The Perfect Baked Blueberry Mascarpone Cheesecake

As you have probably all surmised by now, I love to feed the missionaries from our church and I do it fairly often. I think it's because I miss having a home filled with young people . . . a leftover from my days as a mum to five hungry teens . . . it's also be cause I really respect and love the missionaries and have a great heart and love for their cause and I like to do whatever I can to help them out.



I also love to cook and well . . . you know how it is . . . when you are cooking for your husband you have a tendency to cook the same things . . . and it's always nice to have company so that you can stretch your wings a bit and cook something different!



I did a Cottage Pie today for the lads, using my ragu recipe for the base and a parmigiana mash for the topping . . . along with a variety of vegetables from the garden, some coleslaw and some rolls . . . hearty food, just perfect for two strapping lads and the Toddster . . .



I wanted to make a special dessert and I came across the perfect one in this the August issue of Delicious Magazine . . . a recipe for a deliciously indulgent cheesecake with blueberries and mascarpone cheese. I had all the ingredients in and so I went for it.



It turned out gorgeous, if I don't say so myself. Beautifully coloured and chock full of beautiful berries . . .



Something bad happened to it though . . . you know that little minx we have living with us, otherwise known as Mitzie? Well . . . whilst the cheesecake was cooling down in the oven with the door propped open, that naughty little girl proceeded to eat about a third off the top of it!

(Who me? Little Innocent me???)

I was so annoyed with her! There was no way that I could find my way to feeding the missionaries a cheesecake that a dog had tampered with . . . sigh . . .

And so I did what any other self respecting dog owner would do (after I gave the little madame old heck of course!). I drove to the store and picked up a box of Krispy Kremes. I hope that they like them.

Oh who am I kidding??? Young lads and Krispy Kremes . . . Of course they will like them!! (I did have a taste of the cheesecake and it was indeed very scrummy. Todd and I will enjoy the rest. We are not afraid of dog germs, or at least OUR dog germs!)



*The Perfect Baked Blueberry Mascarpone Cheesecake*
Serves 12
Printable Recipe

Perfectly creamy, rich and oh so delicious! Adapted from Delicious Magazine.

3 1/2 TBS butter, melted
200g stem ginger biscuits, crushed (22 small rectangular biscuits)
1 tsp vanilla paste
400g of Mascarpone Cheese (about 1 3/4 cup)
350g of cream cheese (about 1 1/2 cup)
125g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)
2 TBS cornflour (cornstarch)
3 large free range eggs
the grated zest of one small orange
300g of fresh blueberries (3 cups)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 1/2 to 10 inch spring form pan.

Mix the melted butter with the biscuit crumbs, combining well. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.

Measure the vanilla, both cheeses, sugar, cornflour, eggs and orange zest in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended. Fold in 3/4 of the berries. Pour into the chilled crust. Scatter the remaining berries over top, pushing them down into the mixture a bit. Place the pan on top of a baking sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until golden brown and almost set. It should still jiggle a bit in the centre, but this will firm up upon standing. Turn the oven off and open the oven door. Allow to cool completey in the oven before removing it from the tin. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Serve cut into slices.

Spicy Coconut Shrimp Bisque – It's the Besh!

This spicy coconut shrimp bisque recipe was inspired by a similar soup I saw Chef John Besh make during a demo I attended at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. As I watched him make it, I couldn't wait to get back to San Francisco to give it a try.

How close is this to his version? I have no idea, as I was drunk on tequila. Besides the coconut milk, I can barely remember what he put in it. After doing a pre-show shot with his assistants, Besh jokingly instructed the floor staff to pour the audience a shot. Minutes later, much to his delight, shots of tequila were distributed throughout the room.

Just that would have made for an amusing anecdote, but it didn't stop there. By the time the demo ended 45 minutes later, we had enjoyed five rounds of drinks, with Besh and his sous chef more than keeping pace. Remarkably, when the show ended, the well-oiled chef had managed to produce a seriously delicious looking bisque with dumplings. What a show off.

Anyway, I know it's been a while since I posted a real video recipe, but I really think this one will have been worth the wait. I loved how this turned out, and I think you will as well. I hope you give it a try, and maybe tweak it with some different combinations of seafood and garnishes. Cheers! Err, I mean, enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp, shells reserved

2 1/2 cups water

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/3 cup diced celery

1/4 diced jalapeno

1/4 cup flour

2 cups prepared tomato soup

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon red curry paste, or to taste

salt and/or fish sauce to taste

basil chiffonade

rice crackers

Summer Pea, New Potato and Pesto Tart

We've sure been enjoying our garden so far this summer. We've dug up half of our early potatoes now . . . and this week we've been harvesting sweet English Peas!



