Key lime pie

The name “Key Lime Pie’ has always made me think of Jamaica and the West Indies, of hot summer days and azure seas and the scent of lime blossom in the night air.  As we’ve had rather a cold spring here, I thought I’d give it a try, and it’s deliciously refreshing and very easy to make.

This is a combination of a couple of recipes I found.  You can use most types of sweet, crunchy biscuits for the base - I used Nutikrust caramel flavoured, but they are quite sweet so next time I’ll probably go back to good old digestives or ginger nuts.  I also used the ‘less sugar’ variety of Nestle condensed milk which had the perfect amount of sweetness to counteract the lime juice.

Key Lime Pie

300g digestive biscuits/ginger nuts etc
1/4 cup ground almonds
100g butter melted

1 x 397g tin condensed milk
3 medium egg yolks
finely grated zest and juice of 4 limes

double cream, whipped
extra lime zest, to decorate

Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Whizz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor (or use a pestle and mortar or put in a strong plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin). Mix in the almond meal and melted butter and press into the base and about 4 cm up the sides of a 22cm loose-based tart tin. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.

Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk for a minute with an electric beater. Add the condensed milk and whisk for another 3 minutes then add the lime zest and juice and whisk again for 3 minutes. Pour the filling into the cooled base then put the pie back in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow the pie to cool, then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight if you like.

When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the pie from the tin and put on a serving plate. To decorate, dollop the cream onto the top of the pie and sprinkle with the extra lime zest.

Tomi's Mexican Cornbread

Cornbread is part of traditional American cuisine, and is particularly associated with the South and Southwest US. It is usually eaten with a barbeque or with chili con carne.

In the United States, northern and southern cornbread are different because they generally use different types of corn meal and varying degrees of sugar and eggs. Southern cornbread has traditionally been made with little or no sugar and smaller amounts flour or no flour, with northern cornbread being sweeter and more cakelike. Southern cornbread traditionally uses white cornmeal and buttermilk. In Texas, the Mexican influence has resulted cornbread made with fresh or creamed corn kernels and jalapeño peppers.

I hadn’t eaten ‘proper’ cornbread (I make an easy cheesy mealie bread which is similar but not as delicious), until Tomi (who’s from Kansas) made some for us and I realise how perfectly it goes with a braai or a chilli con carne.  This recipe is based on one from Paula Dean which I’ve adapted a bit by using self raising flour and an extra egg and cutting down the amount of baking powder.  I’ve also cut down on the amount of sugar, although the sweeter version is also very nice.  Try to use yellow cornmeal or mealiemeal as it gives the finished cornbread a lovely, golden colour.  

Mexican cornbread

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal (polenta) 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1 can creamed corn 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup chopped jalapeños, or to taste 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (grated) 1 small onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 200°C (180 fan forced). Grease an 8-inch square pan well with butter and put in the oven until really hot.

In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the beaten eggs, buttermilk, creamed corn, oil, and onion and mix until smooth. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the cheese and jalapenos. Top with the remaining batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm straight from the pan.

Port-poached cherry and chèvre cream chocolate tarts

I've adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest from a blog called The Bonjon Gourmet - it looked delicious and it actually tastes even more delicious than it looks.  I was a bit unsure about using the goat's cheese in a sweet dish but when combined with the cream and a little sugar it really complements the sweet port-poached cherries, with almost a cheesecakey taste.  I think this recipe would actually work really well with a biscuit crumb (see my cheesecake recipes) instead of the pastry, so I'll try that next time.   In fact, just the cherries and the chèvre cream would be great on their own if you want to simplify things.

Port-poached cherry and chèvre cream chocolate tarts

Makes six small tarts, or 1 large tart

Port-Poached Cherries :

1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 1/4 cups ruby port
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
6 tbsp sugar

Chocolate pastry :

1 cup plain flour
3 tbsp Dutch or dark cocoa powder
¼ cup icing sugar
120g chilled butter, chopped into cubes
1-2 tbsp iced water

Chèvre Cream :

3/4 cup crumbled, soft, fresh goat cheese
3/4 cup fresh cream
1 tbsp sugar
seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean

Combine the pitted cherries, port, vanilla pod and scrapings, and sugar in a large stainless steel frying pan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, until the cherries are just tender (about 10 mins).

