Daring Bakers Challenge - Cheesecake Pops

So, this month the challenge was set by Elle and Deborah and well, YUM.
But you know me, I'm not good at the fancy and the fiddly, so I was a little scared, particularly when some DBs posted their results on our secret site which were, well, bloody impressive.
Anyway, we had a gathering at a friend's place yesterday and I thought they'd be great to take so it was game on.

Of course, I didn't envisage getting gastro in the middle of preparations.
I can vouch for the cheesecake being delicious in and of itself, but as to how they taste dipped in chocolate and doused with sugary morsels? I'll have to take the children's verdict on that one, which is that they are an absolute winner.

Cheesecake Pops (Makes 30 – 40 Pops)

• 5 x 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• Boiling water as needed
• Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks (I forgot to get these so we just had balls and other assorted shapes)
  
• 1 pound chocolate, finely chopped –all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional
  

1. Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
2. Set some water to boil.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
   
   It's a LOT of cream cheese
   
   
4. Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
5. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
   
   Eat straight from the tin with a spoon just to check it is OK
   
   
6. When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
   
   This is a lot harder than it sounds. I realise now that what is cooked for cheesecake is undercooked for cheesecake chocpops. It was a divine consistency if it had been for a slice of fat-for-the-hips, but for rolling into balls? It was nearly impossible. Gloop is a good word for the bits near the middle but you know, I perservered.
   
   
7. When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate.
8. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined.
9. Stir until completely smooth.
10. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.
11. Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.
12. Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set.
    
    In light of my balls-up of the balls (haha - geddit) I did some slices/squares and half dipped them, which also looked quite impressive.
    
    
13. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed. Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

You know, normally, I probably would have vacuumed down a dozen of these without blinking. But making them coincided with me being struck down with a virus that involved my body working hard at exiting food rather than ingesting it. Shame really. The children have given them a big thumbs up. Prior to them succumbing to the same illness.

So, by some bizarro world twist of fate, a whole container of cheesecake chocpops sits in our fridge, untouched.

Pot-roasted chicken with pumpkin and sage

Every now and then a recipe intrigues me. In the April issue of Delicious there's a recipe from Skye Gyngell for this pot roasted chicken. I've never pot roasted anything but the picture of it looked all comforting and delicious. It's been occupying valuable brain space ever since.

So today, with the two big boys about to go to my Dad and SM's for a few days and yet more rain, I decided why not do it for lunch? Why not indeed. So I'm typing this up as I make it as I'm excited and know it is going to be delicious.

Pot-roasted chicken with pumpkin and sage
Skye Gyngell, Delicious 2008

• 1 small (1.2kg) organic free-range chicken
• 1 lemon, halved
• small bunch of sage
• 3 fresh bay leaves (I used dry, even though there is a bay tree in the backyard)
• 2 tbs mild extra virgin olive oil (I have no idea what a mild evoo is, I just used the one I always use - and only used 1 tbs and it was plenty)
• 2 red onions, halved (I used brown ones)
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 1.2-1.5kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into large chunks (I used Kent as it was what I had)
• 2x400g cans chopped tomatoes (I only had one in the cupboard so added 1/2 cup wine and one empty can full of water)
• 2tbs creme fraiche

1. Generously season the chicken all over
2. Insert the lemon and half the sage and 1 bay leaf then tie the legs together
3. Place a flameproof casserole (or large heavy-based saucepan) over medium heat and warm the oil
4. Once its smoking, add the chicken and brown lightly for 20 minutes
5. While the chicken is browning chop up your veggies and peel some potatoes to make mash (I picked up some sensational organic Dutch Creams from Woollies on special)
6. Turn the chicken every now and then to make sure it's golden all over (try not to break the skin, but mine did which I suspect is because I didn't use as much oil as the recipe indicated)
7. Pour off the excess oil, leaving about a tablespoon in the pot then add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes until it's starting to soften
8. Add the garlic, remaining sage and bay leaves and cook for 3-5 minutes until the garlic starts to soften
9. (It was here that I added 1/2 cup of wine and as it bubbled up I scrapped off all the beautiful brown bits on the bottom of the pan)
10. Add the pumpkin and tomatoes and give a stir
11. Nestle the chicken in among the vegetable then cover, reduce to a medium-low heat and cook for 45 minutes
12. The chicken doesn't need to be fully submerged, it will happily steam and remain tender
13. Add the creme fraiche and adjust the seasonings - it should be slightly sweet, sagey and very comforting.

I'll let you know.

Slow roasted pork cheeks

The other week I dragged the boys to the Growers' Markets. My main goal was to stock up on some pork products from these guys. By the time I got there - and it was only around 9am - they had no pork neck, no belly and no pieces to roast left. But she had pork cheeks and I thought, interesting. Cindy said to slowly braise them in some veggies but nothing too strong so as not to distract from the pork.