I just love fresh peas. They are so sweet, raw or lightly cooked. Delicious with a butter and chive sauce . . . or some dill.



Great blanched and tossed into salads! So colourful and they add a beautiful flavour and texture. Try them with some baby spinach leaves and pesto for a quick and easy salad.



You can use the pods and peas to make a delicious early summer pea soup that is to die for! There is an excellent recipe for that here.



Today I decided to bake Todd a delicious tart with them. I used basil from our garden to make a tasty fresh Pesto, spread over puff pastry . . . and then I combined some more pesto with some of our new potatoes ( boiled and chunked), some lightly blanched peas, and some grated strong cheddar cheese.



Oh my, but it turned out very pretty to look at, and moreishly tasty too!!



We sat down and feasted on this with a lovely garden salad on the side. I just love summer, don't you? (The black currents are ripe now and I am going to be using some of them soon!!)

*Summer Pea, New Potato and Pesto Tart*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is an easy tart that makes good use of ingredients from the summer garden . . . fresh English Peas, new potatoes, basil for the pesto. Delicious!

1 sheet of ready roll puff pastry
400g of new potatoes, boiled, peeled and chopped (about 1 pound)
1 mug of fresh garden peas, blanched (can use the equivalent amount of frozen peas, thawed)
3 to 4 TBS fresh pesto
8 ounces of grated strong cheddar cheese
(2 cups)
1 beaten egg
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Roll the pastry out onto the tray. Draw a 1 inch border around the pastry with a sharp knife, cutting through slightly, but not all the way through to the bottom. Spread 2 to 3 TBS of the pesto within the confines of this border.

Mix the potatoes, cheese, peas and remaining TBS of pesto together in a bowl. Spread over the pesto on the pastry, spreading it out equally. Brush the edges of the tart with some beaten egg. Grind some black pepper over top of the tart.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature, and cut into squares.

New York Cheesecake with Chocolate Chip Crust to the Rescue!

Believe it or not, this New York cheesecake with chocolate chip crust recipe post was suppose to be a spicy coconut shrimp bisque video. Please allow me to explain.

When I woke up this morning, I could not have been more excited about the video recipe I was about to film...an Asian-Cajun-inspired bisque that I've been tasting with my mind since I saw John Besh make it in Atlanta.

As I set up the camera, my shrimp-eating grin turning into a frown that would have put Droopy the Dog to shame. I realized I'd left my camera battery and charger in Santa Monica. D'oh! So, after the longest video drought in Food Wishes history, my plans to make it all right were suddenly dashed.

Anyway, the show must go on, so I'm posting this New York Cheesecake with Chips Deluxe Crust recipe, which was going to air tomorrow. This is part of a series of eight snack videos I did for Kellogg's Snackpicks.com, and while I'm usually a cheesecake purest, this is one of my exceptions, since it's works so well.

A little heads-up: when you click on the video player below, you'll be taken to their site where you can watch the video and get the written recipe. Do not be afraid – if you have questions or comments, you can come on back and post them here. Thanks, and please stay tuned for the aforementioned bisque recipe. Enjoy!

New York, New York

I went to New York for the first time last weekend. I want to live there forever and ever. Or at least a few years; the 4 days I spent there weren't nearly enough to sample all their eateries. I didn't go to Katz' Deli. I didn't eat any pizza. I didn't have a milkshake, nor a pretzel. I did eat a bugger-load of sandwiches though.

Momofuku's pork buns had to be sampled, and they were miles away from London's Leong's Legends efforts. Juicy, fatty pork squished in an airy bun with pickled cucumbers was everything I had hoped for. Upon my return, I bought Chang's cookbook immediately.

Chicken parm from Torrisi and the Italian combo make me wonder why on earth London doesn't seem to have any decent sandwich shops. Melty cheese flecked with basil and tomato sauce was perfect with the chicken, while quality sliced meats was made fiery with some pickled peppers. Not a cheap sandwich at $10 each, but then nothing seems to be in New York.

After a night on the cocktails a coleslaw-topped, jalapeno-flooded 'Spicy Redneck' from Crif Dogs hit the spot. Waffle-shaped fries topped with terrifyingly lurid and plastic cheese were delicious dunked in ketchup, and washed down with a root beer I felt quite the all-American. Especially when I followed it later that afternoon with a Shake Shack burger.

Right on the other end of the spectrum, a Red Hook stand at a Saturday food market in Williamsburg sold us a hearty lobster roll for $16. Offered in a brioche roll with a pickle, the Connecticut style, dressed in butter was my favourite, though the Maine style in cold mayonnaise was nothing to be sniffed at.

