Baked cheesecake with strawberries & cream

Before my husband and I were married and we were still "going out", I asked him what his favourite dessert was. After he thought about this question for some time, his reply was
 "cheesecake, but you know like New York cheesecake."
 So as I was now completely head over heals in love, I frantically started reading about and researching what a "New York" cheesecake was.

What I learned was that he was referring to a baked cheesecake and not a gelatin set cheesecake. Also, although the New Yorkers have many and varied flavours of cheesecake now, the original was a classic lemon or vanilla cheesecake with a biscuit base.

The story goes on: We had a trip planned, a very special trip. He was to come to Adelaide for the first time to meet my parents as my boyfriend. I was travelling their first and he was to follow in a couple of days. To show him how much he meant to me, I secretly spent two days preparing the first cheesecake I had ever made. First I made the biscuit base, taking a lot of time to get it perfectly even. I then made the cake mixture and baked it carefully.
 The morning before my flight I got up VERY early, whipped my vanilla cream and decorated it with strawberries. My idea was that strawberries looked romantic, like little red love hearts.
I drove to my boyfriends house and let myself in. While he and his flatmate were still sleeping, I placed the cheesecake in their  kitchen with a note saying that it was for John and that I was going to miss him.

Needless to say we were married some time later and my cheesecake has ever since been the most requested by my love. There have been a few improvements to the original recipe and some learned methods along the way. But, I always finish it with a thin layer of vanilla cream and those luscious romantic strawberries on top just as I did that morning.

 I always make this cake with my darling John in mind, it is made with so much love it oozes with it. 

Ingredients:

250 grams of 'Nice' biscuits
125 grams of un-salted butter, melted
375 grams of cream cheese, cut into cubes and brought to room temperature
3/4 of a cup of caster sugar + 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
1 tablespoon of plain flour
pinch of salt
1 whole egg  + 2 eggs separated, at room temperature
300 grams of sour cream
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
200 ml of whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of pure icing sugar
Strawberries, rinsed and dried

Method:

Process biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine bread crumbs. Add melted butter to food processor and combine well.

Pour moist biscuit mixture into a 22 cm round spring form cake tin. Use your fingers to move around and press mixture around the tin to create a base and sides. Next, use the base of a straight edged glass to get base and sides as even as you can.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celsius or moderately slow.

Place cream cheese cubes into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat till smooth. Add 3/4 of a cup of caster sugar, flour and salt. Beat gently till combined.
Next add one whole egg plus two egg yolks, sour cream and lemon juice. Beat till combined and mixture is smooth.
Transfer cream cheese mixture to a separate bowl. Clean mixer bowl and dry well.

Using a balloon whisk on the electric mixer, beat two egg whites and one tablespoon of caster sugar together until stiff white peaks form.

Gently fold stiffened egg whites into cream cheese mixture, making sure to combine well.

Pour mixture into crumb base and gently bang the tin to help release some of the air bubbles. * 
Bake for one hour, or until cake is firm.

Turn oven off and leave cake to cool with oven door ajar. When cake is completely cool, place in fridge to chill and set in the cake tin for at least 2 hours, over night is even better.

Remove cake from tin and place on a serving plate.

Using a balloon whisk on an electric mixer, whisk cream, icing sugar and vanilla until cream is thickened and stiff, being carefully not to split it.

Spread a layer of vanilla cream on top of cheese cake and decorate with strawberries.

*Note: This cheesecake may crack on top as using this method does create air bubbles in the mixture. But you also get a very light, fluffy result as well, and using the layer of cream will hide any cracks that form due to this.

Armenian Nutmeg Cake

I spent a lot of time when I was a child sitting on a tall step stool in my mums kitchen. I would sit and watch my mum as she prepared so many tasty creations for our little family or our extended family and friends. She made, and taught me, many of the traditional recipe's that her mum taught her. But she also tried new things with great success.
This is one of those recipe's, it is called Armenian Nutmeg cake. It became an on going favourite of ours and in particular a favourite of my Dads, who absolutely loved it when mum would make this.

She would make it when we had people over for dinner, or for other events we went to. But my favourite memory of this cake, is sneaking a piece from the back of the car as we drove to our yearly family holiday at Second Valley beach.
Preparing for our family camping trip always involved our home being filled with the most incredible aromas of my mums baking. I think the memory of that sort of love is the best gift a mother could ever pass on to her child and I am so grateful that my mum gave that to me. 

