Strawberry Cheesecake

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

It's time to share with you a Cheesecake I baked a while back for my sister as her dessert for Christmas, while I haven't baked it since, I definitely want to give it another go so that this time I can give it a taste and enjoy it.

Let's get baking!

Ingredients:

150g Butter, melted (plus extra to grease tin)

300g Digestive biscuits

650g Soft cheese

175g Icing sugar

300ml Double cream

1 Vanilla pod

1 tsp Vanilla extract (2 tsp if not using a vanilla pod)

200g Strawberries, hulled and diced

Topping:

250g Strawberry's, hulled and quartered, 150g halved

50g Caster sugar

1 tsp Cornflour

Start off by lightly buttering your cake/flan/pie tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.

Crush your biscuits, I use my Nutribullet to do this to get a fine crumb for my base, nut you can also use a food processor or even a good old rolling pin. Then melt your butter and mix into the biscuits to make your base.

Then spread out and press into your tin and put it into the fridge to set.

Next put your soft cheese into a bowl and use an electric whisk to whisk until fluffy.

Add the icing sugar and gently whisk until smooth.

Pour the cream into a separate bowl, add the vanilla pod seeds and extract, and whisk to very soft peaks.

Gently fold the cream and diced strawberries into the soft cheese mixture.

Spoon the filling onto the biscuit base and spread until even and smooth. Then pop it into the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

To make the topping, put the 100g of quartered strawberries into a small pan with the caster sugar and a splash of water, and cook over a low-medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the strawberries have softened.

Next gently mash the strawberries in the pan to break them down, then press them through a sieve into another bowl and pour the juice back into the pan.

Next add the cornflour and stir constantly on a low heat until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Let cool.

Once the cheesecake has set,  remove from the fridge, remove from the tin and transfer to a serving plate or cake stand. The pour over the strawberry sauce, then top with the remaining halved strawberries and serve.

While I can't make comment on the flavour of the cheesecake itself as I wasn't the one eating it, what I did try while making it was really nice.

This was really easy to make, I've never made a sauce before and I was expecting it to be time consuming and a lot harder, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and simple it was.

I'd definitely recommend making this cheesecake if you're wanting a good strawberry cheesecake to make for any occasion.

If you would like to check out the original recipe, then head over to Olive Magazine's Strawberry Cheesecake recipe page.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Doner Kebab

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

We're getting into the months of constant eating and drinking, which is obviously acceptable because it's Christmas, but we obviously know that because of that when January comes around, it's the time of healthy eating, so I thought I'd share a Pinch of Nom recipe with you which mean you can have your indulgent Doner Kebab, while still eating healthy.

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

Low-calorie cooking spray

500g 5%-fat minced beef

1/2 tsp onion granules

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic granules

1/4 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

pinch of freshly ground pepper

To Serve:

Brown pitta bread

Green salad

Low-fat natural yoghurt mixed with mint sauce

This can be cooked 3 different ways, but the method I will be sharing with you is the Oven Method.

Start off by pre-heating your oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas Mark 4.

Next spray a 900g non-stick loaf tin with a little low-calorie cooking spray.

Place the minced beef, onion granules, ground cumin, garlic granules, smoked sweet paprika, ground coriander, dried oregano, mixed herbs, cayenne pepper and the salt and pepper into a blender, food processor or bowl and blitz the mixture until fairly smooth. I put all my ingredients into a bowl and used an hand-held blender.

Remove the mixture and place it into the loaf tin, pressing it down into the corners firmly.

Cover the tin with foil and cook in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.

Once removed from the oven, leave to rest for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the tin, and slice thinly.

Once sliced, you're ready to serve, I had mine with pitta bread, salad and some yoghurt.

I really enjoyed this, it was full of flavour and was a nice fakeaway treat, the beef and the dip together were really nice. Along with the salad, I thought this dish was really refreshing and will happily make it again in the new year, to get back into healthy eating again.

It was really easy and simple to make, so definitely a dish that's easy for anyone who is a novice in the kitchen.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Bolognaise Risotto

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

It's feels like it's been months since I shared a Pinch of Nom recipe with you all, it's in fact only been around a month, but I thought I'd would share with you this Bolognaise Risotto recipe as it's a dish I've never thought about putting together.

This recipe can be found in the Quick & Easy recipe book and found in the Batch Cooking chapter. If you would like to make it to batch cook, then all you need to do is, cool the risotto within 1 hour of cooking, then divide into individual servings and freeze.

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

Low-calorie cooking spray

1 onion, peeled and chopped into a small dice

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice

1 courgette, chopped into a small dice

3 garlic cloves

250g lean 5% fat beef mince

150g Arborio risotto rice

1 x 400g carton passata

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of granulated sweetener (optional)

1 litre beef stock (2 beef stock cubes dissolved in 1 litre boiling water)

4 chestnut mushrooms

Pinch of grated parmesan, to serve (optional)

A few basil leaves, to serve (optional)

Start off by spraying a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.

Then add the onion, carrot, courgette and garlic and cook for 2 minutes to soften slightly.

Add the minced beef and cook for 5 minutes or until browned.

Once browned, add the Arborio risotto rice and combine fully with the veg and beef.

Add the passata, tomato puree and the herbs, give it all a good stir to mix it all together really well, then season to taste - you may need a pinch of sweetener if it tastes sharp.

Gradually add the beef stock to the pan - around 250ml at a time. Make sure to stir frequently and continue to add the stock as it reduces, until to have 250ml left.

When the rice is almost cooked and you have around 250ml of stock left, add the mushrooms and stir to make sure they are covered, and also add the remaining stock.

Cook the risotto dish for a further 5-6 minutes, until the rice is cooked but still has a little bite to it.

Now you're ready to serve, the recipe says you can top with grated parmesan if you wish to, but I used just normal grated cheese.

Both myself and Skye are big fans of Spaghetti Bolognaise and I'm sure in many households it's a family favourite, so I saw this dish going down a treat, and I was right. I loved the flavours and I still felt like I was having a Spag Bol, even Skye seemed to take to it well, and she can be really picky with anything new.

I think this dish is perfect for Batch Cooking and saving for a later date, especially when you work long hours, it's a nice and filling meal to have on your breaks.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye