GREEN WITH ENVY CHEESECAKE

Thirty four years ago , a lady by the name of Christine Heaslip put together The Complete Avocado Cookbook .
My copy of the book is in near new condition and the recipes are as relevant  today as they would have been suprising when the book was first published .
It is a fantastic recipe book .
I have made the Green With Envy Cheesecake many , many times it is very popular .

Mix together 2 cups of fine biscuit crumbs with 1/2 cup of melted butter / margarine and 3 tbs of raw sugar .

Work it together with your fingers .

Press into a well greased spring form flan pan over the base and around the sides , making a flat , smooth crust .

In a bowl beat 500gm of cream cheese together with the flesh of 3 avocados , 1 cup of cream , 3 lightly beaten eggs , 1 cup of honey (or 1 cup of raw sugar ) with an electric mixer or processor .

Add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon , 1/4 cup of brandy , 1 tsp of vanilla essence .

Pour into the prepared flan pan and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour .

Cool  then refrigerate , carefully remove from spring form pan and place on serving dish .

Decorate with whipped cream and slices of kiwi fruit and avocado wedges ..(optional )

 

HERB GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO SALSA

Herb gnocchi with tomato salsa ......
I pre prepared the potato gnocchi this afternoon.
Pre heat your oven to 180 deg C.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil .
Scrub 1 kg unpeeled potatoes and pat them dry with paper towelling .
Place them on a baking tray and oven bake the potatoes for 1 and 1/2 hours, until soft in the middle when pierced with a skewer .
Set aside to cool , then peel off the skins .
Mash the potatoes in a bowl , leave to cool completely .
Once cooled mix in 160gm of plain flour, 1 tbs of finely chopped parsley and 1 tbs of finely chopped basil.
Now gradually mix in 1 beaten egg ( a little at a time ) until you have a firm , smooth dough  ( you may not need the whole egg )
Divide the dough into 8 balls , then roll out each ball into a sausage shape on a lightly floured board .
Using the back of a table knife , cut the rolls slightly on the diagonal into 4cm lengths .
Now it`s time to cook the gnocchi , this must be done batches .
Firstly fill a bowl with cold water and place near your stove top .
Place a quarter of the gnocchi in the boiling water and leave them cook till they rise to the top of the surface .
Lift out with a slotted spoon and place in the cold water .
leave for a minute or so to gnocchi are cooled , then place on paper towelling to drain.
Repeat the process to cook the remaining gnocchi .
It is important to keep the water boiling in the pot
When all the gnocchi are cooked and cooled , place them in a bowl with a drizzle of  oil to keep them separate .
Cover and keep them refrigerated until they are required .
When you are ready to serve the gnocchi, heat to serve 2 tbs of oil and 50gm of marg / butter in a pan over a medium heat .
Saute the gnocchi in batches until crisp and golden on both sides .
Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven uncovered till the rest of the gnocchi are sautéed .
Serve with the tomato salsa .
TOMATO SALSA
Slice 1 packet of cherry tomatoes into quarters
1 small red onion finely chopped , add these to the sliced tomatoes.
Add 1 tbs of chopped parsley
1 tbs of chopped basil .
2 spring onions finely sliced
2 tbs of lime juice .
1 tbs of sesame oil
A healthy dash of tabasco
Salt and cracked pepper to taste .
Toss to mix .
Serve cold as a side with the gnocchi or warm gently in the same pan you used to saute the gnocchi and spoon over the top of the gnocchi to serve .....either way this is a delicious starer or main meal .



 

COOKING CLASS TUESDAY 24 TH OCTOBER .

In cooking class tomorrow we will be making herb gnocchi with tomato salsa .
I have asked the class to do a little preparation at home .
Rather than boil and mash the potatoes in the usual way for gnocchi , I have asked the class to bring to class oven baked , whole unpeeled potatoes as this give a more robust flavour and fluffier texture .
We will incorporate a little fresh parsley and basil into our gnocchi.
Then we will prepare a simple tomato salsa as a side .