Whenever I am in need of going back to that beautiful time in my life, all I have to do is bake this sweet, spicy delight. You'll love it.

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain flour
1 cup of self raising flour
125 grams of un-salted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 cups of brown sugar, lightly spooned into cup (do not pack down)
3 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups of walnuts, roughly chopped

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Grease a 27cm x 31cm shallow baking dish with un-salted butter

Sift flours into a bowl and using your fingers rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add brown sugar and mix together.
Place half of this mixture into the greased baking tin, spread evenly and press down firmly to create a base.

 Dissolve the bi-carb soda in the milk.

Next, add the nutmeg to the remaining crumb mixture and mix well. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and the milk mixture, mix well.

Pour over the base and sprinkle walnuts on top evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cake is firm and brown. Cool in the tray and then remove and cut into slices.

Makes approximately 20 slices.

Pasta alla Vasiliki

I have a book that I have been writing recipe's  in since I was  14 years old. The writing starts out that of a child and as you turn the pages you see it slowly mature and get more detailed.
The acquisition of a computer meant that the entries stopped about 10 years ago, but I still have the old book out on my kitchen bench regularly. Referring to it for some of my old favourites.
 Around half way through the well used and sometimes splattered pages is an entry from around the 18 year old stage. The hand written title is simply 'Pasta alla Vasiliki'.
Vasiliki is my very close friend and a kindred spirit whom I have literally grown up with for the past 20 years. Amongst a lot of other things, we share a passion for cooking for people we love. Even when we were crazy, confused teenagers, a favourite pass time of ours was experimenting with cooking.
This was a meal that Vas prepared for me one afternoon at her place. She showed me how she made it and I went home and wrote it down in my recipe book. I titled it 'Pasta alla Vasiliki' and that is what it must remain to be called.
 Like all great recipe's it has evolved over the years according to my tastes and desires and I've even changed the method slightly. But every time I make it I always get my old  hand written recipe out. When I open up to that page in my book it brings a smile to my face. I hear the laughter of two girls on the verge of adult life with so much greatness and many adventures ahead of them.
 I am so proud to say that we are still the closest of friends. I love that we have a shared passion for many things, but especially cooking. Thank you my dear friend.


Ingredients:

olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
6 rashes of short cut bacon, trimmed of fat or rind and sliced
3 medium cloves of garlic, crushed
2 chicken breast fillets (approximately 600 grams), trimmed of any fat and cut into cubes
2 cups of dry white wine
2 medium bunches of broccoli (approximately 300 grams), cut into florets
300 ml of cooking cream
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
500 grams of penne pasta

Method

Add enough olive to just cover the bottom of a heavy based saucepan. Heat oil slightly and add the onions and bacon to the oil. Fry, stirring continuously over a low to medium heat until onions are soft and clear and bacon is slightly crunchy.

Next add the garlic and mix all the ingredients for about 30 seconds making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken and stir through getting the cubed chicken browned and opaque on all sides.

When chicken is cooked through, add a little salt and pepper to start the seasoning and pour in the white wine. Next add the broccoli stir through all the ingredients to make sure it is mixed, place lid on saucepan and turn up heat to bring wine to the boil.

Once the wine has come to the boil, turn down to a simmer. Let the wine simmer for around 10 - 15 minutes by which time the broccoli should be starting to soften.

Turn heat down to low and mix through the cream. It is very important to add the cream to a low heat as if it is too high it could split. Bring the cream to a very gentle simmer, taste for salt and add it if needed. Place the lid slightly ajar and simmer sauce for 20 - 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened.

While sauce is simmering bring a pot of water to the boil, then add a teaspoon of salt and the penne pasta. Cook until aldente or according to packet instructions.

When pasta is cooked, drain and return pasta to pot. Add a little cream sauce to pasta to avoid it from sticking. When sauce is ready, pour whole ammount of sauce into pot with cooked pasta, stir through. Add parmesan cheese and stir through gently. Serve in large bowls with extra freshly ground pepper on top if it is to your taste.

