it gets soaked up. Flip when they pancakes start to bubble on top. Don't screw around, commit and flip.

Serve with lashings of everything but especially maple syrup.

This time we had berries, usually its bananas.

New Christmas tradition

Presents followed and after Nanny, Poppy and my brother and his little family arrived we got down to the serious business of eating. Ham and Turkey for the meat eaters and a 4kg Salmon for the not really vegetarians.

Now which one is mine.......all of them!

I love cranky monkey face!

Stay tuned for more exciting Xmas!!!!

Back off bugs

I've been on a carrot hit the last week, mainly as carrots are cheap, I'm stingy and they are quite easy to whack in food without Chuckles noticing. So we have had wraps, stir-fries and finally cake. Although by the time I made it to cake I was running out of carrots and had to supplement with zucchini, which is also cheap and easy to whack in food without Chuckles noticing. The result was an amazing moist fruity cake that if you left off the cream cheese icing would be vegan. I am not vegan so I piled the icing to the sky. Yum!

As you can see Poppet enjoyed her first experience with cake batter.

It also seems that I am pushing carrots on the kids through this years Christmas book. Every year I try and buy a Christmas themed book. I remember being read  A Christmas Carol as a child and to this day Dickens remains a favourite. This years book follows everyone's favourite wombat on a Christmas adventure. 

Image from Harper Collins

Having been on maternity leave this year I haven't kept as up too date with recent publications as I would like, so was pleasantly surprised when I encountered this read by a dear friend at a recent storytime. I rushed out and bought it the next day and am pleased to day that it been read at least once a day this week!

Carrotty Fruity Cake

2 cups of flour

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups grated carrot 

1  cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup oil

1/2 banana

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sultanas / chopped dates

1/2 cup walnuts

Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to taste.

Preheat oven 180c

Line smallish round tin (large loaf tin would probably also work)

Combine dry ingredients

Add carrot, oil, banana, vanilla and juice.  Stir until just combined.

Add fruit, nuts and spice.

Bake approx. 45 minutes. 

Leave in tin for 5 minutes and then turn on to wire rack to cool. Be careful when turning out as it has a tendency to break.

When cool top with cream cheese icing. 

xxCC

A whole lotta lemon

A friend popped over last week bearing a whole lotta lemons from her tree which sparked a serious lemon meringue pie craving. No  problem....whip up some eggs and STOP! Egg is a bit of a swear word in our house thanks to little Mr Anaphylaxis.
Chuckles (aged almost 2.5) has egg and peanut allergies much to my amazement (those things are supposed to happen to other peoples kids!). As a result we are an egg free house which can be annoying when you love baking. It really hasn't changed things that much in the scheme of things, I adapt recipes, we don't eat fritatta and every now and then my husband and I dump Chuckles in childcare and have a naughty breakfast in a cafe with lots of poached eggs. Some parents have a cheeky drink, we have a cheeky eggs bene.

Anyway this is what I came up with to satisfy the lemon craving. Sweetened condensed milk mixed with lemon and shoved between puff pastry, mmmmm!

Lemon Tartlets

1/2 tin sweetened condensed milk
Lemon juice to taste (abut 2?)
Puff Pastry
Fresh fruit..Banana, Strawberries, Kiwi Fruit.

Grease a muffin tin and place rough circles of pastry in tins. These should be blind baked, but I was far too lazy, so if you don't mind them "rustic" don't bother. Brush with milk and bake for about 10 minutes or until brown.

Mix sweetened condensed milk with lemons tasting often to achieve correct lemony taste.  Whack it it the fridge. Once pastry cases are filled top with lemon mixture, fruit and serve with cream or ice cream for dessert.

They taste better if you let them sit in the fridge overnight...if you can. I think they would make a great addition to a high tea.

Matchsticks

Lemon curd as above
Whipped cream
Puff pastry
Sugar

Grate a little lemon rind over puff pastry and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until lightly golden (10 minutes). Once cool spread lemon and cream between puff pastry. Three tiered high. Eat! (A little messy but yum!)