While we're on the topic...

Late last summer, my boyfriend Andrew and a good friend of his, struck gold one day when biking around Holyrood Park. Rows and rows of blackberry bushes unfolded before their eyes, all with perfectly ripe fruit for the picking. One would be foolish not to see the baking potential in a situation like this!
Thanks to their foraging efforts, we now had a couple jars of homemade jam and baked vanilla and blackberry cheesecake. Thankyou mother nature for providing the goods!

The principles for this recipe are much the same as for the pumpkin version. Make the base as before, but with digestive biscuits instead. Then simply mix together... 
 500g cream cheese, 300ml sour cream, 150g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence and 2 beaten eggs. Pour into the tin and tap the sides lightly.

 I made a coulis from the berries, by bringing 250g berries and 50g caster sugar to the boil and simmering for 5 minutes. Tip it into a blender, give it a whizz and and pour through a sieve. 



The next step, is your chance to let the inner creative genius flow. Just drizzle or dollop the coulis over the cheesecake with a spoon and drag the tip of a knife through it. Bake at 170 C for 30 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the centre is a little wobbly.

Spicy Pumpkin Cheesecake...

I had hoped to get this cheesecake out of the oven in time for Halloween, but alas... there wasn't a pumpkin to found in the entire city! Once supply and demand had caught up with each other,  I finally got hold of the perfect pumpkin and created something quite lovely from it.
A lighter and more subtle version of the traditional pumpkin pie.
I suggest you try out the ginger snap base, but of course a digestive base would suffice! 

The ingredients...

250g ginger snap biscuits
65g butter

340g cooked and mashed pumpkin (steamed if possible)

100g brown sugar

125g caster sugar

450g cream cheese

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

4 eggs

Oven set at 170 C.

Grease the sides of a spring-form tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
Crush the ginger snaps fairly well, add in the melted butter and press firmly into the tin. Bake for  5-7 minutes and put aside.
Beat together the cream cheese and both sugars, then add the pumpkin and spices. Beat the eggs separately and fold into the mix. Pour onto the base, give it little shake to get rid if bubbles and even it out.
Bake in the centre of your oven for 90 minutes (but as all ovens are unique, it pays to check on it after 75 - 80 minutes). You're looking for firm edges and a slightly wobbly centre. If it begins to brown to much before its ready, cover the top with tin foil.
Leave in the oven with the door open. Once completely cooled, put in the fridge.
Serve with a decent dollop of whipped cream.

x

Just my cup a' tea...

 

Growing up, there was always a fresh pot of Earl Grey sitting on our breakfast table. Dressed in its Sunday best, the all familiar mustard tea cosy. I suppose it's because of this, that it is still my drink of choice. To me, a cup of tea is a comforting, calming and cherished ritual. Essentially, it's like a hug in a cup. So you can imagine how over the moon I was to discover this. An Earl Grey Tea Loaf.

May I recommend this recipe to all fellow tea drinkers.  A delicate and fragrant loaf topped with a zesty lemon drizzle. I mixed it up a little, adding a tsp of Blue Lady tea, and I'm sure this recipe could be experimented with even more. Instead of a drizzle, you could incorporate some lemon (or orange) rind into the mix. I think I'll try using chai tea next time..

 

 The ingredients...

2 tbsp of loose Earl Grey tea 

(or 3 bags with tea leaves taken out)

60 ml boiled water

80ml milk

150g butter

150g sugar

2 eggs

200g flour

1 tsp baking powder

Lemon drizzle ...

230g icing sugar

Juice and rind on half a lemon

Oven at 170 C 

Steep your tea leaves in boiling water for about 5 minutes and then add to the cold milk. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and beat in the eggs. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add half of this to the butter mix, then half of the tea. Combine and repeat. Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes. Test with a knife, it should come out clean. Don't fret if it's still not cooked in the centre, just cover the loaf with tin foil so the top doesn't burn and keep baking until it's done. If opting for the drizzle, do so once cooled. x

Not baking in the slightest, but....

Tasty, cheap and ridiculously healthy ingredients blended up to make the perfect Autumn weeknight dinner. Squirrel some away in the freezer for a night when you can't be bothered.

Carrot and Red Lentil Soup 

 The ingredients...

