Sugar et al, Author at Sugar et al

No-Bake Mocha Peppermint Cheesecake

12|11|2014

I know I have to step up my fitness regime. I can foresee two whole months of eating too much cake, cookies and indulgent treats. I have to make them and if there isn’t enough room in the fridge, someone has to make room for them. Someone who thinks she could hug them if they were real. Or showcase them in a museum.

It’s really hard for me to decide if I like a no-bake cheesecake than the baked version. But I do find it a bit easier to put together and without eggs,it is lighter in texture than it’s baked counterpart. In this recipe I’ve used my favourite chocolate cheesecake ingredients, added coffee to it for a mocha flavour and folded in crushed candy cane for a touch of Peppermint. Then I have topped the cheesecake with more crushed candy cane and pink sprinkles.And that’s all. Easy peasy. But the flavours are good together. Peppermint isn’t really my favourite but Mocha is. You have complete control over how subtle or strong you want the peppermint to be in the cheesecake.The candy cane tends to become sticky after crushing so my advice would be to not do this too much ahead in time.

There are quite a few food-porn-ish cakes in the making now. One more resting in the fridge begging to be photographed. And then the one I am most excited about…for the twin’s fifth birthday. We decided to take a small vacation during that time so the cake will be made and cut in advance at home. We plan to have a store bought one on the actual birthday so whichever way it is, there’s going to be a lot of cake. Along with happy faces.

No-Bake Mocha Peppermint Cheesecake
Serves 8-10

200 g chocolate cookies
70 g unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp hot milk
2 tsp powdered gelatine
11/2 tsp instant coffee
10-12 candy canes (crushed with a rolling pin inside a ziplock bag)
200 g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
500 g cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup thickened cream
cocoa powder, to sprinkle

Grease a 19 cm round Springform pan. Line the base and sides with baking paper.
Place the cookies in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix to combine. Using your fingertips, press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Pour milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle over gelatine. add the instant coffee. Using a fork, whisk until gelatine and coffee are dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugars in a large bowl until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Add the melted and cooled chocolate and gelatine mixture to the whipped cream. Fold in to blend till smooth.

Add the chocolate-cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Fold in gradually till mixed. Next, add 1/2 the crushed candy cane (reserving the rest for the topping) and fold in. Spoon over the base of the cookie mixture. Smooth out the surface with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Cover. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Sprinkle generously with cocoa. Top with crushed candy cane.

Herbed Ricotta, Cranberry Chutney and Duchess Potato Tart

8|11|2014

I don’t have a Thanksgiving but that has never stopped me from being a part of the celebrations. The events leading up to Christmas have brought me joy since I was in school. Even as a little girl my eyes would light up when I saw the trees on display, the tinsel, glittery ornaments, the fairy lights and the Christmas sales. At school we learnt about the different traditions and I embraced them with wide open arms. When I came to live in Australia I thought I might like to live inside the shops during Christmas. Having a food blog makes it a bonus for me. It allows for the planning and preparations to begin well in advance. And I am so up for it.

Would you believe me if I told you that it took me less than 15 minutes to put this together? I have cheated a bit on this tart…okay more than a bit to simply things. Unlike my usual recipes, I have used a few store bought ingredients, put them together and the result is something that can be a centre-piece on the table without spending hours in the kitchen.

There are 3 layers in this tart. A layer of caramelised onion and cranberry chutney, a herbed ricotta layer and the duchess potato on top. To speed up the process, I used a store bought tart case. To get a smooth pipeable potato mash without the effort, I used Instant mash which is basically nothing but dried potato flakes. To make great mashed potatoes at home, I may not use or recommend it but in this tart, it does not matter. To be honest, it makes life easier. You can of course, make your own from scratch if you want to. The caramelised onion and cranberry chutney packs a lot of flavour into the tart. Any home made or store bought chutney would do but I picked up cranberry to make it festive. Caramelised onion chutney or relish is available in most if not all supermarkets in Australia.
After this, we just mix, layer and bake.