Strain the cherries into a heat-proof bowl.  Return the juices to the pan and simmer gently until they are thick, and syrupy for about 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally.  Let the cherries and the syrup cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for an hour.  (You can keep the cherries in their syrup for a couple of weeks in the fridge).

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place six 3 small tart pans (the kind with removable bottoms) on a baking sheet. 

Put the flour, cocoa, sugar and butter in a food processor and whiz until it forms a breadcrumb consistency. Add the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form clumps. Tip it out onto a cool bench top and squash together then pat into a round. Refrigerate for 15 minutes then roll out between two sheets of baking paper.  Cut out rounds to fit the tart shells and press into the shells. Freeze the shells until they are firm, at least 15 minutes.

Line the shells wiht baking paper and baking weights or uncooked rice and bake until they are dry and fairly firm to the touch, for about 15 minutes. Let the tart shells cool completely. Store them in their rings for protection until ready to serve.

In a bowl, mix together the goat's cheese, cream vanilla seeds and sugar until stiff peaks form (don't over whisk it - if it starts to turn grainy add some more cream).

Put a spoonful of the chèvre cream each tart shell, top with the cherries and pour over a little juice.  Serve immediately. 

PS Pitting cherries is very messy - wear a black shirt!  Cherry/olive pitters are cheap and simple to use and save lots of hassle.

Risotto Primavera

Risotto primavera is a very popular spring dish throughout Italy, and Venice in particular. It’s a festival of Italian spring vegetables - in this case fennel, asparagus, and leeks - with creamy rice and the salty bite of parmesan.  Serve with prawns or chicken or just by itself.

Risotto Primavera 

(Risotto with Asparagus, Fennel, and Leeks)

5 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
2 cups thinly sliced fennel (about 1 large bulb)
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) diagonally cut asparagus
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
juice of half a lemon
handful of chopped parsley

The most important thing to remember when cooking risotto is that it has to be stirred all the time.  It only takes 15 minutes to cook, but make sure you have everything prepared and ready to add to the pot when you need it.  Taste occasionally - the rice needs to be just al dente - a little firm.

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add the leek and fennel, and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the rice, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the wine, and cook for 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup stock, and cook until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add the asparagus, rosemary, black pepper, and remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of the broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 15 minutes total). Stir in grated cheese, squeeze over some lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Persian love cake

I first tried this cake at a little cafe called "the pocket" on Moffat beach which serves some of the best coffee on the Sunshine Coast, mostly because I couldn't resist the name but also because I love pistachios - besides tasting delicious they are so pretty with their purply green colours, and the combination of flavours with the cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg is rich and exotic.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Gerard Yaxley of Qöm Restaurant, originally published in Gourmet Traveller (I googled it :)

Persian Love Cake 

Ingredients

180 grams almond meal
110 grams demerara sugar
110 grams brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
60 grams butter, softened
1 egg
125 grams Greek yogurt, plus extra to serve
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
5 tablespoons shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter and line an 18 cm springform tin with baking paper.

Mix the almond meal, sugars and salt together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin and press down with your fingers to cover the base evenly.

To the remaining mixture, add the egg, yogurt and spices, and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture over the base, and sprinkle on the chopped pistachios.

Bake until golden brown and just set, approximately 30 minutes.  Allow to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.  Serve with extra Greek yogurt on the side.

Ombre blueberry and chocolate cheesecake

I saw a photo of this cheesecake on instagram (originally from the German blog Butiksofie) and decided that it was so beautiful I just had to make it!  The original recipe was all in German and with some very unreliable help from google translate (“Curds thirds and 2 of 3 portions with the desired blueberry amount mull. Once little more even slightly less.”) and using my other cheesecake recipes as a guide, I came up with an approximation of the recipe which was pretty successful.  It does use a lot of blueberries (which can be expensive if you use fresh), and it’s time consuming to get the ombre effect as you have to set each section separately before adding the next (you need to start this the day before you want to eat it  or very very early in the morning) — but I love the effect and it’s worth it for a special occasion.

