Ricotta Cheesecake

I left you on Friday night having just made my first batch of ricotta cheese, with the plan of turning it into a cheesecake in time for Sunday lunch. I just couldn't resist sharing the results with you. As proud moments go, this is right up there.

I started off by soaking 3 tablespoons of large sultanas in 1 tablespoon of boiling water and 2 tablespoons of sweet Pedro Ximenez sherry for 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile I mixed most of the cheese (750g - I must have ended up with about 800g) with 150g of icing sugar and then 5 eggs were added, one by one. To the cheese mixture I then added 50g of chopped candied peel, 125g of pine nuts and whole blanched almonds (an equal mix of each), the finely grated zest of a lemon and two oranges, and the drained sultanas. The mixture then went into a 23cm diameter springform cake tin, lined with baking parchment and into the oven (gas mark 4, 160 - 180 C) for an hour.

Whilst it was cooking I had a think about decoration.  The recipe suggested more candied fruit, caramelised oranges or fruit compote. I had the lemon and two oranges left from being zested and the sherry that the sultanas had been sitting in. It seemed a shame to waste any of it so decided to add some sugar and a bit more water to the sherry mixture, slice one of the oranges and cook them up in a non-stick frying pan.  The idea was that they'd be slightly caramelised but super-tasty from the sherry, which has a distinctly raisiny flavour.

The cheesecake came out of the oven looking a bit browner than I had imagined, so perhaps next time I'd take it out sooner or lower the oven temperature a bit, but also looking like the Millennium Dome - a huge puffed up bake. However, it didn't take long to deflate. I imagined this would happen having studied the picture that came with the recipe, but its downfall was still quite remarkable. It almost aged before my eyes, getting more and more wrinkled.

I cooled it in the tin and then popped it in the fridge overnight.

They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and I'm very pleased to say it didn't disappoint. The citrus really punched through the creaminess of the cheese.

The sherry-cooked oranges may look better on a paler cake

No prizes for food styling but I wanted to show the inside

My lunch guests enjoyed it as much as I did, with someone opting for a second helping and with third helpings going home in a doggy bag!

Also this weekend, I finally finished the scarf for my work colleague. It took three attempts to knit the final few centimetres - on the first two attempts I ran out of wool before I had finished the vital last rows. Anyway, all done. I just hope she'll be pleased.

And two weeks on from sowing my first seeds of 2015, I am the proud owner of 18 tomato seedlings. Sadly, no sign of any chillies yet but there may be a glimmer of life appearing from the tray where I sowed some sweet peppers.

Rest and Relaxation - of the kitchen kind

After a hectic, exhausting and stressful week at work, what better way to unwind than with some hand crafted therapy. I was going to say 'baking therapy' but that wouldn't be quite right. Let's just settle for plain old rest and relaxation.

The day started foggy but that soon cleared, as did the clouds, and we were given a bit of a treat when the meeting I was in at 9am took a break at 9.20am so we could all go out and see the partial solar eclipse. I got to see it through two layers of welding masks.  Not sure if that was strictly 'safe' but it was all we had to hand! Anyway, that was the first solar eclipse I've ever experienced and could be my last so I decided to embrace the situation. I've heard plenty of hyperbole on the radio about people's experience of it.  I wouldn't quite go that far but it was amazing what the welding masks revealed from what was, to the naked eye, a bright but hazy sky.

Anyway, it was still sunny when I got home so, with the back door flung wide open, I set about switching off from work. Sitting quietly doesn't really work for me as I tend to continue thinking about stuff. What I really need to do is turn my attention to something completely different. Something that requires concentration and thought with a bit of hand-eye coordination thrown in for good measure. I began by making a tray of Apple and Raisin Quinoa Slices - a recipe from the Sainsbury's Magazine courtesy of the Hemsley sisters. These are packed with good things, are gluten-free, almost sugar-free save from 2 tablespoons of maple syrup between all 18 slices, and the only fat is from 50g of coconut oil and whatever fat is contained in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and desiccated coconut.  In theory they are just 125 calories per slice and packed with good stuff so will hopefully keep everyone healthily satisfied this weekend!

Fresh from the oven, yet to be sliced!

Whilst the tray bake was in the oven I set about making more cheese from my Big Cheese Mozzarella and Ricotta kit. So far I had only ventured to making mozzarella but this evening's challenge was to test out the ricotta instructions. It still involved 8 pints of whole milk, some citric acid but no rennet, and heating the whole lot up to a much higher temperature. It needed careful monitoring to ensure that the milk didn't catch on the bottom of the pan or boil over. That successfully achieved, it was time to stick a lid on and leave the mixture to split into curds and whey.

The science bit

The magic bit - separating into curds and whey

After 20 minutes of leaving the hot milk and citric acid mix it was time to see what had happened to the 'cheese'. All seemed to be going to plan with the curds and whey nicely separated. All I then had to do was strain the whole lot through some butter muslin and, 30 minutes later, I had a batch of ricotta - ta dah!

