Mango and Cardamom Cheesecake

Recipe has been taken from : Flavour Kitchen : Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists by Crystelle Pereira

‘This creamy, no-bake dessert is inspired by Indian flavours, the rich creaminess coming from the cream cheese, paired with sweet mango and floral notes of cardamom.

Ingredients for the base:
30g pistachios
30g desiccated coconut
65g unsalted butter
25g coconut oil
190g speculoos biscuits

Ingredients for the cheesecake:
10 cardamom pods
200ml double cream
55g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
600g cream cheese
2 tbsp runny honey
185g canned, sweetened mango puree

To decorate:
1 fresh mango or a 425g (before draining) can of mango slices
1 tbsp runny honey
A small handful of pistachios

Method

First, make the base. Place the pistachios and desiccated coconut in a frying pan over a low heat and toast, stirring, for about 7 minutes, until the coconut is golden and nutty. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the butter in a saucepan over a low heat and stir constantly until you see it bubble up vigorously with a thick, cappuccino-like foam – light brown solids will then start to form on the bottom. At this point, take the pan off the heat, stirring for about 30 more seconds, then immediately transfer it to another bowl, making sure to scrape out all the solids from the bottom, as these carry so much flavour. Then, stir through the coconut oil until it has melted in the residual heat.
Place the speculoos biscuits in a sealed freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Then, add the coconut and pistachios and bash these again to break down the nuts slightly (you can also use a food processor). Tip all the contents into a large bowl and mix with the brown butter and oil until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Press this into the base of a 20cm springform cake tin, and use the base of a mug to flatten it down. Transfer to the fridge to chill and harden while you make the cheesecake filling.
Place the cardamom pods in a dry frying pan over a low heat and toast, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and bash to release the seeds from the shells. Discard the shells, then grind the seeds into a fine powder. You can also grind the whole pods including the shells, in a spice grinder.
In a large bowl, place the double cream, icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and ground cardamom, and whisk to fairly stiff peaks.
In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese, runny honey and 150g of the mango puree and whisk well to combine. Then, fold through the whipped cream into this cream cheese mixture in three parts, until no streaks remain.
Remove the base from the fridge and pour half the cheesecake mixture over the top. Then drizzle over half the remaining mango puree and use a knife or skewer to swirl this through the mixture. Then repeat with the remaining cheesecake mixture and mango puree and use an offset spatula to level the top. Place in the fridge for 6-8 hours, or ideally overnight, until completely set.
To serve, run a palette knife or offset spatula around the rim of the cheesecake and then carefully release the springform tin and slide off the metal base. Thinly slice fresh (or canned) mango, and arrange on top of the cheesecake, drizzle over some honey, and sprinkle with pistachios. Slice and serve.

Carpaccio Di Ananas E Fragole

Recipe courtesy of Hello Magazine.

Serves : 4

Ingredients – Honey Syrup :
6 tblsp water
100g / 4oz caster sugar
2 tblsp honey

Ingredients – Fruit :
1 small pineapple, peeled and cored
1 punnet strawberries
4 scoops of sorbet (perhaps raspberry)

Method :

For the syrup, place the water, sugar and honey in a heavy pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly until the syrup turns golden brown, remove from the heat and leave to cool a little. Drizzle over 4 serving plates.

To prepare the fruit, slice the pineapple as thinly as possible, using a food slicer – and slice the strawberries. Arrange on serving plates in a flower pattern and add a scoop of sorbet in the centre. Serve at once.

Iced Chocolate Parfaits

Recipe courtesy of Hello Magazine many years ago.

Use rubber muffin moulds as the parfaits will pop out easily.

Serves : 6

Ingredients :
600g (1 lb 5oz) dark cooking chocolate, melted
3 egg yolks
9 tblsp caster sugar
3 egg whites
375ml (13 fl oz) double cream
Few drops of vanilla extract
250g (9oz) crème fraiche

To serve :
Chocolate sauce
Ice cream
Mint sprigs

Step One : Brush the inside of six non-stick large muffin moulds with a thin layer of melted chocolate and chill until set. Repeat twice more. If liked, a little melted white chocolate can be brushed alternately on the moulds with the first layer of dark chocolate.

Step Two : In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half the caster sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are standing in stiff peaks. Whisk in the remaining sugar and then fold into the yolk mixture.

Step Three : Whip the cream, vanilla and crème fraiche together until stiff, and fold into the egg mixture. Pipe or spoon into the muffin moulds and freeze until firm.

Step Four : To serve, pop the frozen parfaits out of the moulds and serve with chocolate sauce, ice cream and mint sprigs.

Redcurrant Chocolate Puddings

Recipe taken from Hello Magazine many years ago.

Serves : 10

Ingredients – Base sponge :
100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
300g (11oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Juice of 2 medium oranges

Ingredients – Top sponge :
50g (2oz) caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
150g (5oz) plain flour
50g (2oz) butter, melted

To serve :
225ml (8 fl oz) chocolate sauce
Strawberries brushed with warmed redcurrant jelly

Step One : For the base sponge, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Stir in the eggs and egg yolk, then fold in the flour, baking powder and orange juice. Divide the mixture between 10 ramekin dishes.

