dessert Archives - Page 51 of 57

No Bake Caramelised White Chocolate Cheesecake. And a Blog Birthday.

22|02|2014

I wanted to start this post by saying Thank You! It’s been a year only, yet I feel I have done this all my life. I don’t remember having a single day in this year that I didn’t enjoy coming up with recipes, styling them, photographing them and blogging about them. And this experience has certainly left a desire in me to do more. To create, share, bond, grow!

This has been such an eventful phase in my life. Exploring blogging and uncovering a whole new world out there while discovering facets of my own personality that were unknown to me. I came across incredible bloggers who inspired me every day. I found friendship across the globe. So many of them made me feel like I’d go out for coffee with them every other day had we been aligned geographically.

Caramelised White Chocolate is my favourite thing in the world. I created a recipe around it during my first few days of blogging and have been wanting to do another one ever since. So I thought it was only appropriate that I make a cake around that. If you are new to caramelised white chocolate, it’s the most delicious thing one can taste. The chocolate caramelises on cooking slowly in the oven and turns into a light brown shade. It is very similar in taste to Dulce de Leche. I use David Lebovitz’s method of making this and have had success each and every time.

Putting the cheesecake together is a breeze. I made the base out of chocolate cookies. Then it’s a matter of mixing the components and placing it in the refrigerator to set. I contemplated the addition of a dark chocolate ganache topping. I wanted the white chocolate to shine in the recipe so I skipped the ganache and added a good dusting of cocoa. Good enough to look like a layer on top. We are enjoying berry season at the moment so it was easy for me to visualise my cheesecake. But if you don’t want to use berries, use shavings of dark chocolate, Maltesers (or a mix of other candies) or pretty swirls of whipped cream.

There is more cake coming up on my blog. The celebration has just started. Well to be honest, I am all for Sugar. I love cakes and desserts. But I have to think about how to get them finished since I don’t allow my pre-schoolers to indulge…let’s say over-indulge. Now, with family around there is enough reason to bake cakes.

Thank you once again for the wonderful year gone by. I am so excited to have started another one with you..another year of Sugar…..et al!

No Bake Caramelised White Chocolate Cheesecake with Berries
Serves 8-10

220 g chocolate cookies
50g butter, melted
2 tbsp. boiling water
3 teaspoons gelatine powder
300 ml thickened or heavy cream
500g cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp. Castor sugar (more if you prefer it sweeter, taste as you go)
1 cup caramelised white chocolate (recipe from David Lebovitz, here)
generous dusting of cocoa powder, to serve
Berries, to serve (or chocolate shavings, chocolate ganache or whipped cream)

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 boiling water into a small bowl. Sprinkle over gelatine. Using a fork, whisk until gelatine is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add in the caramelised white chocolate and combine. Stir gelatine mixture through cream cheese mixture to combine. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold through cream in the cream cheese mixture, gradually. 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. Serve with berries.

Grapes with Orange Creme Anglaise (Custard) and Hazelnuts

6|02|2014

They are beautiful…versatile.. and easily available. They are great for you. And since ancient times they have been associated with romance. But I wonder if they get the love that they deserve. When we picturise a pretty fruity dessert, we think of berries, stone fruits, figs and so on.
Grapes? Not really. To be honest, I never did. So considering that this is the month of love, I thought I’d give them some dessert love.

Crème Anglaise is my favourite dessert sauce in the world. I have tried out hundreds of combinations over the years and I find nothing as fancy carrying a dessert tray with fruits or cake and a little jug of Crème Anglaise on the side to be poured by the person it is being served to. It’s very restaurant-like to put it down in front of your guests. And mind you, I do it in style and enjoy all the curiosity and attention it generates. Go ahead, try it. A word of caution, though. If you are serving it for a crowd, make sure you pour them into individual pots or serving glasses. You don’t want your diners fighting over a jug of crème anglaise. But now since we are talking Valentines’s day, sharing is allowed. In fact, it is encouraged!