Serves 4 - 6

Penne Melanzane

This pasta dish epitomises the five years I spent living in inner Sydney as a single girl. House sharing, working to live and having a whole heap of fun. With a great group of friends in one of the most exciting cities you can live.
 When I cooked something for myself, I wanted it to be tasty, comforting, affordable and fast. This recipe was all of those things, and I must have cooked it once a week.
It is also all about my beautiful cousin and close friend Susie who was the first to start making versions of this sauce.  She re-created a favourite meal of ours that we both enjoyed at a land mark restaurant on Norton street, Leichhardt called 'Bar Italia'.
 This is my version of this pasta dish and it is still a big favourite. It will always bring back memories of  Susie's support of me, her amazing comfort cooking, and so many fun times at good old 'Bar Italia'.

Ingredients:

Olive oil spray
2 small - medium eggplants, thinly sliced length ways
1/4 of a cup of olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, sliced
160 grams of Kalamata olives (approximately 30 large olives), pits removed
30 grams of capers, rinsed
4 cans of peeled tomatoes, pureed
Salt
500 grams of penne pasta
fetta cheese, to taste

Method:

Spray each side of the eggplant slices with the olive oil spray and fry on a hot fry pan or skillet until eggplant slices are softened and charred. It's also really great to do this step on a BBQ.
Once eggplants are softened, place on a cutting board and roughly chop into chunky pieces.

Place a heavy based saucepan on medium heat and add olive oil, heat slightly and add garlic. Stir for about a minute just to flavour the oil and soften the garlic, but do not let the garlic brown.
Next add the olives and capers and fry for five minutes over the medium heat. Add the eggplant and stir through making sure all of the ingredients are mixed together well, then pour in the pureed tomatoes.
Stir through and add salt to taste, a teaspoon at a time.

Put lid on saucepan and turn up heat, bring to the boil making sure to stir it to avoid sticking. Once boiling turn down heat and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes with lid slightly ajar, or until the sauce has thickened and the flavours have amalgamated.

While sauce is simmering bring a pot of water to the boil and then add a heaped teasoon of salt and the penne pasta. Cook until aldented or according to packet instructions.

When pasta is cooked, drain and return pasta to pot. Stir some of the sauce through the pasta  to avoid it from sticking together.

Serve with extra finished sauce and crumble fetta over the top.

Serves 4 - 6

Willow's Carrot Slice with vanilla icing

This slice is dedicated to my little girl Willow because she always helps me make it. She would do the whole thing and then dive into the batter with both hands if I let her, but she is learning to be patient and add each ingredient as I hand it to her. Her favourite part is when I pour the glistening bright orange grated carrot into the bowl and then she stirs it all in. It's so much FUN!

Ingredients:
oil spray to grease tin

1 cup of self-raising flour
1/2 a cup of plain flour
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 a cup of brown sugar
3/4 of a cup of vegetable oil
1/2 a cup of golden syrup
3 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
300 grams of coarsely grated carrots (approximately 4 average sized carrots)

250 grams of spreadable cream cheese
1/2 a cup of icing sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Method
Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Spray a 37cm x 27cm rectangular baking tin with the oil spray and line tin with non-stick baking paper.

 Sift the two flours, the bicarbonate of soda and the cinnamon into a large bowl.

Combine brown sugar, vegetable oil, golden syrup, eggs and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer, use a balloon whisk to get a smooth consistency.

Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture and gently fold through to combine. Stir through the grated carrot and pour into prepared tin.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Let cool in the tin. When completely cooled, use baking paper to remove from tin.

Next make the icing by combining the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and mixing until you get a spreadable smooth consistency.

 Spread vanilla icing over the slice and cut into squares to serve.

Fried Potatoes

This style of cooking potatoes is relatively new to me but has become one of my favourite methods of preparing them. I think it is a particularly perfect accompaniment to my 'Beef pot roast, with French style aromatics'. The texture of this style of potato is a very good contrast to the roast.

Ingredients:

4 Large Sebago potatoes or similar, skin on and scrubbed
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Salt

Method:

Par - Boil potatoes for 15 - 25 minutes either in a microwave safe container filled with water in a microwave or in a pot of water on the stove. Make sure Potatoes are completely covered with the water as they boil. The time it takes to get the potatoes par - boiled will depend on the size of the potatoes and the heat source. So after 15 minutes of boiling, insert a sharp knife into the center of a potato. You need to be able to insert the knife through the flesh easily, but still have a slight bit of resistance. This will ensure your potatoes will be cooked but not fall apart when you fry them. If potatoes need more cooking keep boiling them and check them in 5 minute increments. I used quite large Sebago potatoes and it took 25 minutes in my microwave.

When ready, drain potatoes from the water and leave to cool. When cool enough, carefully peel away the skin. Using a sharp knife, slice potatoes into 1/2 cm slices.

