Farmersgirl Kitchen

Thursday, 12 March 2015

Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

When I was asked by Dr. Oetker to bake one of their Chocolate Indulgence recipes. I chose these Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins. I love to bake muffins, they are easy to make and just the right size for a sweet treat with a cup of tea or coffee, I also often serve muffins instead of dessert and they are always welcomed.

Dr. Oetker has a great range of products and tools to help you make a great chocolatey bake. They have several varieties of cooking chocolate, chocolate decorations and powders that make it so simple to make a tasty chocolatey bake. There are also lots of great recipes on the website to help inspire you.

This March, Dr. Oetker want to celebrate all that is great and good about chocolate so are encouraging you to have some fun with chocolate and get experimental by trying new chocolatey bakes you’ve never attempted before. That way, you’ll get a handy practice run in March so you’re proud to share these new bakes at Easter with loved ones and friends.

The muffins were very easy to make, you do need to make two different mixtures, one with the cream cheese the other with melted chocolate, then you swirl the two together to get the marbled effect. I liked that they are not too sweet and there is a definite cheesecake flavour. There are many more delicious recipes on the Dr. Oetker website for you to try.

I couldn't resist using up the remaining cream cheese to make some Cream Cheese Frosting and decorating the muffins with Dr. Oetker Chocolate Hearts and Dr. Oetker Chocolate and Silver Pearls I took them into work to share them with my colleagues who were duly grateful!

*Dr. Oetker Twitter Competition*

Dr. Oetker is encouraging bakers to celebrate chocolate by making a yummy chocolate bake and believes that chocolate tastes even better when you share it, so they want to know who you’ll be sharing your chocolate bake with.

To enter: just tweet a photo of a chocolate bake you've made to @DrOetkerbakes and tell them who you'll be sharing it with, for the chance to win a deluxe hamper of chocolate products from Dr. Oetker using the hashtag #evenbetterbaking

Labels: baking, Cheesecake, chocolate, Dr. Oetker, Easter, Muffins

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Asian Spiced Shoulder of Lamb, Mango Quark Cheesecake and the Aldi Challenge

Asian Spiced Shoulder of Lamb with Chantenay Carrots and Garlic Cream Potatoes

The last time I featured Aldi products it was to showcase some of their top of the range frozen foods, this time I've been asked to take part in the Aldi Challenge. The Aldi Challenge is an initiative to ensure that every shopper can enjoy January, if you shop at Aldi you will still have money to spare for enjoying new activities and eating well.

Here is my shopping comparison, I couldn't believe how much I saved.

The Rolled Shoulder of Lamb at Aldi was Scotch Lamb with the QMS mark on it and the comparative lamb at the major supermarket was 'British' Lamb with the Red Tractor. Generally Scotch Lamb is more expensive than British Lamb.
The ice cream I bought at Aldi was a named brand and the comparative tub of ice cream was top of the range own brand.

I first saw this recipe demonstrated by Jacqueline O'Donnell, of The Sisters Restaurant, for Quality Meat Scotland. She kindly gave me a copy of the recipe and says "this dish is worth all the effort in time for maximum taste" I would certainly agree with that.

Asian Spiced Shoulder of Lamb Serves 6 -8

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1.6 kg boned and rolled Scotch lamb shoulder
2 onions, halved and cut into half moons
2 tbsp grated fresh root ginger
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 red chillies, both de-seeded, one chopped and one thinly sliced (I used one dried chilli)
1 tbsp soft brown sugar, plus 1 tsp
3 star anise
2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed, then bruised
2 litres lamb stock (I used 1.5 litres in the Slow Cooker as it doesn't evaporate the same)
1½ tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp fish sauce
Juice 2 limes
big handful mint leaves, torn
handful basil leaves

1. Using a large deep oven proof dish, slow cooker, Aga or warming drawer
2. Place the lamb and all the other ingredients into which ever appliance you are using for cooking,

