Passionfruit Cheesecake

Cheesecake, you either love it or you hate it and my house has always been divided. Well everybody loves it, and me, not so much... and seeing I am the one who tends to do most of the cooking, we don't often eat cheesecake. I'm not sure why I never liked it, maybe I just had one bad one and figured they were all like that - who knows. But what I do know, is that this recipe has me converted. Now that I've found one cheesecake I like, I'm looking forward to experimenting with other cheesecake flavours... watch this space. 

Passionfruit cheesecake is the Mr's all time ultimate favourite. It tops all other cakes and desserts. With passionfruit being in season, I thought I had better make him his favourite. Because this was such novelty in our house, I figured I better make a darn good one, so I trawled the internet and found literally hundreds of passionfruit cheesecake recipes, both baked and set with gelatine, some with the passionfruit mixed through, others layered on top. So I did what I do best, and followed all of them and none of them at the same time, taking different components from each, and adding my own twist, with a hint of ground ginger in the base. 

The result: A little (or large) slice of perfection! 

Ingredients (serves 8-12, depending who's eating it, if it was just my husband, you'd only get 6 slices!) 

BASE

• 250g packet of milk arrowroot biscuits
• 125g butter, melted
• 2 tbsp ground ginger

FILLING

• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 tbsp gelatine powder
• 10 passionfruit
• 375g cream cheese, room temperature (equates to 1 & 1/2 tubs) 
• 1 cup cream
• 2/3 cup caster sugar

TOPPING 

• 5 - 6 passionfruit
• 1 tbsp sugar 
• 3/4 - 1 tsp gelatine powder
• 1 - 2 drops yellow food colouring
• hot water 

Prepare a round 25cm springform tin, by lining the base with non-stick baking paper. 

Place the biscuits into a food processor and blitz on high until they are finely crushed. Add ground ginger and blitz quickly to mix. Add melted butter and mix to combine.

Pour buttered biscuit crumbs into the bottom of the tin and use the back of a spoon to press firmly and evenly across the tin. Cover and set aside in the fridge to set. 

To make the filling, place the passionfruit pulp into a sieve over a bowl and use the back of a spoon to press the juice from the pulp. Reserve the pulp and seeds.*

Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, add the cream and passionfruit juice, mix well again. 

Put the hot water into a small bowl and sprinkle over the tablespoon of gelatine. mix to combine and allow to cool only slightly before pouring into and mixing with the cream cheese mixture. Pour all of this into the tin on top of the base. Spoon the reserved pulp on top and use a knife to swirl through the cheesecake mixture. Smooth over, cover and chill 

Finally prepare the passionfruit jelly for the top**. Scoop pulp from the remaining passionfruit, you should have about half a cup. Measure half a cup of hot water, stir in the sugar till dissolved, then stir in 3/4 of a teaspoon of gelatine (use 1 tsp if you prefer a firmer jelly, I like mine relatively runny, so that you can't actually tell it's jelly). Add the gelatine water to the passionfruit pulp and mix well to combine. You should have 1 cup altogether, if not, you may need to add a little water to make it up to a cup. Finally add a couple of drops of yellow food colouring to make it look really 'passionfruity'. Bring to room temperature before gently pouring over the top of the cheesecake. 

Cover and chill for at least four hours before serving. 

*The separating the passionfruit step can be left out if you're in a rush (or just feeling a bit lazy!), however I find that it helps to give the cream cheese a real passionfruit flavour. 

**The jelly on the top is a crucial step in making this seem like an authentic cheesecake. I only used 3/4 of a teaspoon of gelatine though as I didn't want it to fully set.  

Bacon and Mushroom Pappardelle

If you're a fan of carbonara pasta then this is the recipe for you. It's ridiculously easy to prepare and even easier to wolf down. Sure it's not the healthiest of pasta meals, using cream, bacon and plenty of carb loading pasta, but it's jam packed with flavour and also, in this case packed with vegetables. The cream works out to be only 1/4 of a cup per person, that's nothing! And as for the bacon, you'd probably eat more in your Sunday morning fry up. 
So when you think about it - it's actually really healthy. 
Honest. 

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 200 grams lean free range bacon, diced
• 400 grams button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 cup of cream
• 2 spring onion, thickly sliced
• 1/2 cup of parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan 
• 400 grams of pappardelle pasta (spaghetti or fettucine would also be suitable) 
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• olive oil for cooking

Prepare your vegetables first, as the rest of the meal doesn't take long to cook and assemble. 

