Mini No-bake Blueberry Cheesecake

August 23, 2014December 31, 2018 amcarmenLeave a comment

Hello Everyone! Very sorry indeed for the lack of updates! I’ve been quite busy the past two weeks almost since my last post upload. I haven’t had the time to really get into the kitchen and cook up a new dish, or try a new recipe. For starters, uni was hectic last week. I also had a high school friend from Brunei visit me last weekend, ate out lots so expect a few café reviews soon.

And finally, I started my graphic design internship this week with Hello Social, a social media marketing agency that is based in Sydney that works with a variety of businesses to assist in achieving their marketing objective’s, through social media. I am basically now at uni twice a week, and at my internship 3 times a week, which really means that I only have the weekends to really enjoy my cooking. So I’m letting you know now that my posts will not be as regular as they used to be, but I will still upload whenever I take on another culinary adventure in the kitchen. Thank you for understanding.

All that aside! Let’s get on with today’s recipe shall we? So I actually made these (not-so) mini no-bake cheesecakes last week Monday – I just never had the chance to do a write up and post it immediately. Also, I said not-so mini because when I gave one to Marissa, she struggled to eat the whole thing herself in one go. To quote her, “Dude, this is not mini okay?!” She loved it never the less! I honestly wasn’t expecting you to finish the whole thing in one go, even I could only eat half and the other half a bit later!

What actually happened that day was that I had a 9am-12pm Photography class, and interview for my internship straight after, and then a cheesecake bake-off with my food lover Jialing. Well more or like she asked me in advance if she could use my oven (since she doesn’t have one at her place) to bake a cheesecake for her boyfriend and their two-year anniversary! Of course I wasn’t just gonna sit back and watch her make a cheesecake that wasn’t for me to eat as well – so I decided to make a (few) cheesecake(s) too!

Please check out the original recipe here at taste.com.au. Now, this recipe as you can see makes one 6cm-deep, 20cm-round base cheesecake, which equates to about 5 mini tins (I only had 4 with me on hand, so I made the remaining one in two small ramekins and ate it straight out of it – with Jialing of course!

PREP TIME 35 MINS* | COOKING TIME 20 MINS |
MAKES 4 MINI CHEESECAKES

*Add 4-5 hours extra for chilling time in the fridge

INGREDIENTS

For the cheesecake

2 x 250g packets cream cheese, softened
300ml thickened cream, whipped
250g ginger nut biscuits
125g butter, melted
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing sugar mixture, to serve

For the blueberry compote

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup caster sugar
3 tbsp water
2 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

To make the blueberry compote, combine 1 cup of the blueberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the blueberries and cook for 8 minutes more, stirring frequently. Set aside until needed.
Prepare the springform pans by lining the bases with baking paper and greasing the edges with butter. In a food processor, process the ginger nut biscuits until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Tip it into a medium sized mixing bowl, add the melted butter a mix until well combined. Press the mixture over the base of the prepared pans. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until firm.
Next, sprinkle the gelatine powder into a mug and add the boiling water to it. Whisk with a fork until the gelatine powder fully dissolves. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whip the thickened cream in a small mixing bowl using the electric mixer – be careful as to not over whip the cream (this is what I did and ended up with a lumpy mixture, managed to fix it but it still wasn’t a smooth and silky in texture). Set aside. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl using the electric mixer. Then, gradually beat in gelatine mixture until combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream in.

Now for the fun part! This is where you can get creative with your cheesecakes – and of course, typical me, why make 4 cheesecakes exactly the same when you can use the same ingredients but incorporate them differently into the mixture? But first, let’s separate the cheesecake batter into 2 mixing bowls. Here’s my take on no-bake blueberry cheesecake 4-ways:

Cheesecake #1: Add the cheesecake mixture into one of the springform pan as is and top with the 1/2 cup of blueberries.

Cheesecake #2: Same as the first cheesecake, but instead, top with the blueberry compote

Cheesecake #3: Same as the first two cheesecakes, but instead, marble in the blueberry compote.

Cheesecake #4: Pour the blueberry compote into the cheesecake mixture and using the electric mixer, beat until well combined. Add the mixture into the last springform pan.

Lastly, remember to wrap each springform pan with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours to set. Top the cheesecakes with a sprinkle of icing sugar before serving.

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Corn Salsa

August 11, 2014December 31, 2018 amcarmenLeave a comment

Hello Everybody! Short post today as I have no long-winded back story for this dish. I just wanted something fresh on the plate to accompany my wings and this came into mind! Please do check out the original recipe here though by allrecipes once again.

PREP TIME 10 MINS | COOKING TIME — | SERVES 3-4

INGREDIENTS

1 can (420g) sweet corn kernels, drained
1 red pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
Handful of rocket leaves
Juice of 1 lime
Ground salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and toss together until well combined. Chill until ready to serve. Simple as that!