Ombre blueberry and chocolate cheesecake

For the base :

1 packet Romany cream biscuits or 200 g of any nice chocolate/oat type biscuits
50g melted butter

Grease a 15 x 10cm springform pan with butter and line with baking paper.   Melt the butter, crush up the biscuits in a pestle and mortar, mix together and press firmly into the tin using a spoon. Refrigerate until cold and firm.

5 tsp gelatine
4 tbsp hot water
500g cottage cheese (or quark)
250g mascarpone
80ml whipping cream
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of 1 lemon
500g blueberries

For the topping

blueberries
100g dark chocolate
35g coconut oil

Whip the cream until soft peaks form and refrigerate.  Combine the cream cheese, mascarpone, caster sugar, vanilla and the lemon juice and whisk until smooth.  Puree the blueberries in a food processor.

Now comes the tricky part.  Divide the cream cheese mixture equally into 3 bowls.  Put 2 of the bowls into the fridge until later.

Dissolve 2 tsp of gelatine in 1.5 tbsp of hot water and whisk into the first bowl until well combined.  Add about 3/4 of the pureed blueberries and mix in well, then fold in the whipped cream.  Pour onto the biscuit base and smooth the top.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Take the second bowl out of the fridge, add 2 tsp gelatine dissolved in 1.5 tbsp hot water, remaining pureed blueberries and 1/3 of the cream as above.  Pour onto the first layer carefully and smooth the top.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Take the last bowl out of the fridge, add 1 tsp gelatine dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water and the rest of the cream as above.  Pour carefully onto the second layer and smooth the top.

You guessed it - refrigerate for at least 2 hours!

Once the cheesecake is totally set, make a chocolate topping by melting the chocolate carefully in the microwave (or a double boiler).  Add the coconut oil and stir.  Allow it too cool so that it is lukewarm but hasn’t started to set.   Remove the cheesecake carefully from the pan, spoon the chocolate topping over the top so it drips down the edges a little.  Decorate with whole blueberries and put back in the fridge until the chocolate is set.

Scones

I always had trouble making scones and pastry until I figured out that I have very warm hands and that if I over-handled the dough the butter would melt and the scones would be tough.  The secret is to make sure the butter is really cold and to handle the dough as little as possible.  Now I make pastry in the food processor so I hardly have to touch it at all, and this scone recipe of Lindy’s requires very little kneading so it works well if I use very cold butter.  The second recipe is one I've just discovered - the scones are very light and fluffy because of the bubbles in the lemonade - and they are so easy to make.

Lindy’s scones

3 cups self raising flour
100 g cold butter (cut into chunks)
1 cup of milk
extra flour for kneading and dusting

Preheat the oven to 220C

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers, breaking up the butter until the mixture’s a fine breadcrumb consistency.  Make a well in the centre and add the milk and mix gently with your fingers until the mixture comes together into a soft, loose dough.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface gently knead for about 30 seconds (don’t overwork it).  Using your hand, pat the dough gently into a 2cm thick round (don’t roll it out).  Cut scones out with a cookie cutter or just make squares using a knife.   Put on a prepared baking tray, dust with a little flour, and bake in a hot oven (200 C) for about 12 mins until just golden. 

Variations :

Cheese and herb scones :

Add half a cup of grated cheese, 2 tbsp finely chopped chives and 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley to the flour and butter mixture, just before adding the milk.

Date scones :

Soak 1/2 cup roughly chopped pitted dates in a bowl of boiling water for 10 mins.  Drain well, coll and add to the flour and butter mixture, just before adding the milk.

Mama Mia’s even quicker Three Ingredient Scones 

4 cups self raising flour 300 ml cream
1 can (375 ml) lemonade

Pre heat the oven to 200 C (180C fan-forced).  Add the cream and lemonade to the flour.  Mix the liquid in with a flat bladed knife (this stops the lemonade from losing its fizz).  When the mixture turns doughy, turn it out onto a flat, floured surface and knead lightly for about 30 secs.  Pat the dough into a 2 cm thick round and cut into 12 scones with a cookie cutter or a cup.   Bake for 15 mins until just golden.  Serve with Jo's lemon curd or jam and cream.