Put a good lug of olive oil in a large frying pan, and cook the bacon for 5-8 minutes, stirring on a medium heat till lightly browned. Remove from the fry pan and set aside. 

In the same pan, add another generous lug of olive oil and cook the mushrooms, stirring for 5 minutes, till they are softened and starting to shrink down. The juice from the mushrooms will help you to get any sticky bacon bits from the bottom of the pan. Next add the garlic and at least a teaspoon of cracked pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Set aside with the bacon. Do not rinse the pan - we'll use it again later. 

Meanwhile boil your pasta in a large pot of heavily salted water - I usually add at least 1 tbsp of salt to the cooking water. For the last four minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas. Before you drain the water, scoop half a cup of the cooking liquid into the fry pan which you cooked the bacon and mushroom. Drain the pasta and peas, then pop them into the frying pan. 

Turn the frying pan onto a medium heat and add the bacon and mushrooms along with the spring onion, cream and beaten egg yolks. Work quickly to toss everything together. After a couple of minutes you'll see it start to thicken. Now remove from the heat and stir through the parsley and parmesan cheese. 

Use tongs to ladle the pasta into serving bowls. Sprinkle with extra parsley and parmesan if desired. 

Ginger Caramel and Dark Chocolate Tart

It was my brother's birthday and I wanted to make something that I knew he would love! I remember years ago he ate an entire bag (in one sitting) of my dark chocolate coated crystallised ginger pieces... needless to say I figured this would be a winning flavour combination.

Following the same pastry recipe as my other tarts, this one is instead filled with a fudgey layer of ginger spiced caramel, topped with Whittaker's 62% Dark Chocolate ganache and then pieces of crystallised ginger sprinkled on top. The result, pure delightful decadence. Technically it's a cross between ginger crunch and a chocolate caramel slice.

Ingredients (serves 8-12):  

• 1 pre-baked tart pastry shell

For the Ginger Caramel

• 3 tbsp ground ginger - don't be shy!
• 150 grams butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of cream

In a small saucepan melt the sugar, cream, half of the butter and the powdered ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep whisking (5-10 minutes) till thickened into a caramel. I test the thickness by dropping a little bit onto a cold saucer, and tilting it to see how thick it is as it cools. 

Once thick, remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining butter to form a smooth glossy caramel. Pour over the cooked pastry shell while still warm. 

For the Chocolate Ganache

• 180 grams of Whittaker's 62% Dark Ghana Chocolate, chopped
• 125 ml cream
• 1/2 cup crystallised ginger, roughly chopped

In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream till it is just boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chopped dark chocolate, whisk until all of the chocolate is melted in, thick and glossy. 

Allow to cool a little if necessary before spreading evenly over the cooled ginger caramel layer. Sprinkle with the chopped ginger and gently press this into the chocolate layer before it sets. 

Serve with softly whipped unsweetened cream. 

Creamy Green Chicken Pie

Despite the name of this pie it's relatively light, using sour cream instead of full cream. The 'green' part comes from the fact that the pie is packed with greens. 

The filling is best made the day before, or at least early enough so that it has enough time to chill before putting into the pastry. 

The pastry is an adaptation of my tart pastry, however I've added sunflower seeds as I wanted to add a little texture to it. 

Filling (serves 4-6): 

• 2 tbsp oil
• 500 grams chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp cornflour 
• 1 leek, thinly sliced - white and light green parts only) 
• 1/2 bunch of silverbeet - about 6 large leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1/2 tsp salt

Heat 1 tbsp of oil a large pan and add the chicken, cook for a few minutes each side till lightly browned, but not cooked right through. Remove chicken from the pan, cover and set aside. 

Wash the silverbeet and separate the stalks and green leaves. Finely slice the silverbeet stalks and leek. Using the chicken pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and saute the stalks and leek for a few minutes till softened. Meanwhile slice the leaves finely and roughly chop the reserved chicken. 

Combine the vegetable stock and cornflour. Add to the pan with silverbeet leaves, peas, sour cream, milk, pesto and salt. Stir well, reduce heat to low, cover and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes till the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce is quite runny, remove the lid for the last 5 minutes so that it reduces more. 

Once cooked, remove from the pan, cool to room temperature, then chill. 