So I did a shout out for ideas and between Joke, Badger and Blackbird I came up with something that at the end of the day was nothing like I'd planned or envisioned but lovely all the same. It was - as is the rule - even better the next day.

There's no real quantities here, just a journey.

Take some exquisite, organic, heritage English Large Black pork

add some lovely chopped onions, carrots, celery, granny smith apples and sage

brown off the pork cheeks in your new - and FIRST one ever owned - Le Creuset pan
then do the same to the same to the veggies and apples
Put it all back into the pot and cover with a mix of clear apple juice and stock and then cook for two hours or even more (I think mine was in for 3, or maybe even 4)
Pull the meat out
and struggle to decide what to do with it. Shred it? slice it? There was a LOT of fat. (Next time I'm following Joke's suggestion and going to cure them.) While reducing the saucey veggies down on the stove top.

Return the meat to the sauce and add the finely grated rind of a lemon.

Serve with crusty bread

Daring Bakers Challenge - Perfect Party Cake

Ok, I think I'm breaking rules here in that I didn't post this on the designated day. The thing is, if I didn't make it or post it then it was two months in a row that my life got in the way of being a Daring Baker and well, that's just not good enough.

Besides, I've always wanted to make a fancy pants layered cake - you know the ones - smothered in a meringue butter cream and doused with shredded coconut.

Check.it.out.

Today featured an afternoon tea with some kids Oscar started school with - it was a program which ran for two years and students then moved into a mainstream setting. Well, that was the goal. Some did, some went to special schools, some went to special classes in mainstream schools. Needless to say, there were some who came over today who we hadn't seen for two years. So bad.

Oscar just loved that there were 'his' friends over for a playdate. A first. It was quite hilarious really because - hello lots of special needs kids many happily play on their own. It was the best, non-house-trashing play date ever.

And it seemed fitting for a cake of this magnitude!

Perfect Party Cake Baking from My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan

Words from Dorie

Stick a bright-coloured Post-it to this page, so you’ll always know where to turn for a just-right cake for any celebration. The original recipe was given to me by my great dear friend Nick Malgieri, of baking fame, and since getting it, I’ve found endless opportunities to make it – you will too. The cake is snow white, with an elegant tight crumb and an easygoing nature: it always bakes up perfectly; it is delicate on the tongue but sturdy in the kitchen – no fussing when it comes to slicing the layers in half or cutting tall, beautiful wedges for serving; and, it tastes just as you’d want a party cake to taste – special. The base recipe is for a cake flavoured with lemon, layered with a little raspberry jam and filled and frosted with a classic (and so simple) pure white lemony hot-meringue buttercream but, because the elements are so fundamental, they lend themselves to variation (see Playing Around), making the cake not just perfect, but also versatile.

For the Cake

• 2 ¼ cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing

• 2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
• About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready

• Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180C.
• Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans (I used 8 inch because I didn't have 9 inch ones) and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. l
• Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
4. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
5. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
6. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
7. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
8. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
9. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
11. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
12. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream

1. Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
2. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
3. Remove the bowl from the heat.
4. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
5. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
6. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
7. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
8. On medium speed, gradually beat in more lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
9. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake

1. Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
2. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
3. Spread it with one third of the preserves.
4. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
5. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
6. Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
7. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.


Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Party Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Marinated Lamb Cutlets, Lentil and Rice Pilaff and Ginger Tomato Sauce

I adore lamb cutlets and believe they are one of the best kid foods around - all except for one small but important point. Cost. Those little buggers are expensive and when you have hordes of children to feed it all just gets ridiculous. But the other day I went fuck it and bought some delightful french trimmed lamb cutlets. And thanks to a Bill Granger recipe they were a taste sensation.

Marinated Lamb Cutlets
From bills, Bill Granger

• 1tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 1tsp crushed fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes (I used the weeniest bit due to young tastebuds)
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil (I used only 1)
• salt and pepper
• 12 French-trimmed lamb cutlets

1. Place everything in a bowl and marinate for two hours, bringing to room temperature for the last 30 minutes
2. Heat a frying pan over high heat and cook cutlets fo r 1-2 minutes on each side.

Warm lentil and rice pilaff

• 1 cup Lentils du Puy
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the lentils, cooking for 10 minutes
2. Add the rice and lemon and cook for another 12-15 minutes until the rice and lentils are tender
3. Drain, discard the lemon and place in a serving bowl
4. Meanwhile, heat oil ina frypan and cook the onion for 10-12 minutes or until the onion is a rich golden brown, stirring frequently.
5. Sprinkle the pilaff with salt, pepper, parsley and half the onion, toss to combine. Top with remaining onion (I just tossed the lot through)

Ginger tomato sauce

• Fry a little chilli, ginger and garlic in some olive oil until fragrant.
• Add 600g (4lb5oz) chopped tomatoes and cook gently for 25 minutes.