3. Put in the oven at 140C for 4-6 hours or 8-10 hours in the slow cooker/crockpot.
4. Once it is fork tender, remove the lamb from the dish and lay onto several layers of cling film, roll up tightly. For best results refrigerate the lamb overnight, wrapped in cling film.
5. Allow to rest whilst you reduce the stock in the pot by at least 2/3 adjusting the flavour to your liking I also chilled the stock overnight before reducing, this meant I could remove a thick layer of fat.
6. Use all the same ingredients, however you always have to taste & try to get the balance right in Asian/Vietnamese cooking
7. To serve slice lamb very thickly, through the cling film, then remove the film and any string holding the rolled lamb together. As I had chilled the lamb, I then placed the slices in an ovenproof dish, spooned over a little of the reduced stock, cover with foil and reheat in the oven for 20 minutes at 160C.

8. To serve, carefully lift the lamb slices onto the plate and and spoon the reduced sauce over the top serve with either rice or potatoes.

I served the Asian Spiced Lamb with Chantenay carrots and potatoes sliced, dotted with garlic butter and covered with single cream. The lamb fell apart and tasted fantastic, the flavours of all the spices had amalgamated and it was the flavour of the lamb that dominated. I have also used this technique of cling film wrapping with brisket cooked in the slow cooker and it works equally as well, it's a really dinner party winner too as you can prepare the meat the day before.

Mango Quark Cheesecakes

250g quark
1 tbsp single cream (optional)
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 mango
2 small brioche rolls

1. Cut pieces of the brioche to fit base of 4 large or 6 small ramekins. Mix all ingredients except mango until fully combined and pour evenly into the ramekins.

2. Cut the mango and add a few pieces to each pot. Cover the pots with foil and bake in a Bain Marie (roasting tin filled with enough boiling water to come half way up the side of the ramekins) at 160C for 30 minutes until firm.

3.Remove from the hot water, remove the foil and cool, then chill in the fridge for at least two hours. top with the remaining mango and serve.

This recipe is all my own, I used the mango and brioche rolls from Aldi and some other ingredients I had in the fridge and larder. This is a light cheesecake which is not too sweet with most of the sweetness coming from the ripe mango.

Labels: Aldi, Cheesecake, chilli, Ginger, mango, quark, Scotch Lamb

Sunday, 9 February 2014

Strawberry and Champagne Aphrodisiac Cheesecakes for Valentine's Day

Baking is off the agenda at the moment with my temporarily limited kitchen facilities. So I had to think creatively to 'cook' up some Valentine's treats.

Duerr's sent me a jar of their limited edition Aphrodisiac Jam, as well as containing strawberries and champagne it has some Horny Goat Weed added which is, apparently, a natural viagra!

Strawberry and Champagne Aphrodisiac Cheesecakes (no bake)

Makes 4

6 McVities Digestive biscuits (crushed)

50g butter, melted

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

100g full fat cream cheese

1 teaspoon caster sugar

100g Duerr's Aprodisiac Jam

Whipped cream (optional)

four silicone cupcake cases

1. Mix the crushed digestives with the butter and cocoa powder.

2. Divide between the four cupcake cases and press up the sides to create a cup, refrigerate for at least half an hour until firm.

3. Put the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon. Divide between the cupcakes and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

4. Place a couple of teaspoons of Duerr's Aprodisiac Jam on top of each mini-cheesecake and return to the refrigerator.

5. Just before serving, remove from the silicone case and, if liked, top with a swirl of whipped cream.

without cream

with cream

I was concerned that the cheesecakes would be too sweet, but they were actually really delicious. I can't vouch for the aphrodisiac qualities of the jam, but it certainly tastes good!

I'm entering this recipe for a slew of Valentine themed blogger challenges:

Treat Petite is the sweet treat challenge brought to us by Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer hosted this month by Mr Cakeyboi and the theme is 'Loved Ones'.

Four Seasons Food Feburary Challenge is 'Food from the Heart' the challenge from Delicieux & Eat Your Veg and hosted this month by Anneli at Delicieux.

Let's Cook Sweet Treats for Valentine comes from Simply.Food and is all about preparing delicious treats to woo your loved one.