JEERA RICE

Jeera means cumin seeds in Hindi
The cumin seeds give the rice an aromatic and  distinctive flavour .
Wash 300gm of rice under running water through a colander .
Then fill a bowl  with cold water , leaving the rice to soak for 30 minutes .
Heat 2 tbs of ghee in a pan , add 30 gm of cashew nuts and fry for 4 minutes .
Remove nuts from pan and set aside .
Add 1 tbs of cumin seeds to the pan with 2 bay leaves , 4 black peppercorns , 1 cinnamon stick broken in half  and 3 whole cloves ....
Fry over a medium heat until the spices become aromatic .
Then add 1 peeled and finely sliced onion to the pan , saute gently until the onion softens.
Now drain the rice and add to the pan .
Stir well to coat the rice with spices and ghee.
Pour over 400ml of water and salt to taste .
bring to the boil .
Reduce the heat and cover the pan with crumpled baking paper or a lid and let simmer till most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Turn of the heat and allow to stand with cover for another 5 minutes .
Fork through the rice to separate the grains and stir through the cashew nuts .
Serve immediately .

WHITE CHOCOLATE ALMOND TORTE

Preheat your oven to 80 deg C .
Spray and line a 23 cm springform pan
Chop 175 gm of white chocolate and melt in a saucepan over a low heat .
Remove from the heat and allow to cool .
Using your electric mixer beat 150gm of butter / margarine with 50 of castor sugar until creamy .
Gradually add 6 lightly beaten egg yolks , a bit at a time until each one is incorporated before adding the next .
Now add the cooled and melted chocolate , beating well until the chocolate is smoothly incorporated .
Add 150gm of ground almonds and 1 tsp of almond essence .
Beat until well mixed
Beat the 6 egg whites adding 50 gm of sugar , a little at a time until glossy and stiff  .
Gently add the beaten egg whites to the cake batter in three parts .
pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through .
Remember this is a dense , damp sort of a cake , but your best indicator that its cooked through is when the cake begins to come away from the sides of the tin .
If the cake surface begins to colour too quickly using the cooking process place a sheet of baking paper over the top .
When the torte is done remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack to cool completely .
This torte is best served with thickened cream and a side serve of cherries or mixed berries ...
YUMMO!

STRAWBERRY MERINGUE LAYER CAKE

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C .

Spray and line 2 x 22cm spring form pans and lightly sprinkle fine bread crumbs over and around pans .

Place 125gm of plain flour in a bowl with 25gm of cornflour and 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder , set aside .

Use your electric mixer to beat 100gm of margarine /butter with 300gm of castor sugar until light and fluffy .

Separate 4 eggs and lightly beat the 4 yolks and add to the butter and sugar mix .

Now gently fold in the weighed out dry ingredients then stir in 2 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 tbs of milk .

Divide the batter between the 2 pans .

Clean dry the bowl and beaters to your mixer and whisk the 4 egg whites until soft peaks form .

Slowly add 200gm of castor sugar in small amounts , making sure the sugar is dissolved between additions .

Spread a layer of meringue on the top of the sponge batter in each tin and sprinkle 50 gm of  flaked almonds evenly over the top .

Bake for 35 minutes or until the tops of the meringues are golden .

Remove from the pans from the oven and let them cool in the pans on a wire rack .

While the cakes are cooling , whip 400ml of cream until really thickened .

Slice 250gm of fresh strawberries that have been sliced .

To construct the cake , invert one of the cakes onto a serving plate so that the sponge face is upper most .

Pile the cream on top and then layer with the sliced strawberries .

Place the second cake on top , meringue side up .

Press down gently to secure it .

Enjoy ....

 

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN CHEESECAKE

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C.
Spray and line a 23cm springform pan .
Cream together 50gm of softened butter or margarine and 100gm of castor sugar until l;ight and fluffy .
Reduce the speed of your Kitchen Aid and add 250gm of kaymak (curd cheese /clotted cream ) . 250gm of cream cheese , 150ml of soured cream .
Now add 2 tbs of orange blossom honey , 5 egg yolks lightly beaten and 1 tbs of orange flower water .
Continue to beat until well combined .
In a separate bowl , whisk the 5 egg whites until they are stiff but not dry .
Fold the egg white mixture through the cheese mixture .
Pour into the tin and dust with cinnamon and castor sugar .
Sprinkle with flaked almonds .
Place in the preheated oven for 60 minutes , it will rise and crack and that`s ok .
Turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for another 60 minutes , during this time the cake will sink back into the tin .
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack , before springing open the pan to serve .
Delicious !