It wasn't all sandwiches though. Fette Sau, mere minutes away from where I was staying offered barbecued meat by the pound. Queues snaked around the till so we settled ourselves at the bar, drinking bourbon-tinged cocktails. Pulled pork, smoked brisket and pink juicy beef tri-tip were served on trays. The smokey beans almost eclipsed the meat. Almost.

On another barbecue trip we hit up Fatty 'Cue for brunch. A bloody mary was made with smoked tomato juice and had a huge spicy hit. Asian-inspired, the pork ribs I ordered were meaty and fatty, served with a palm sugar fish sauce glaze. I hoped for some vegetables but none seemed to be on the menu. The companion's smoked brisket sandwich packed with coriander, chilli jam and aioli made me jealous.

It may not look like much, but Momofuku's pork ramen was the best noodle soup EVER. Intensely meaty broth, springy noodles and a perfectly poached egg nestled inside. Alas, the cold smoked brisket noodles paled in comparison beside them; we should have eaten them first.

A seafood dinner at the John Dory Oyster Bar in the Ace Hotel had me captive; moody low lighting and absorbing as much of the atmosphere and concentrating on the food made me forget completely to take photos but I highly recommend you go. With plenty of dollar.

So that was it. A weekend is not nearly long enough.

Almanac Beer – Won't Help You Forecast the Weather, But Will Help You Not Care

I'd like to congratulate my friend, and resident Food Wishes beer consultant, Jesse Friedman, who has recently taken the plunge into the wild and wacky world of self-employment. You may know Jesse as the publisher of Beer & Nosh, but very soon, you'll also know him as the wildly successful co-creator of Almanac Beer. By the way, if you're going to quit your day job, and say goodbye to all the safety and security it affords, then having lots of craft beer around is probably not a bad idea.

After years of hard work and experimentation, Jesse and his partner Damian will be officially releasing their "farm to barrel" brew on Thursday, June 30. I had the pleasure of tasting some this spring, and was quite impressed. I've just returned from LA after three grueling weeks, and way too tired to come up with the appropriate adjectives to describe the beer, so instead I'll simply invite you to watch the video below, and then give the Almanac Beer blog a visit for more information.

FYI: I'm back in the kitchen tomorrow and should have a long overdue video recipe up by the end of the day. Stay tuned!

Avocado and Baby Gem Salad with a Warm Pancetta and Mustard Dressing

We've had some lovely salad weather these past few days, albeit not as horribly warm and humid as the South East has had. I'm not complaining . . . I hate hot and humid together. I don't find that pleasant at all.



I will take sunny and warm over that any day of the week!!



Today for our lunch I made us a delicious salad, using Baby Gem Lettuce from our garden . . . with some fresh yellow and red cherry tomatoes and a fantastic hot bacon and mustard dressing.



Add to that some creamy sliced ripe avocado and a few chives and we had a fabulous salad that was tasty, colourful and quite filling!



Of course the Toddster wasn't overly happy about the idea of having salad for lunch. Meh! You can please em all!
It didn't stop him from scarfing it all down though.



The bacony mustardy dressing was delicious sopped up with some crusty bread. The tomatoes get a bit squidgy too, but still firm. Don't overheat them . . . you don't want them to cook, just release a bit of their juices. Oh so scrummy!!



Quick, healthy, colourful and very, very tasty!



*Avocado and Baby Gem Salad with a Warm Pancetta and Mustard Dressing*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Quick to make and very summery! We had this with some crusty bread. Perfect!

4 TBS olive oil
8 rashers of good quality back bacon, cut into small cubes, or the equivalent
in Pancetta lardons
16 cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a mix of yellow and red)
2 TBS red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
2 ripe avocados, halved, stoned and sliced
1 TBS coarsely chopped chives
2 baby gem lettuces, washed, dried and leaves separated
4 TBS toasted pinenuts

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon or lardons and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil and mustards. Allow to simmer for several minutes. Arrange the lettuce and sliced avocado on a large platter. Stir the pinenuts and chives into the warm bacon and tomato dressing and pour over top of the salad. Serve immediately!

Gum Drop Biscuits (aka Cookies)

Sometimes I just fancy a good biscuit . . . or cookie as they are known in North America. I do love me a custard cream . . . or a jam filled biscuit . . . sometimes only a chocolate chip will do.



It goes without saying that homemade are infinitely better than store bought, as I am sure you will agree.



Today I fancied something that was wholesome and yet moreishly decadent at the same time . . . but not chocolate.