Step Two : For the top sponge, whisk together the sugar, egg and egg yolk until thick and creamy. Carefully fold in the flour and melted butter and spoon into the ramekin dishes.

Step Three : Preheat the oven to 220oC / 425oF / Gas Mark 7 and bake for 10 minutes or until just firm when pressed. Turn out the sponges and serve with chocolate sauce and strawberries brushed with warmed redcurrant jelly.

Everything stops for tea – Turkish Delight Profiteroles

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (October 2016) and taken from Twist: Creative Ideas to Reinvent Your Baking by Martha Collison.

These profiteroles are drizzled in a sticky, rose syrup and garnished with vibrant pistachio nuts – all coated in a light dusting of icing sugar. I like to include small pieces of real Turkish delight, too, for a contrasting texture, but the are not essential. People often say that they aren’t sure about rose as a flavouring but, when I ask if they like Turkish delight (which is rose-flavoured), the answer is almost always yes. It doesn’t have a soapy or overwhelming flavour; in fact, it is delicate and floral.

Use your own choux pastry recipe for these profiteroles and follow the recipe below for filling and decoration.

Makes about 30

Ingredients :
Choux pastry recipe

For the Filling :
200ml double cream
1 tsp rose water
2 tblsp icing sugar

For the Topping :
100g caster sugar
1 tsp rose water
75g pistachio nuts, chopped
Icing sugar and Turkish delight cubes, to serve (optional)

Step One : Preheat the oven as per your Choux pastry recipe. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.

Step Two : Make the pastry and spoon the mixture into a large piping bag. Snip off the tip and pipe about 30 small balls of the pastry on to the baking sheet, leaving space for them to spread out. Bake as per your recipe until they are risen and a dark golden brown colour. If they are too pale, they will become soft before they are filled with cream. Turn off the oven and leave the profiteroles inside to dry out and cool completely.

Step Three : To make the filling, whip the cream with the rose water and icing sugar until it forms soft peaks, then spoon into a piping bag. Pierce the bottom of each cooled profiterole with a skewer, snip the tip of the piping bag and fill each profiterole with the rose cream.

Step Four : Make the rose syrup by putting the caster sugar and rose water into a saucepan with 75ml of water and heating it gently. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil for around a minute so that the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Step Five : When you are ready to serve the profiteroles, pile them on to a large plate. Pour the rose syrup on top, then sprinkle over the pistachios and Turkish delight cubes (if using). Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Grilled Peach with Ginger Cream and Walnut Praline

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (May 2019)

A perfectly ripe peach is hard to find. In this recipe from Vegan for Good by Rita Serano, you can use peaches that are not entirely ripe, which is just, well, peachy! You’ll need a ridged griddle pan or panini maker.

Serves : 4

Grilled peaches

Ingredients :
350ml Coconut yogurt
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
Pinch of salt
60ml maple or brown rice syrup
6 ripe but firm peaches, halved and stoned

For the praline :
100g walnuts
2 tblsp maple syrup
Pinch of salt

Step One : In a bowl, combine the coconut yogurt with the fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg (if using), vanilla and salt. Set aside. (You can do this in advance and refrigerate).

Step Two : Roast the walnuts in a dry non-stick or cast-iron pan over a medium heat until golden brown. Stir frequently and, after 3-4 minutes, add the maple syrup and salt, stirring to coat all the nuts. Leave to cook for a further minute. Tip the walnuts out of the pan and spread them on baking paper to cool. Once cool, chop them roughly.

Step Three : Now, set your griddle pan or panini maker on high. The pan must be very hot before you grill the peaches. Lay the peaches cut side down on the pan and grill for about 3 minutes, or until grill marks appear. Serve the peaches with the soured cream, maple or brown rice syrup and the walnut praline.

Pistachio, Orange and Cardamom Tart

Recipe taken from Psychologies Magazine (May 2019) and published in Moorish: Vibrant recipes from the Mediterranean.

Use super green Iranian Pistachios for this, not only for their colour but also for their sweet flavour. The cardamom works beautifully alongside the zesty orange. Gran Torres is a brandy liqueur from Spain, great for giving desserts a kick!

Serves : 8-10

Ingredients :
220g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
A pinch of salt
10 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground in a Pestle and Mortar
140g unsalted butter, diced
1 egg yolk
Goat’s milk yogurt, to serve

For the filling:
280g green pistachios (ideally Iranian)
180g blanched almonds
240g caster sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground cardamom seeds (from pod)
125ml fresh orange juice
5 egg yolks
Grated zest of 1 orange
20ml Gran Torres orange liqueur or Grand Marnier

Step One : First, make the pastry. Put the flour, salt and ground cardamom seeds in a food processor and blitz. With the machine running, gradually add the butter and pulse for a few minutes more, until reduced to tiny lumps. Mix in the egg yolk. Tip the mixture into a bowl and knead together to make a dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or so.

Step Two : Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use to line a 24cm round, loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the pastry with a fork before placing it in the freezer to chill for an hour or so.