Pastry: 

• 1 cup flour 
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds - other nuts or seeds would also work. 
• 90 grams cold butter, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 - 6 tbsp chilled water

In a food processor, place the flour, salt and diced butter. Blitz on high till the butter is combined and it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sunflower seeds and blitz on high again. The seeds will stay a little chunky which is good. 

Slowly add the iced water 1 tbsp at a time while the motor is running. The pastry will combine and become a soft sticky ball of dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, or 180 degrees on fan bake and grease a pie dish. 

On a floured surface roll 2/3 of the the pastry out to line the pie dish, allow a little overhang. Roll the remaining pastry to make the lid. 

Spoon your chilled chicken filling into the pie dish and place the pastry lid on top. Wet the edges a little before pressing together with a floured fork. Prick the top of the pie before placing into the hot oven for 40 minutes. 

Once golden and heated through, remove from the oven and allow 5-10 minutes before slicing in and devouring. 

Whittakers Chocolate Brownie and Brownie Icecream

This is a recipe I submitted to Whittaker's a couple of years ago for their Passion for Chocolate Cookbook. 
It was shortlisted, taste-tested and then published (page 150) in the book as one of their Chocolate Lovers recipes! 

Below I'll include the full recipe as was printed in the book, with Chocolate Brownie and Baileys. But first read through the several additions to the 'ice-cream' which I have come up with in the following years. Not one has ever let me down and I am forever considering other options. 
These are a selection of my favourites. Note the 'optional' liquor is always added. Trust me, it makes a difference. 
Also, if you are using chocolate always use Whittaker's... it actually is the best. 

Variations

• Mix 1 tbsp of Vanilla Galliano to the cream and add 2 grated Whittaker's Peanut Slabs when you fold it all together
• Add 1/4c strained passionfruit pulp to the cream, with 1 tbsp of Vanilla Galliano, and add 8 roughly crushed gingernut biscuits when folding all ingredients together. 
• Melt 100g Whittaker's white chocolate and add 1 tbsp of cream and 1 tbsp of Frangelico. Pour cooled white choc onto folded ingredients and run a spoon through to ripple the ganache into the icecream. 
• As above, but adding chopped nuts (almonds or hazelnuts) or raspberrys  as well. Not both, that's too much going on.

If you make this and try any other flavours. Please suggest them to me in the comments section below. I'll be keen to try it out and maybe even add it to the list. 

Ingredients

Brownie

• 1 cup (125g) plain flour
• 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 250g Whittaker’s 72% Dark Ghana chocolate, chopped
• 100g unsalted butter
• 11/4 cup (285g) sugar
• 3 eggs

Ice-cream

• • 3 eggs, separated (fresh and preferably free-range)
  • 1/2 cup (130g) castor sugar, in 2 measures
  • 300ml fresh cream
  • 2 tbsp Baileys or other liqueur (optional) 
  • reserved chocolate brownie
• 
  

Brownie

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan bake). Butter and flour a 20cm x 30cm baking dish.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, then mix in the sugar and eggs (one at a time). Add the flour mixture and mix gently until smooth.

Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for about
25 minutes. (Test with a toothpick: it is ready when there
are a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick.) Do not overcook. Cool on a wire rack.

Slice half into nice squares or cute shapes with a cookie cutter. Reserve the other half for the ice-cream. (It can be left for a few days to go slightly stale before making the ice-cream.)

Ice-cream

Note: If you are using a stand mixer, it is important to mix the ingredients in the correct order to save you from having to wash out the bowl.

Put the egg whites into the mixer bowl and add 1/4 cup (65g) of castor sugar. Beat until the eggs whites form stiff peaks. Place the egg whites in a fresh large bowl and set aside.

Beat the yolks, in the unwashed bowl, with the other 1/4 cup (65g) of castor sugar until light and creamy. Pour the yolks onto the egg whites.

Without washing the mixer bowl, add the cream and beat until stiff. Add the Baileys or your favourite liqueur if using.

Add a large spoon of the egg mixture to the cream, and fold in until fully combined. Working gently so as not to knock the air out of the eggs and cream, add the remaining egg to the cream and fold through. Finally, crumble the brownie offcuts into the mixture, and mix just enough to combine.

Spoon the ice-cream mixture into a 2 litre container, seal and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

To Serve: Warm a slice of the brownie for 20-30 seconds in the microwave, then top with a generous scoop of the ice-cream. 

You can find the recipe in the Passion for Chocolate book or here along with all the other successful entries.