These great biscuits fit the bill on all counts! They are at once chewy and crunchy. Crumbly and moreish. You get a yummy crunch from the cornflakes . . . a hint of chewyness from the coconut . . . some wholesomeness from the oats . . . don't get me started on the gumdrops . . .



Oh my . . . the gumdrops . . . they are sweet and chewy and fruitily addictive. Of course you can't buy the right gumdrops over here in the UK, so I bring back bags of them whenever I go over to Canada for a visit. That way I can always make these cookies and my favourite gumdrop cake . . .



But . . . the other day I discovered that lemon and orange slices work perfectly! You can get these over here and as they are my favourite flavours of gumdrops, I'm a happy camper as my gumdrop supply is rapidly dwindling and there is no trip to Canada on the cards in my near future at all . . . sigh . . .

You can get packs of orange and lemon slices in the cake decorating section of Morrisons over here. They are little mini ones and are just the perfect size for these cookies. Oh so scrummy!

Of course if you live in North America, you can just use gumdrops. Just don't use the black ones. They have a tendancy to bleed into the cookies and turn an awful colour. Just eat those while you are putting the cookies together. That's what works for me!



*Gum Drop Biscuits*
Makes about 3 dozen
Printable Recipe

Colourful, chewy and yet crisp at the same time. Very Moreish!

4 ounces white vegetable fat (Trex or Crisco) (1/2 cup)
3.5 ounces soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
4 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
3 ounces rolled oats (1 cup)
1.5 ounces of cornflakes (1 cup)
5.2 ounces plain flour (1 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 ounces flaked coconut (1/2 cup)
4 ounces cut up gumdrops (no Black) (1/2 cup)
(I have found over here in the UK that those lemon and orange slices work
really well. You can get mini ones in the Cake decoration section at Morrisons.
One packet is just about the right size for what you need.)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a couple of baking trays with parchment paper and then butter the paper. Set aside.

Cream together the shortening and the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Stir this into the creamed mixture until well mixed together. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Drop by heaped spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottoms. Remove from the oven. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.

Sunday Sarnies

Quite often by the time we get home from church on Sunday we are both famished. We may have been gone from the house anywheres from 4 to 5 hours depending on our responsabilities of the day.



If I have been smart . . . I will have put something into the slow cooker and all I will have to do is dish up!



If I have not, we will end up having something like Beans on Toast, or Scrambled Eggs on Toast or Spaghetti on Toast, canned chili on toaste . . . or . . . well you get the picture I am sure!!



Other times I might make us a nice toasted sandwich which we will have with a bowl of soup, or just on it's own with some salad. A lot depends on our mood.



Today we went the sandwich route. I have any number of ways that I make these. They are always delicious, and made even more so because we are starving I suppose!



Today Todd chose a simple bacon and cheddar cheese with some Branston Pickle, which he thoroughly enjoyed along with a piece of leftover oatmeal cake.



Myself . . . I chose to have Basil Mayo, along with some bacon, cheddar cheese and sliced ripe tomatoes.



We were both happy. 'Nuff said. It goes without saying that you don't have to eat these on a Sunday. They are actually good any time of the week or day!



*Sunday Sarnies*
Makes 1
Printable Recipe

I have given ingredients for one sandwich, but you can easily multiply up or down. This is a sandwich that you can customize to your own tastes and desires and moods!

2 slices of your favourite type of bread
(white, whole wheat, etc.)
softened butter
your choice of relish (pick one) mayo (garlic, lemon, lemon pepper, Basil etc.) Pickle (Branstons, piccalilli, chutney, etc.) mustard (honey, Dijon, Honey Dijon, English, etc.) marmalade (orange, onion, lime, 3 fruit, etc.) horseradish sauce, cranberry sauce
Your choice of meat ( Pick one: thinly sliced roast beef, turkey, ham etc. Or cooked bacon or sausage) as much as you think will taste good.
(I will use approximately one ounce of sandwich meat, thinly sliced, or 4 slices of crisp streaky bacon, or two sausages, split down the middle)
Your choice os cheese (approximately 1 ounce of cheddar, swiss, gruyere, mozarella, fontina, etc. thinly sliced)
Optionals: fresh rocket leaves, sliced ripe tomatoes, shredded chicory

Take your two slices of bread and butter each on the outsides. Have a skillet heating over medium low heat. Place one slice of bread into the pan, buttered side down. Top with your chosen relish. Top with your chosen meat. Top with your chosen cheese and any optionals as desired. Top with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.

Cook over medium low heat until the sandwich is nicely browned on the bottom side, then carefully flip over and brown slowly on the other side, until the insides are heated and the cheese is melted. Cut in half to serve. Serve warm.