The theme for Tea Time Treats is chocolate so I'm sneaking this in as it does have a teaspoon of cocoa powder in the biscuit base! Tea Time Treats is the blog challenge run by Lavender and Lovage and The Hedgecombers and this month it is hosted by my friend Karen at Lavender and Lovage.

Family Foodies is in the mood for 'luurve' and this cheesecake is as good a foodie cuddle as you could possibly want. Family Foodies is the challenge run by Eat your Veg and Bangers and Mash

I was provided with a jar of Duerr's Aprodisiac Jam I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own.

Eat Your Veg and Bangers & Mash

Posted with Blogsy

Labels: champagne, Cheesecake, Duerr's Jam, Family Foodies, Four Seasons Food, strawberry, Tea Time Treats, Treat Petite, Valentine's Day

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

The feast before the feast

Every year, just before Christmas, we invite my husband's cousins over for lunch. It is traditional for us to have a cold buffet style lunch, but we sit at the table to eat it! Here is my dining room ready for the food. We started with Spiced Parsnip Soup which drew very favourable comments, but I forgot to take a photo!

I made a baked ham and roasted a turkey breast, both served cold.

We love to eat pickles with the cold meat, pickled onions, gherkins and beetroot. In the centre of the dish is the homemade cranberry relish which was delicious.

I made a few things from Delia Smith's Happy Christmas book, this is the Spiced Brown Rice Salad which was really tasty with a mild curry flavour and lots of bits of veg, nuts and seeds mixed through.

The pasta salad is simply pasta, sweetcorn and some cheese chopped into little cubes, dressed with mayonnaise.

This is Delia's Christmas Coleslaw which includes celeriac and an amazing dressing made with sour cream and garlic amongst other things. I wouldn't say I could taste the celeriac but the whole dish had a great overall flavour. I didn't get a photo but the whole thing was served with a green salad and roast potatoes.

I usually make a 'real' trifle which means no jelly (jello), just sponge soaked with alcohol, in this case cherry brandy, raspberries, topped with real egg custard and then cream and decorated with toasted flaked almonds. Delia's verision of 'English Trifle' is pretty similar to the one I usually make BUT she makes the custard with double cream :o and I have to say, it was fantastic! I don't think I can go back to the one I usually make with full cream milk.

I also served Apple Pecan Cheesecake, which I've shown on my blog before. The recipe came from Judy's Kitchen and is now a favourite of mine.

I've been asked for the link to the Cheesecake recipe you can find it HERE

Labels: Cheesecake, Christmas, coleslaw, ham, pasta, salad, trifle

Saturday, 7 November 2009

The Pudding Challenge!

I do like a challenge, so when I saw this challenge on the UK Food Bloggers Association, I jumped at the chance to create something different with this delicious pudding. I love Christmas Pudding served in the traditional manner so, of course, I had to have a taste before deciding how to use this pudding to create a dish that was worthy of this delicious pud. The kind people at Matthew Walker provided me with a couple of free puddings, why not visit their site to find out more about 'The Pudding'.

Here is the information on the challenge:

The Pudding Challenge
To spice up Christmas, we’re urging all UKFBA food bloggers to use ‘The Pudding’ and create some cracking alternative Christmas fare to get ours, and your readers’, taste buds tingling! The blogger who conjures up the most creative cuisine will win a top of the range camera along with a one-to-one session with a respected home economist, to help make those foodie photos.

and here are my recipes:

Roast Shoulder of Lamb with Matthew Walker 'The Pudding' Stuffing

Ingredients
300g Matthew Walker 'The Pudding'
25g butter
125g onion, peeled and chopped
125g celery, roughly chopped
25g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 egg yolk
salt & pepper
1.4 kg boned shoulder of lamb
2 tbsp oil
350g shallots or button onions peeled
300ml lamb stock
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Melt the butter in a frying pan , add the chopped onion and celery and cook until soft. Crumble 'The Pudding' into the pan and mix with the onion and celery, add the chopped nuts and season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool, then add the egg yolk to bind the stuffing together.