I have forever used David Lebovitz’s recipe as the base recipe for Crème Anglaise. Depending on the chosen flavours, I add or take away. He is a genius, isn’t he? His recipes always work for me. For this dessert, I have halved the recipe and that should make a cup of Crème Anglaise. Initially, I wanted to ‘brandy’ the grapes but I had already used Cointreau in the custard. You can leave out the liqueur if you want to. Cointreau or any other orange liqueur contributes a more intense orange flavour to the custard. The custard can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.

Grapes with Orange Crème Anglaise (Custard) and Hazelnuts
Serves 2

1 cup seedless red grapes
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts
1 cup Crème Anglaise (recipe below)
Icing sugar to dust.

Divide the grapes and toasted hazelnuts between two serving glasses. Pour over chilled Crème Anglaise. Dust with icing sugar. Serve

Orange Crème Anglaise
1 cups (250 ml) whole milk
4 tbsp. sugar
zest of two medium oranges
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp. Cointreau or any other orange liquor (optional)

Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the sugar.

Grate the zest of the oranges directly into the milk. Warm gently, then remove from heat, cover, and let steep for one hour.

When ready to cook the custard, make an ice bath by putting ice cubes and a small amount of cold water into a large bowl and resting a smaller metal or glass bowl in the ice. Set a fine mesh strainer over the top.

Whisk the yolks in a separate small bowl.

Gently rewarm the milk, then slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the custard begins to thicken and coats the spatula.

Immediately strain the custard into the bowl set over ice, pressing the zest in the strainer to extract as much flavor as possible, then discard.

Stir the custard until cool. When the Crème Anglaise is cooling, grate a few swipes of fresh orange zest into the custard, which looks nice and adds a touch more orange flavour. If you’d like, add a spoonful of orange-flavoured liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

Milk Chocolate and Ginger Baked Custards

24|01|2014

One of the significant things that has changed ever since I started blogging is the way ‘days’ have assumed an importance in my life. I guess it’s because I have so many to share it with. It makes me feel belonged…makes me feel like a part of the food blogging community. And very responsible too. I certainly don’t start a countdown but I make a mental note if a celebratory day is coming up.

And when the occasion or theme is love, (Valentine’s Day) it is equally easy and difficult to come up with something. At home there is no major fan fare… we express love for each other through food. That’s convenient and enjoyable too. It’s like any other day save that there will be more food on the table. Favourite dishes. Not necessary, home cooked. A Chinese takeaway or even a good pizza. And dessert for sure! One of the rare opportunities to force a dessert on my other half. I grab the opportunity with both hands.

The key to a good Valentine’s day dessert for me is based on 3 principles- make-ahead, chilled and spiced. Add chocolate to it and I am ready with a recipe. I know there’s going to be dark chocolate everywhere so my pick is Milk chocolate. Milk chocolate can be really sweet but when balanced with spice or a tart fruit, it can turn into the most exotic flavour. I am yet to take a count of the number of ginger recipes I have in my blog and I am yet to outgrow my love for it. Possibly never! My very first blog post happened to be a ginger infused sweet. Which brings us back to the topic of love. Love for ingredients…love for flavours..love for cooking…love for desserts! I shall reserve that topic for another upcoming celebratory day in my life. My blog anniversary.

These custard pots are one of the simplest things to bake. Little effort and grand results. If you haven’t tried out this combination before, it’s really worth a try. Sweet, creamy with earthy notes of ginger. In case you haven’t attempted a baked custard before, the cooking takes place in two stages. The first during baking and the second while refrigeration. To get the right consistency, that is smooth and creamy you need to remove the ramekins from the oven while the centres are not completely set..slightly wobbly. The edges would be firm. You can check this by giving the ramekins a gentle shake. The custards will totally set once they chill in the refrigerator. Needless to say they are Gluten free and Paleo.