I loved this little vignette to the recipe - and it really made the dish. I used one biggish garlic clove, about a teaspoon of finely chopped ginger and crumbled in a small dried chilli. It just gently bubbled away while I made the rest of it. Yum.

YIKES

I just realised this month's Daring Bakers Challenge was meant to be posted today.

In my head it was tomorrow.

Crap.

I missed last month's efforts because, well, my February blew big fat ugly carrot chunks and the day of posting was also the day I had Oscar in hospital for his botox shots.

So now I've missed today. But was planning to post it tomorrow, so that is still my goal.

Crap.

Marinated Buttermilk Drumsticks

I must preface this post by saying it is a bastardised take on some Nigella recipe which I can no longer recall - I think it was for a whole chicken that you spatchcock and then marinate, but who knows.

Anyway, this is all loose and easy.
Shake those shoulders out.
I'm not giving set amounts because this changes every time I make it.
But each time they're all snaffled. Even the extras I thought would do for lunches the next day.
These can be as healthy or as decadent as you like - in that you can skin them or not. If you do skin them I add a drizzle of oil to the marinade.
It is also compulsory to marinate them in a snaplock bag as Nigella does. Compulsory.

Buttermilk Drumsticks

• Drumsticks - I normally do at least a dozen
• Buttermilk - for a dozen I use a cup, but sometimes more
• mustard -whatever takes your fancy - hot English, Dijon, seeded - they all work a treat - normally a good big teaspoon will do the trick
• couple of smashed garlic cloves (you can peel them if you wish)
• a lemon, cut into chunks, squeezed and then the lot put into the bag
• good pinch of sea salt
• healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper
• fresh herbs of your choice (tarragon and sage are absolute winners in my book)
• swig of olive oil

1. Put everything in a large snaplock bag and smoosh it all together, rubbing it vigorously into the chicken, then marinading it for as long as you've got
2. Preheat oven to 200C
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper - although you can leave this out and do it in a ceramic dish as they're easier to clean
4. Bake for about 30 minutes until they've got good colour and are done.
5. Serve with whatever you wish.

I mean seriously people, does it get much easier than that?

Good Friday

So much cooking of late, so little posting.
Tardy.

Anyway, today featured

• pancakes for breakfast
• the making of Hot Cross Buns
• Nigella's Quadruple Chocolate Cake, which I overcooked because while there was a lot of baking there was not much taking notice of the time
• a baked leg of lamb for dinner

recipes to come.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Isn't anything lemon poppy seed so 1990s!?
Absolutely.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Adapted from Women's Weekly Muffins 3tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 cup caster sugar
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
2tblsp poppy seeds
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 cup buttermilk
60g butter, melted
Preheat oven to moderately hot (200-210C) and line a 12-hole muffin pan
Reserve 2 teaspoons of the lemon rind and 2 tablespoons of the sugar
Mix the flour, seeds and sugar in a bowl
Mix the remaining rind with juice, egg, milk and butter and fold lightly into the dry ingredients
Sprinkle over the combined reserved rind and sugar
Bake for 20 minutes.

Num num num

Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds

So my love affair with Nigella continues unabated. Tonight's dinner is going to feature her sake steak and these sublime noodles.

When she made these I knew I would make them one day. It's the sort of savoury dish that I adore. And then someone mentioned two-minute noodles as a great afternoon tea option for kids but you see, I can't come at two minute noodles, they just seem so, so very fake. So refined that the only goodness they're giving you is the feeling of being full and well, I can eat cake, slice, chocolate, chips to do that.

So I made these instead and you know what? The whole thing took me four minutes - the time it took the noodles to cook. So ok, it was probably more like 10 minutes if you count waiting for the water to boil and then draining the noodles at the end, but still, they are so very good and so very nutritious who cares.

Nigella's Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds
Forever Summer, Nigella Lawson

• 75g sesame seeds
• salt
• 250g soba noodles
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 5tsp soy sauce
• 2tsp honey
• 2tsp sesame oil
• 5 spring onions*

1. Toss the sesame seeds in a dry pan over high heat until they're golden brown and then tip into a bowl
2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add some salt and cook the soba noodles according the the instructions on the packet (mine - from Woollies - take 4 minutes), drain them and then plunge into a bowl of iced water
3. In the bowl you're going to serve them in, mix the vinegar, soy, honey and oil
4. Finely slice the spring onions, add to the dish with the noodles and then give it all a good toss
5. Add the sesame seeds and toss.

Nigella advocates leaving for half an hour for the flavours to develop, but I have no idea what that would be like as they were eaten immediately in our house.

* The first time I made this I didn't have any shallots in the house so I used some very finely chopped Spanish onion instead. I think it would be far better with the spring onions and shall report back after tonight if that is the case.