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin or seed

Pinch of ground chilli or flakes 

900g carrots (peeled and chopped)

150g split red lentils

1.2 L hot vegetable stock

120 ml milk 

Put all ingredients into a large pot, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes.
Give it a whizz with a blender and serve.
Bonus: improved night vision from all that vitamin A!

Warming Autumn Treats: Spicy Apple Chutney

After a month of gallivanting around Italy, soaking up the sun and enjoying a predominantly gelato based diet... we were (strangely) pleased to feel the fresh Autumn air chill us to the core, after arriving back home in Edinburgh.
Almost instinctively, thoughts of all things warm, fragrant and spicy sprung to mind... and after such a long holiday, a tight budget had duly been put into practice.
With these two things in mind... A spicy apple chutney sounded like a winner!

Every recipe I read, called for malt, cider or red or white wine vinegar. But I already had a bottle of  distilled vinegar and couldn't justify buying another. So, by using the most humble of ingredients, I managed to produce something that looks and tastes like a chutney should. I understand the storage method is quite an important step, but so long as your jars are clean, dry, hot (from the oven) and have lids with a plastic inner, your preserve should be safe and sound.

The ingredients...

900g tart apples (peeled and cut into chunks)

1 large onion (finely chopped)

1 tbsp fresh ginger (finely chopped)

400g brown sugar

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp mixed spice

1tsp chilli (I used dried flakes)

500ml vinegar

Pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper

Let all ingredients come to the boil in a heavy based pan, then lower the heat and simmer for a good 40-50 minutes. Your entire house will now smell of vinegar... but don't fret, it eventually becomes the sweet scent of successful preserve making! Give it a stir every now and then, keeping an eye on the consistency. Once it's thick enough (draw a spoon through it - no liquid should be left at the bottom of the pan), put it straight into hot sterilised jars, fill right to the top, screw on the lid and tip it upside down for a while. Not sure what that last step does exactly, but I read it somewhere once! Can't hurt...

3 Brown Bananas...

When life gives you mushy bananas, make a banana cake!
Now, there's no point messing with a classic, so I whipped this up using the tried & true
Edmonds recipe. Here goes...

The ingredients... 

 125g butter

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup mashed banana (roughly 2 bananas, but I added one more for good luck)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp hot milk

Oven at 180C. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in eggs one at a time, then add the mashed banana.
Stir the baking soda into the hot milk and add to the wet mix. Sift in the flour and baking powder, combine well. Bake for 50 minutes, cool completely and decorate as you please!
This recipe makes for quite a firm cake, so works well when baked in a loaf tin and toasted for breakfast.

 

 

Banana + toffee =

The ingredients...

Crust

400g Digestive biscuits

100g butter (melted)

Pie filling

400g condensed milk

2 or 3 bananas, depending on size

double cream 

dark chocolate to decorate

The method is simple...

Crush your digestive biscuits thoroughly and save 1 or 2 for tea dunking later. Stir in the melted butter and compress into a spring-form cake tin (a loose based tart tin will also work, but the cake tin was great for the extra volume!) Put this in the fridge to chill while you sort out the filling. 

Put the unopened can of condensed milk into a large saucepan and fill up with boiling water, ensuring the can is entirely covered. Pop a lid on it and leave to boil for 2 hours, but do keep an eye on the water level.

2 hours later! .....Once your can has cooled completely on its own, open and pour the caramel onto your biscuit base. Slice the bananas and place on top of the pie, finish off with whipped cream and a sprinkling of dark chocolate. 

You can of course do a couple of tins of condensed milk at once, it will keep for months if left unopened and in a cool spot. 

PRO-fiteroles

These were an absolute breeze to make, and what a result. Little cream filled, chocolate dipped pastry gems of joy!

 

Once the oven was set to bake at 200 C...
I simply sieved some flour, a pinch of salt and just enough sugar onto a sheet of baking paper. Melted a fair amount of butter in a saucepan with some boiling water. Tipped the flour mix into the boiling butter and water then whisked it all together with great haste until it formed into a rough ball and pulled away from the sides of the saucepan.  Off the heat, I then added eggs for a thick and glossy texture and piped onto a baking tray covered with non-stick paper. Popped them in the oven for 20 minutes, just enough time for them to puff up proudly! As soon as you take them out of the oven, make sure to pierce the bottoms of them to release the steam trapped inside.. no one likes a soggy profiterole.

The ingredients...