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Honey & Lime Wings

August 10, 2014December 31, 2018 amcarmenLeave a comment

Hello Everyone! So I made this dish two days back and I must say, it was finger-licking good that I just wanted to devour everything in one go! Note that I made enough for at least 3 meals so downing all of them in one go is actually a lot to eat! Oh well, at least I can enjoy this scrumptious meal for another 2 days.

Anyway, I think you can gather from previous posts that I love me some chicken wings! I don’t actually have much recipes for wings up my sleeves, so for today’s recipe I had to do a little bit of research, to find something new that I hadn’t really had before. I then came across this recipe from allrecipes for honey lime chicken wings. A few of the photographs on the recipe uploaded by others who tried out the recipe looked different, but nevertheless, I stuck to the original recipe and just added an extra step to the cooking process. I also served this dish with a lovely fresh corn salsa on the side (which again the recipe for will be posted separately from this the next day). So much yum!

PREP TIME 5 MINS | COOKING TIME 12-15 MINS | SERVES 4-5

INGREDIENTS

15 pcs chicken mid-wings, washed and cleaned
1/4 cup Capilano honey and ginger blend
1/4 cup vegetable oil, for shallow frying
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Ground salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the honey and ginger blend, lime juice, zest, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Coat the chicken wings with a flour, salt, and pepper mix. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat and fry the chicken wings until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side). Once golden, transfer to a lined baking tray and finish off in the oven for another 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.
Place the cooked wings in the honey/lime mixture one by one and toss to coat well. Serve immediately with a side dish of your choice, in this case I served it with a nice serving of a fresh corn salsa.

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Mashed Potatoes

August 9, 2014December 31, 2018 amcarmen2 Comments

Hello Everyone! Another simple recipe for you that has already probably come up in a few recipes as an accompaniment to a main dish, but I thought that I’d separate the recipe from a post I did two days ago. I love mashed potatoes. I still even remember the time I “made” them – a cringe-worthy experience I must say! I was THAT inexperienced that I “made” mashed potatoes by simply buying those pre-packed ones where you would just add water and violà! Can’t believe I did that for a year.

And you may think that mashed potatoes are simple and easy to make? Well somehow I still managed to stuff them up one time – it had a glue-like texture to it… It was just awful in texture but at least the taste was somewhat still there. I seriously had NO idea how that happened until I came across a Masterchef Australia’s Masterclass on TV where Gary showed how to make the perfect mashed potatoes. I then understood where my mistakes were and they were mainly to do with temperatures and process of mashing (I used to use a potato masher, but for a smoother consistency…you’ll find out below). Nonetheless, I can say that I’m pretty much there with my mashed potatoes – some days more creamy and some days more fluffy because I pretty much just eyeball the amount of milk and butter. Also always inconsistent with the number of potatoes that I use. So for this recipe, just adjust the amount of milk and butter to your liking.

PREP TIME 5 MINS | COOKING TIME 15-20 MINS | SERVES 3-4

INGREDIENTS

4 medium-sized white potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1/2 cup milk, warmed but not boiling
10g unsalted butter
Ground salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Steam the potatoes for about 15-20 minutes or until tender (check by piercing a fork into the chunks of potatoes). Drain and pass the potatoes through a sieve back into the pot with the heat turned off. Work in batches if needed.
Add the warmed milk, potatoes and ground salt and pepper, and mix until a smooth and creamy texture. Serve as an accompaniment to a main dish.

Also note the waterlily bowl that I used to hold my mashed potatoes in! If you’re a new follower or have not seen my blog before, head on to a post I did a while back on my Lovelily Tableware Collection where I hand-built plates and bowls for my introduction to ceramics course as part of my degree elective.

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Honeyed Dutch Carrots

August 8, 2014December 31, 2018 amcarmen2 Comments

Hello Everybody! If you read yesterday’s blog post, I mentioned that I would be posting the recipe to these lovely honeyed Dutch carrots separate from yesterday’s recipe – so here it is now! Don’t worry, I’m not going to write another long-winded post as I have no back story to this. I just wanted some vegetables to go with my steak au poivre yesterday and I looked up some ways that I could make my Dutch carrots a little more fancy than just having them just steamed.

I came across Julie Goodwin’s recipe for honey carrots and they are just divine! Instead of using just regular honey, I decided to go for a fusion by Capliano which is a blend of honey and ginger (recently getting into these honey fusions, if you remember from a few posts I used a honey and maple syrup a couple of time in various recipes). Also, apparently these carrots are in season in Australia around July time (though I am one week into August already), but if you do want to keep on your budget, you can make do with ordinary carrots, just remember to cut them into small batons to cook through well.