This recipe makes 4 servings. Perfect for our family of four. If you are making it for yourself and your date, lucky you! Because chances are high that you’ll be going in for seconds. I happily polish off the remaining from my little ones if they struggle to finish it.

Milk Chocolate and Ginger Baked Custards
Serves 4

11/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
100g good-quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp. castor sugar (more if you require it sweeter)
2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
Raspberries or any fruit of your choice to serve
Whipped Cream, to serve (optional)

Preheat oven to 150 degrees C.

Combine cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat. Add chocolate and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir till smooth.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar and spices in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Pour the warm cream mixture over the egg yolk mixture, little at a time whisking constantly until smooth. Take care not to add the entire cream to the eggs together as it can overcook the eggs resulting in scrambled eggs.

Divide the custard into four lightly-greased, ramekins or ovenproof cups. Place in a deep baking tray. Pour boiling water into baking tray until halfway up sides of ramekins.

Bake custards, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until just set (while the centres are slightly jiggly when shaken). Remove from the oven and take the ramekins out of the water bath. Leave to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with fruit and/or whipped cream.

The custards can be made up to 3 days in advance. and stored in the refrigerator.

Lemon Delicious Pudding

22|01|2014

When life gives you lemons what do you do? Do you make lemonade or lemon curd? Or Nimbu Paani?
Well, life didn’t give me lemons. Or melons. I had to get them myself. All the way from the markets. The markets are not that far away but it’s a rainy day. Have I told you how unpredictable our weather is! Thankfully, the pudding is not. It is very much the way it is and totally lives up to its name.

Australia Day (26th January) is one holiday I really look forward to. The date especially has always been special because that also happens to be Republic Day in India and I have great memories of fun wintry things I used to do on this holiday. I take this day as a great opportunity to whip up some of the Aussie classic sweet treats at home. I find it hard to decide which one as I love every one of them. The Pav is a must every year. Last year I also made the sticky date pudding. This year I debated between the golden syrup dumplings and the lemon delicious pudding. Finally, I realised I could do without the dumplings as I am lately looking like one myself. Seriously, I am almost embarrassed not to be joining the army of fit and health conscious people marching along the water side in my area while I am sitting and looking up recipes on my mobile.

I am not sure how the pudding got its name but I know that all the people I have made this for till date have told me they loved it. This is a self saucing pudding. Meaning, the pudding separates during the cooking process into a light cakey top and a thick lemon sauce below. All you need to ensure is that you don’t overcook it otherwise you won’t be left with enough lemon sauce. The flavours and textures are a treat. The recipe is also fairly simple. If you are a person who is intimidated by egg whites like I used to be years ago, put your worries aside. We are looking for soft peaks..where the peaks are just starting to form and fall back when the beaters are lifted. Other than that, it is all about adding and stirring. The baking takes place in a water bath..like a crème Brule. I have divided the batter into 4 individual baking cups and an oval baking dish (to give you a clear view how it looks on the inside). You can make them in individual ramekins. That way it’s easier to serve.

I also wanted to share with you that this is one pudding which tastes amazing, warm or cold. So many reasons to make this. I hope you give it a try.

Lemon Delicious Pudding (adapted with a slight variation from Taste.com)
Serves 6

150g unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/4 cups castor sugar
3/4 cup self-raising flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup plain flour + 3/4 tsp baking powder)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used semi skim)
4 eggs, separated
Icing sugar , to dust

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan-forced) Grease six 1 cup-capacity oven-proof dishes.

Place butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, flour, milk and egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on high-speed until soft peaks form. Using a metal spoon, fold one-quarter of the egg white into lemon mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg white.

Spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Place dishes in a large baking dish. Pour boiling water into baking dish until halfway up sides of smaller dishes. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and just set. If you want a brown crust on top, put the oven on the grill mode for an additional 5 minutes. Dust with icing sugar. Serve.