150g plain flour

1 tsp sugar

1tsp salt

100g unsalted butter

250ml cold water

4 eggs (beaten)

To serve, I piped whipped cream through the hole I had made in the bottom and the dipped them in a hot, chocolate ganache (100g dark chocolate, a couple shakes of icing sugar and 100ml cream set over a medium heat in a saucepan... last night my ganache split and began to look oily, but a dash of cold whole milk and a quick whisk brought it back to life).

Chocolate & Orange Tart

Inspired by the genius that is Willie Harcourt-Cooze (aka. Willies Wonky). After watching his Christmas special the other night, drooling just a little as he sprinkled, poured and stuffed his 100% cacao into everything he made, I just had to make this chocolate tart. Willie had roughly explained how to make it, but I sourced the amounts for the ingredients from elsewhere. Result: a decadent, rich, orange infused, velvety textured tart. The smallest portion tips you over the edge so it's definatly one to share around.

Sweet Short Pastry

250g flour

Pinch of salt

125g icing sugar

125g butter, cold and cubed

zest of one orange

2 eggs beaten

1 tbsp ice cold water

Chocolate filling

300ml cream

4 tbsp brown sugar

2 eggs

400g dark chocolate (grated or broken into small pieces)

Sieve the flour and icing into a large bowl then rub in the butter until the mixture goes crumbly. Now add your zest, eggs and water. Add more cold water if necessary to bring the dough together. Gently work it into a ball. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, flatten and cover in clingfilm. It's important not to over work the pastry or else the butter will melt from the heat of your hands, leaving you with chewy pastry. Put in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 190 C. Grease tart tin and blind bake pastry for 15 minutes, then bake for a further 6 - 8 minutes. Trim any pastry hanging off the sides of the tray. Turn oven down to 150 C.

For the filling, bring the cream to the boil whisk in the sugar and eggs. Then add your chocolate. Pour into the pastry case and bake for 35 - 40 mins. It's ready to be taken out when the center still wobbles a bit but the outside stays still. Once cooled down, pop it in the fridge until needed.

Free food shelf ANZAC cookies...

One of the few perks that come with living in a hostel is a little something called the 'free food shelf'. Short staying travelers leave behind things they can't take with them and, in turn, supply us long stayers with an abundance of salt, pepper, cereals and condiments! While scanning the free food shelf a few days ago, I spotted a half full bag of oats. I thought the only way to do them justice was to whip up a batch of ANZAC cookies. I popped a handful of raisins in these ones because I was in a 'use everything up' mood.

                                                      

The ingredients...

1 1/2 cup oats

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup raisins

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp boiling water

2 tbsp golden syrup

125g butter

Oven at 180 C. Combine oats, coconut, flour, sugar and dried fruit if your'e using it. In a saucepan, melt butter and golden syrup. Dissolve your baking soda in the boiling water and add to the syrup while its still hot. Expect it to froth up! Make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the syrup mix. Combine well. Roll into tablespoon size balls, place on greased tray and flatten just a little. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Crunch time...

This Gingery morsel sent memories of home flooding back. Most New Zealanders would recognise this as a solid a kiwi classic, and once tried, it's obvious why. A crisp, buttery base with a yummy ginger fudge topping. Many recipes suggest using crystallised ginger, but the Edmonds version calls for nothing more than what you will already have in your cupboard... or tucked away in your rucksack!

Ginger Crunch (Edmonds)

125g butter

1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

Topping

75g butter

3/4 cup icing sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

3 tsp ground ginger

Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in flour, baking powder and ginger. Mix together and press it firmly into your lined slice tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. With about 5 minutes of baking time remaining, heat the butter, icing sugar, golden syrup and ginger in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Pour over the hot base and leave to set.

x

Rice Bubbles...

Not having tried Rice Bubbles before, I splashed out and bought a massive Tesco Value box, only to realise I hadn't been missing out on anything. So I thought up some ways to jazz up this otherwise boring cereal.

The ingredients...

White Chocolate and Lime Crispies

100g butter

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

150g Rice Bubbles (about 4 cups)

200g chocolate

1 lime (grated rind)

Melt butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan, stir well and let it bubble away for a few minutes.  Take off the heat and add to the Rice Bubbles... coat them well. Press mixture into a tin lined with baking paper and set aside. Melt chocolate on a low heat and stir continuously. Pour over Rice Bubbles and pop in the fridge to cool. Que Aproveche.

The Backpacking Baker. x