Notes: The brand of Instant Mash I used, was already seasoned so I didn’t have to season separately. Most often they don’t need it but please do check on your package. I used a frozen tart shell that was already pre-baked. In case you are making your own pastry, you will need to pre -bake it before following the recipe. If you want more browning on top, put the tart for a few minutes under the broiler of your oven.

Herbed Ricotta, Cranberry Chutney and Duchess Potato Tart
Serves 6-8

1 store bought tart shell (I used frozen)
1 cup Caramelised Onion and Cranberry Chutney
400 g fresh ricotta
2 eggs, lightly whisked
a handful fresh herbs (parsley, mint, thyme, oregano), finely chopped
salt and pepper, to season
2 cups Instant Mash powder, cooked according to package directions
2 tbsp butter (room temparature)
2 egg yolks (reserve a tablespoon for brushing on top later)
Extra chutney, to drizzle on top
Fresh thyme to garnish

Preheat the oven to 170 degreec C.
Spread the Caramelised Onion and Cranberry Chutney on the base of the tart shell. In a medium bowl, mix together the Ricotta, eggs and mixed herbs.Season. Spoon over the chutney and spread evenly.

Add the butter and egg yolks to the Instant mashed potatoes and mix to blend. Fit a piping bag with a large round tip and fill in the mashed potatoes. Do this in two batches for ease of piping. Pipe rounds on top of the ricotta layer to uniformly cover the entire tart. Brush with egg yolks. Sprinkle with fresh thyme.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are crisp and browned and ricotta is set in the centre. Remove from oven. Drizzle with chutney. Serve with salad on the side.

Lucky Smart Snax + Giveaway

6|11|2014

Like many people, the last quarter of the year is my favourite time of the year. The festivities actually start right from October for me when I am getting ready for Diwali and probably end after I have finished wishing everyone a Happy New Year. In between there is a lot of cooking, eating, gifting and a whole lot of activity in my kitchen. Irrespective of the cuisine or mode of cooking, one thing that compulsorily finds its way into my pantry are nuts. Nuts are handy because they can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. From an Indian Badami Murgh (Almond Chicken) to my favourite pesto-s and all the nut-meal enriched cakes in between, I am constantly snacking on nuts while working on a recipe. So I was delighted when I got an opportunity to review Lucky Smart Snax and discovered their fabulous range of snacking nuts and seeds.

Lucky is a well known brand in Australia and I have been using their products in cooking/baking since the time I have stepped foot in Sydney. You cannot miss their products when you are walking past the Nut and Dried Fruit aisle in the supermarkets. The Lucky Smart Snax range has now been extended to include 6 new products. Each of these products have been specifically formulated to meet individual needs. These delicious mixes are a smart way to snack when hunger strikes. The resealable bags make it perfect to store it in your home, car or office which means you can enjoy the healthy nutritional benefits of nuts anywhere!

Dont’ forget to checkout the Lucky Nuts website for more information.

Here are the 6 Lucky Smart Snax Range products that I have sampled. Each of them are consistent in quality, packaging and taste.

Lucky Smart Snax Digestive – Oven Roasted Almonds, Peanuts, Hazelnuts, Cranberries, Sunflower Kernels and Pepitas. This pack s a source of dietary fibre to help maintain a healthy digestive system.

Lucky Smart Snax Recovery – Oven Roasted Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews and Pepitas. A good source of protein, a vital nutrient that is important for body systems, growth, muscle development and recovery from exercise.

Lucky Smart Snax Women- Cashews, Almonds, Brazil Nuts and Walnuts. This product has been formulated keeping in mind the busy lives that Women lead today and the nutrients that we need in our bodies to deal with our day to day demands. It is a source of Vitamin E, iron and good monounsaturated fat, as well as calcium folate and selenium. This is such a great idea!

Lucky Smart Snax Cardio – Almonds, Sultanas, Cranberries and Blueberries. This is a delicious mix of natural almonds and berries – to keep you pumping through each day.