Stuff the bone cavity of the lamb with 'The Pudding' mixture and tie up with string or secure with cocktail sticks. If there is any stuffing left over it can be cooked separately in an ovenproof dish.

Heat the oil in a roasting tin and brown the lamb on all sides. Add the shallots to the tin.

Roast at 180C (375F) for about 1 1/2 hours for pink lamb, 1 3/4 hours for well-done meat.

Transfer the lamb to a warm platter, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place.

Put the shallots, lamb stock and any juices from the lamb in a small pan and puree with a hand blender, add the redcurrant jelly and warm through.

Carve the lamb with 'The Puddding' stuffing with roasted vegetables and the shallot & redcurrant jelly gravy.

Matthew Walker 'The Pudding' Cheesecake

Ingredients
200g Matthew Walker 'The Pudding'
8 digestive biscuits
50g butter, melted
600g cream cheese
2tbsp plain flour
175g caster sugar
2 eggs, plus one yolk
142ml creme fraiche or sour cream
1 tbsp of icing sugar

Heat the oven to 160C. Crush the bisucuits in a food processor (or put in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin). Mix with the melted butter. Press the crumbs into the base of your tin, I used a square pan which is about 18cm square because it doesn't have a removable base, I lined it with baking parchment. If you use a 20cm springform tin you don't have to line it. Bake the base for 5 minutes and then leave to cool

Beat the cream cheese with the flour, sugar, eggs , the yolk and the creme fraiche or soured cream until light and fluffy. Crumble 'The Pudding' and distribute it evenly across the biscuit crumb base. Pour the cream mixture over the base and 'The Pudding'. Bake for about 30 minutes and then check, it should be set but slightly wobbly inthe centre. Leave in the tin to cool.

Remove from the tin, as my tin was square, I served the cheesecake in rectangles, dusting the top with icing sugar.

The expert tasting panel, my husband and my mother-in-law, really enjoyed both of these dishes, but the "Roast Shoulder of Lamb with Matthew Walker 'The Pudding' Stuffing" was definitely voted the top recipe.

Labels: Cheesecake, lamb, The Pudding

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Rice is nice, but cheesecake is better!

On Sunday I made one of my favourite one-pot dishes, Spicy Prawn & Chorizo Rice by Silvana Franco (recipe below)

and followed it with more spiciness of the sweet and spicy kind, are you seeing a theme to my weekend cooking lol, I decided to make the Apple Streudel Cheesecake from Judy's Kitchen. My measurements were slightly haphazard as I didn't have the right amount of cream cheese, but it turned out beautifully and was absolutely delicious, I served it with the rest of the windfall apples that a friend of my MIL's had given me. Thanks for that one Judy, it's a keeper.

Spicy Prawn & Chorizo Rice
Takes 45 - 55 minutes. Serves 6 with plenty for seconds.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 rd chillies, seeded ad chopped
400g/14oz chorizo sausage, skinned and cut into chunks
450g/1lb long-grain rice
1tsp smoked paprika or 1 tbsp ground paprika
200ml/7fl0z dry white wine
1.5litres/2 3/4 pints hot chicken stock (if mkaing with cubes, don't use more than two)
175g/6oz frozen broad beans or peas
400g/14oz raw shlled tiger prawns, thawed if frozen
250g/9oz cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley, plus extra for sprinkling

1. Heat the oil in a large wok or pan, then tip in the garlic, onion, chilies and choizo and fry for a cople of minutes until the onion has softened and the chorizo has released some of its oil. Add the rice and paprika, give a good stir, then pour in the wine and bubble vigorously until the wine evaporates.

2. Pour in the stock, then lower the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tip in the beans or peas, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for another 7-10 minutes, stirring, until the rice is tender. Keep an eye on the water level and have a kettle of boiling water at the ready in case you need to add a spalsh or so to keep the rice moist.

3. Stir in the prawns and tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes until the prawns turn pink and are just cooked through and the tomatoes start to soften. Toss in the parsley, check the seasoning, then stir and leave ot settle for a few minutes before serving in blowls. Serve
with a mixed leaf salad.

Labels: apples, Cheesecake, prawns, rice

This Page