Use an even amount of olive oil and vegetable oil, just enough to cover the bottom of a fry pan. Get oil hot but not smoking. Using a mixture of the two oils helps the olive oil not to burn too quickly. Fry potatoes on each side until golden and crisp and drain on paper towel. Salt each potato to taste.

Serves 4-6 depending on size of potatoes

Beef pot roast, with white wine and french style aromatics

Winter cooking can be so comforting. When it's cold and wet outside and you have no choice but to stay indoors, what could be better than to take your time creating a warm, tasty meal for your family. Preparing all of your ingredients with care, and then very slowly roasting a nice piece of beef till it's succulent and soft. The aromas permeating your home for the entire afternoon, engendering feelings of being in a European villa with frosted windows and foggy views. Until finally, it's ready. Serve it with some green vegetables and french style potatoes, it makes a dreary grey sky feel romantic.

Ingredients for slow roasting the beef:

Topside  beef roast, approximately 1kg

plain flour for coating beef

salt

freshly ground pepper

olive oil

1 large carrot, peeled and cut in halves

4 sticks of celery, washed and cut into large pieces

1 brown onion, peeled and cut in half

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2  bunch of flat leaf parsley, washed

2 sticks of rosemary, washed

1 bottle of dry white wine





Ingredients for Gravy:

 3-4 cups of the stock from the roasting pot

1/3 cup of cold tap water

2 teaspoons of corn flour

salt, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius

Mix a few grindings of pepper and about 2 teaspoons of salt through the flour. Coat the roast on all sides with the seasoned flour.

In a heavy based saucepan heat enough olive oil to cover the base, sear the roast on all sides over high heat until the flour is golden and crispy.

Take off the heat and deglaze the bottom of the saucepan with some of the white wine. Add all of the vegetables and herbs arranging them evenly under and around the roast. Pour remainder of the wine and a little water if needed so that there is enough liquid to cover the roast.

Cover with tight fitting lid and place in the pre-heated oven, cook at this low temperature for at least 4 hours. I like to very carefully turn the roast over after 2 hours and place back in the oven for the remainder of the cooking time.

Remove roast from liquid and let it rest for a minimum of 1/2 an hour, can be longer because it is re-heated in the oven before serving.

After it has rested, cut the piece of fat that is covering one side off and slice roast into thick pieces. Place in an oven proof dish that has a lid.

Turn oven to 160 degrees celsius.

 Strain about 3 cups of the stock you have made from the roasting pot into a smaller saucepan, put onto a high heat & add salt to taste.

 Mix the corn flour into the water and stir to form a smooth liquid paste, gradually add corn flour mixture into the strained stock and stir. Cook this for 10-15 minutes, it should slightly thicken and you need to cook out the taste of flour.

Pour the gravy over the sliced roast beef, put into the oven uncovered for 10 minutes, then place lid onto dish and cook for another 20 minutes.

Your pot roast should be hot, tender and beautifully moistened by the tasty gravy.

Serves 4-6 depending on size of topside beef roast.

Preface

'Love, to taste' will be a series of recipe's that I re-create and photograph. They may be tried & tested old favourites of mine, old traditional family recipe's I love, or maybe even new creations that work.

I love to cook for my family and friends, it is a passion for me and a creative outlet. I also love to write, and truly believe that every recipe has a story and if the partaker or re-creator knows that story it adds to the enchanment of the experience. So along with my recipe's will be stories and memories of what that recipe means to me.

I'd like to take this opportunity to name & thank (those of whom I can) my inspirations.
It all starts with the best cook I have ever known, my Nonna. Her food was meticulous, traditionally simple and always cooked with love for her family.
My Mum for sitting me on the stool in the kitchen from such an early age, teaching me all she knew and then handing over the wooden spoon.
My Dad for being the first male in my life to be willing to taste all of my creations and always be encouraging. He was a firm believer that if you cook with passion and love who you are cooking for, it will always work out.
My technologically genius husband John, who taught me how to blog and who continues to inspire me with every gratitude for the meal or baked good I give him.
Finally, to the future. My daughter Willow, who at only 2 years old is already displaying great interest in the kitchen. It brings me so much joy & feelings of love to see her smiling face as she makes cakes with mummy and learns everything I have to teach her.

So with the right ingredients, a correct method and Love, to taste, you have the recipe for inspiration. Enjoy!