Lucky Smart Snax Power – Oven Roasted Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts and Dark Chocolate. Gives a boost of natural energy. The mix of oven roasted peanuts, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts combined with dark chocolate make this a perfect snack to help you power through each day. Now, if you know me, I am slightly biased towards this one. Nuts and Chocolate…you know where I get all the energy from-)

Lucky Smart Snax Low Carb – Brazil Nuts, Peanuts, Pepitas, Almonds and Walnuts. This one is a tasty mix of nuts and seeds that is perfect for people watching their intake of carbohydrates. Nuts and seeds are one of nature’s super snacks and fit perfectly in a balanced diet.

All these products are availablele at Coles, Woolworths and independent supermarkets – IN THE DRIED FRUIT & NUT AISLE along with other Lucky nut baking products.

Giveaway : There is a giveaway for one reader lucky of Sugar et al comprising of a Lucky Smart Snax Hamper (including all 6 products). All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me:

Which Lucky Smart Snax Product is your favourite and why?
Good Luck!

Rules of the giveaway :

This is open to Australian Residents only
The giveaway closes on 14th November 2014 midnight
Please do not forget to leave your email behind for me to contact you if you are the winner.

Disclaimer: Sugar et al. would like to thank Lucky and Nuffnang for this opportunity and for sending me these wonderful products. All opinions expressed in the post are entirely my own.

Cauliflower Steaks With Chilli, Lemon And Nut Salsa

4|11|2014

We are quite fortunate to be able to cook with cauliflower all year round in Sydney. This was not the case where I grew up. Cauliflower was seasonal and even though one would find them in bigger markets, they would not taste great. My mother would want to buy the ones that were sold on the roadside, straight off the fields and she seemed very pleased if she could get her hands on them. We knew what we would be eating that night. They would be turned into a curry or a stir-fry with plenty of spices. I always loved cauliflower, whatever the dish. It was much later that I discovered that it tasted delicious even when it was cooked in the oven. And a lot healthier.

This dish is as simple as it looks. Take a whole cauliflower head and slice it into steaks. I love that word…steak! Makes dinner sound very exciting. Brown them slightly on a pan and roast them. Then you can go with a salsa, dressing or a sauce of your choice. I chose to make a salsa as I came across a wonderful assortment of roasted nuts that I reviewed recently (that will be published next on the blog). I wanted the cauliflower and nuts to shine in the recipe so I kept the flavours simple. But they really go well together and make the dish a wonderful side to be served to family and friends.

I had a chaotic morning today as my site went down completely. If you were one of those trying to access my posts, I apologise for the inconvenience. Initially I had no clue what went wrong. I was performing a normal update operation when the screen went white. After that neither could I login nor view any of my content. I don’t take pride in the fact that I have very little technical expertise in such matters so like always I called up my husband, my backbone. Hubby is not an expert either but he enjoys a few challenges. It was a busy day for him as well, yet he managed to quickly send me a few trouble shooting links. I did not get much from those but I realised that I had to resolve this. Alone. My blog…my beloved blog had to be up and running again. I was almost terrified at the thought of losing my content. Finally, I googled up help topics,watched a few videos and contacted Bluehost, (where I host my website). After what seemed like a lot of exchange of messages the blog came back to life. Apparently it was an issue with a plug-in. They had to deactivate all my plug-ins to restore the site. It was a huge relief even though I knew I would have to manage all my plug-ins and widgets all over again. The only reason I am sharing this is so it could help someone in a similar situation.

I hope you all are having a fabulous week. Two days hence, we have Orientation Day for our boys in their new school. I am excited but also a little sad.
Motherhood is amazing….it is so much about self-discovery as much as it is about nurturing minds and bodies.

Cauliflower Steaks with Chilli, Lemon and Nut Salsa
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large cauliflower head , cut cross-ways into four 1.5 cm-thick pieces
salt and pepper. to season
1/2 cup roasted nuts (I used a mix of almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts)
2 cloves garlic
2 red chillies
1/4 cup green olives
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a large baking trays with foil. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 cauliflower pieces to the pan. Cook, turning, for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a prepared tray. Season. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and cauliflower pieces. Roast cauliflower for 12-15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, combine the nuts, garlic, chillies, olives, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, oregano in the bowl of your food processor and process till the ingredients are roughly chopped (not a fine paste).

Transfer the cauliflower to a platter. Top with the chilli, lemon and nut salsa..