PREP TIME 5 MINS | COOKING TIME 12 MINS | SERVES 2-3

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch baby Dutch carrots, peeled and tops trimmed to 2cm
10g unsalted butter
1 tbsp Capilano honey and ginger blend
Ground salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Steam (or microwave) the carrots for 3 minutes until tender but not soggy. The time will depend on how big that carrots as smaller ones may need even less than 3 minutes.
Melt the butter in a medium frypan over medium-high heat. When it starts to froth, add the carrots and cook for about 1-2 minutes, browning the carrots slightly before adding the honey in. Then toss in the pan for 5-6 minutes or until the honey becomes a lovely dark brown in colour.
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately as an accompaniment to any dish. In my case, I served with yesterday’s Braised Steak au Poivre in Red Wine dish.

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Braised Steak au Poivre in Red Wine

August 7, 2014December 31, 2018 amcarmen3 Comments

Hello Everyone! So last night, if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you would’ve known that I posted I few images of this dish and apologised for not being able to post the recipe on the same day (just had a lot of course reading material to get through and prepare for class the next day). Anyway, here is the recipe! And an early upload as well than my usual upload time.

So a couple of weeks (maybe 1 or 2 weeks back I guess) I was searching for a slow-cooked beef in red wine recipe as I had a lovely gravy beef steak waiting to be cooked and a bottle of red wine that was given to me by a friend. I don’t usually drink wine so that’s why I figured, why not cook with it instead?

Please check out the original recipe here. I changed mainly the quantities because of the amount of meat I had, but otherwise I kept to the recipe and added a few veggies to the dish. I completely forgot to add in the crème fraîche when I photographed the dish (but I remembered when I was halfway through eating), so I do apologise if the dish is looking a bit dark!

Au Poivre, for those of you who don’t know, is a French dish which translated just means steak (traditionally a filet mignon) prepared or served with a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper. The peppercorns form a crust on the steak when cooked and provide a pungent but complementary counterpoint to the rich flavor of the high-quality beef.

PREP TIME 10 MINS | COOKING TIME 4 HOURS 10 MINS | SERVES 3-4

INGREDIENTS

450g beef shank, cut into 3 large chunks
220ml red wine
250g small cup mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch long strips
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme (or a tsp of dried thyme leaves)
Ground salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C. Crush the peppercorns coarsely with a mortar and pestle. Mix the ground peppercorns together with the flour on a plate. Then coat the pieces of meat into this mixture, pressing it well in on all sides.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat in a casserole dish (make sure it is really hot), and quickly brown the pieces of meat on all sides, and then transfer them to a plate.
Keeping to a high heat, add the remaining olive oil to the pan and brown the onions, about 3-4 minutes. Then add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add in any remaining flour and pepper left on the plate to the pan, stirring well to soak up the juices. Pour the red wine in a little at a time, continuing to stir to prevent any lumps forming, and scraping in any crusty residue from the bottom and edge of the pan. Bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, add the meat to the sauce, season it with salt, then pop in the bay leaves and thyme. Bring it back to a simmer.
Once simmering again, put a lid on the casserole and transfer it to the middle shelf of the oven to cook for 4 hours or until the meat is tender. During the last hour of cooking, add in the cup mushrooms and zucchini strips.
When you’re ready to serve, remove the herbs, add the crème fraîche, stir it in well, then taste to check for seasoning before serving. Serve on a bed of mashed potatoes and a side of honeyed Dutch carrots (optional, open to creativity).

I will post the recipes for honeyed Dutch carrots and mashed potatoes in a separate post so stayed tuned for those two in the next two days!

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Remains

August 1, 2014December 31, 2018 amcarmenLeave a comment

BRIEF
Explore the design of new typographic letterforms. Your development of a series of designs about media technologies provides you with the opportunity to consider how technological changes impact our experience of typographic design, and visually represent your experiences of radio, television, SMS, and E-mail. You will design a typeface of twenty-six letter. The typeface will convey a particular media experience, and designed with consistent proportions in line weight, cross bars, curves, counters, and endings. Take creative risks and develop your studio skills in analogue and digital technologies.

CONCEPT
The media experience that inspired the design of this font is the photo-sharing application and social networking program, Instagram. Remains is a response to how I use the application, which is to take photos of food and share what I cook, what I eat, and where I eat, daily. The approach of my typography design was to shape letterforms from elements of food. I experimented using different pasta shapes and thick liquids such as jams and sauces to create my letterforms. The design idea further developed from what I had been told by my mother as a child, to “never leave anything edible on my plate” and to “think of all the children starving in Africa.” By these words, I’ve been trained to eat everything edible on my plate as a child, only leaving behind what I cannot consume for example, bones and shells. This habit or way of eating is still in me today – I completely wipe my plate clean, and even had comments from various waiters across the cafés that I’ve been to say “well, I won’t be need to wash this plate!” Therefore the design of the letters is based on the shape of a bone from a chicken drumette. The alphabet is presented in uppercase to express importance and enforcement in a way that I have been ordered to eat a certain way. In addition, the thin lines that create the individual letters provide a sense of cleanliness, again reflecting on the idea of how I had to ‘clean’ my plate, making sure that I left nothing behind to please my mother. Also, the thin lines reflect the starving children in Africa, thin to their bones due to the lack of food.