Step Three : Preheat the oven to 180oC / Gas Mark 4. Line the tart case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and has turned golden. Remove the paper and beans, then set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

Step Four : For the filling, blitz the nuts, sugar and cardamom in a food processor until fine and smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the orange juice to form a paste. Add four of the egg yolks and the orange zest, and blitz again, then add the liqueur.

Step Five : Spread the filling in the tart case. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top has just set. Lightly beat the remaining egg yolk and brush over the surface. Bake for 10 minutes more or until glazed. Leave to cool for at least an hour before serving. Top each piece of tart with a dollop of creamy goat’s milk yogurt.

Rich Chocolate Mint Whip

Serves : 4
Prep time : 15 mins, plus chilling time

This scrummy dessert can be made with orange zest instead of the peppermint.

Ingredients:
7oz (200g) milk chocolate
7oz (200g) white chocolate
9oz (250g) fromage frais
2 drops peppermint flavouring
3 egg whites
Mint leaves, to decorate

Step One : Melt 6oz (175g) of the milk chocolate and 6oz (175g) of the white chocolate separately over pans of simmering water. Grate the remaining chocolate and set aside. Remove the chocolate from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Divide the fromage frais in half and stir one half into each bowl of chocolate then beat well.

Step Two : Add peppermint essence to the white chocolate mixture. Whisk the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Stir a spoonful into each bowl to lighten the mixture. Divide the remaining egg white between the two mixtures and fold in.

Step Three : Place alternate spoonfuls of the mixtures in four tall glasses. Or if you want to serve six, put it in six ramekins.

Step Four : Decorate with remaining grated chocolate and mint leaves. Place in fridge to set.

Tip: For a lower calorie pud, replace the full fat fromage frais with a low fat version.

Toffee Apple Pudding

Who can resist this indulgent sticky treat? The rich toffee sauce completely coats the apples and melts right through the delicious steamed sponge.

Serves : 4
Prep time : 20 mins
Cook time : 2 hours

Ingredients for the topping:
2 cox’s apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
Juice of 1 lemon
50 g (2oz) butter
150g (5oz) caster sugar

For the sponge:
175g (6oz) butter, at room temperature
175g (6oz) caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
250g (9oz) plain flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder

Step One : Toss the apple chunks in half of the lemon juice and put into a greased 1.1 litre/2 pint pudding basin. Warm the butter, sugar and remaining lemon juice in a heavy based pan. Stir the foamy mixture occasionally until it becomes a golden brown toffee colour and then pour the mixture over the apple chunks in the basin.

Step Two : Make the sponge mixture by creaming together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs – don’t worry if the mixture begins to curdle. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder. Spoon the mixture over the toffee apples and smooth the top of the pudding with a palette knife.

Step Three : Cut out two circles larger than the basin, one from foil and the other from greaseproof paper. Pleat each one down the centre – this allows the pudding to rise. Use them to cover the basin, scrunching up the sides to form a seal or secure with string if you prefer. Place a folded strip of foil underneath basin to help lift it.

Step Four : Half fill a large pan (preferably with a steamer) with boiling water, lower in the pudding, cover and simmer for 1hr 45 mins – 2 hrs. Top the pan up with water as needed. Carefully remove the lid and pudding, put a plate on top and slowly turn the pudding over. Serve with ice cream, cream or custard.

Tip: If you don’t have a steamer, use a large saucepan instead. Place the pudding on an inverted saucer and half fill the pan with boiling water. Put on a tight fitting lid and simmer for one and a half hours. When topping up the water during cooking, take care not to splash the pudding – or yourself.

Apricot Cheesecake

Serves : 8
Cals per person : 350
Prep time : 25 mins (plus cooling)
Cook time : 45-50 mins

Ingredients:
175g (6oz) dried apricots
175ml (6 fl oz) orange juice
75g (3oz) butter
2 tblsp clear honey
225g (8 oz) muesli
600g (1 lb 5oz) natural 8% fat fromage frais
1 medium size egg, beaten

To decorate:
6 black and 6 green grapes, halved and deseeded
4 strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 kiwi fruit, peeled, halved and sliced
15g ( ½ oz) dried apricots, chopped
sprigs of fresh mint

Step One : Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5; 190oC; 375oF. Place the apricots in a saucepan with the orange juice, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins or until tender.

Step Two : Meanwhile, place the butter and 1 tbsp honey in a saucepan. Heat gently for 1-2 mins or until the butter has melted.

Step Three : Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and stir in the muesli. Stir until well mixed, then press into the base of a lightly greased and lined 20cm (8 in) round, loose-bottomed cake tin.

Step Four : Transfer the cooked apricots and any juice to a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Spread one third of the apricot puree over the muesli base.

Step Five : Stir the remaining apricot puree into 450g (1 lb) fromage-frais with the beaten egg and remaining honey. Spoon on top of the apricot layer in the cake tin and smooth over.

Step Six : Cook in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheesecake comes away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool for 5 mins in the tin before removing, then leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Step Seven : Top the cheesecake with a layer of the remaining fromage-frais, decorate with the fruit and sprigs of mint, and serve chilled.