Straining the curds from the whey

Leaving it for 30 minutes

The 'ta-dah' moment!

Tomorrow this will be turned into a traditional Italian cheesecake, in preparation for Sunday lunch. I can't wait!

I should probably also add that work isn't all bad, mostly thanks to some fabulous colleagues. I returned from a meeting earlier in the week to find this on my keyboard.

A recipe for Limoncello

They know me well! I have already stashed away a recipe for Spiced Cranberry Vodka so it looks as if Christmas presents in 2015 will have a distinctly alcoholic theme!

Craft, Chatter and Cake

Yesterday was Craft Club and it was my turn to provide the cake. So, first things first, I set about making a Cardamom, Pistachio and Marmalade Drizzle Loaf. I had recently been sent a jar of Riverford Seville Orange Marmalade as a taster and I can report that it is delicious, albeit quite runny. However, the texture made it perfect for this cake, which not only required to have it added to the cake mix but also poured over the top once it was baked.

Whilst the cake was in the oven I set about preparing for the afternoon of craft ahead. I planned to make hot water bottle covers to go with some appliqué blankets but first I needed to make a pattern. Since there were to be six of us at craft club today I thought table room would be limited so thought it best to get the pattern made before I went. It was a simple task once I'd armed myself with a hot water bottle, some brown paper, a pencil and ruler. Having drawn around the hot water bottle I used to ruler to add a 1.5cm seam allowance around all the edges.  I then used this to made two back pieces, making sure to add enough to the bottom of the top piece and to the top of the bottom piece so that they could overlap comfortably.

With the cake out of the oven, the marmalade drizzle appropriately applied and a bag full of craft supplies I set out for my afternoon of craft, chatter and cake.

I think it must be almost a year since all six club participants have all been able to attend, so there was much catching up to do. Tales of family fall-outs over guinea-pigs, and daughters training their mothers to do their paper rounds kept us all entertained and the time flew by. I'm not sure our hostess got much done, between sorting out squabbles between her sons and supplying us with endless cups of tea but I was quite pleased by how much I achieved. Two hot water bottle covers almost complete - with just some blanket stitching and buttons to attach.

The weather is a far cry from last week's balmy weekend so there was nothing to keep me from finishing the bottle covers this afternoon. A very satisfying task!

And, in case you are wondering, the cake was delicious!

Cheese, Cake and Sunshine

I spent last weekend catching up with an old friend.  It must be nearly 13 years since we had a catch up without small children in tow so we indulged ourselves wandering the streets, shops and stalls of St Nicholas Market and Clifton Village in Bristol; nattering, whilst sampling amazingly fresh and tasty food from street stalls and independent delis - a real treat.

In one of the delis I spotted a stack of The Big Cheese Making kits. Regular readers of the blog may recall that I was given one of these for making mozzarella and ricotta last year, and had showed off my attempt at mini mozzarella balls when catering for friends. I was delighted to see that kits also exist for making halloumi as well as a Scottish cheese I've never heard of, so they will definitely be appearing on my birthday wish list. Anyway, spotting them has inspired me to make another batch of mozzarella.

The first step is to boil water in which to dissolve the rennet and citric acid but, once boiled, the water then has to be cooled to room temperature. So, while waiting for  the water to reach the right temperature I thought I'd have a browse through my collection of cake recipes to find something suitable to make for next weekend's craft club. I ended up being so torn between two options that I decided to make one now and the other next weekend. Humn...looks like this weekend is likely to be as food-focused as last.

Anyway, with the polenta, almond and orange loaf cake in the oven, I finally set about making the mozzarella, getting hungrier and hungrier as I went. Fortunately, the cheese takes less than an hour to make and can be eaten immediately so, in next to no time I was tucking into a very fresh and tasty lunch.

From this...

...to this

And finally this...

As I wait for the cake to cool, I am drawn to venture into the garden. As I've been cooking I've had the back door open - so wonderful is the weather. Mind you, this means only one thing - I really should sow some seeds.

When picking up the milk for the mozzarella, I slipped some seed packets into the basket so why not get them sown immediately? I've gone for tomatoes, an annual essential, but also spotted some mini patio sweet peppers which I thought I'd give a try, alongside some cut-and-come-again salad leaves. I normally refuse to grow things that I know the slugs and snails will get to eat well before I do, but last year I recall seeing someone growing salad leaves in small round pots on a table in their garden so I'll give that a go. I'm hoping that traipsing across paving stones before climbing vertically and then upside down to negotiate the table will be too much for city slugs and they will opt for, pardon the pun, lower hanging fruit!

Perhaps by then I'll be able to ice the cake and maybe even try a bit, although right now I'm too full from lunch!

P.S.  the icing on the cake