Baklava & honey cheesecakes

May 7, 2019October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Cooking for more than two people always fills me with anxiety and dread – my flat hardly fits two people in it let alone four. Four people?! Where on earth will I put them? Perhaps one of them could sit in the sink?
And what about the neighbours? What if we’re too loud? Last time I spoke to them they were very upset with me and threatened to call the police – still not quite sure why but the thought is very stress inducing – can’t have a bunch of burly police officers ruining my dinner party.
I need to calm down, it’s just a dinner party… NAPKINS! Oh Christ, where are the napkins? Do I even own napkins? You have to have napkins at a dinner party, you can’t just give people toilet paper no matter how smartly you fold it.
Feeling rather hysterical and with time slipping away, I put the thought of napkins, police and police napkins (whatever they are) to the back of my mind and focused on creating this mad dessert. Quick fast and requiring minimum effort, this baklava cheesecake saved my skin and became my crowning glory. Sometimes out of madness comes beauty… and cheesecake.

Baklava & honey cheesecakes
Serves 4 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 20 mins + chilling / V
You’ll need: A food processor
280g mixed baklava, roughly chopped
280g cream cheese
150ml double cream
3 tbs runny honey
1 orange, cut into segments

Method
1. On a chopping board, roughly chop the baklava before tipping into a food processor. Blitz in short bursts until you have a rough and chunky, crumb-like mixture (be careful not to over blitz, you want to keep some of the texture). Distribute the mixture evenly into glasses or large ramekins and press the mixture down to compress it either with your fingers or with a blunt object. Refrigerate.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling. Using a mixer with a balloon whisk or hand-held electric whisk, beat the cream cheese and honey together on a high speed. Once combined, slowly whisk in the double cream bit by bit to allow the mixture to slowly thicken.
3. Remove the cheesecake bases from the fridge and top each one with a generous layer of cream cheese mixture. Decorate with orange segments, cover with clingfilm and continue to refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian

Chilli & lime cheesecake

August 7, 2017December 27, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

I don’t know about you, but I spend an abnormal amount of time thinking about my Come Dine With Me menu. Not that I would ever apply to go on the show of course, everyone seems far too mean and annoying but if I were to go on it, what would I make?
My starter and main course tend to change on a daily basis, some days I like the idea of doing a themed menu, other days, a more restaurant worthy affair with matching wine. But the one course I’m always most confident in, is dessert. My chilli and lime cheesecake is a sure fire winner, with it’s buttery ginger crumb laced with subtle chilli and zesty creamy topping, I’m certain my guests would find it intriguing yet delightful. ‘Oh what a clever dessert’ they would say ‘I’m going to score her a 9 just for the cheesecake’. So to cut a long story short I would win the £1,000 and we’d all live happily ever after, The End… Actually, I’d quite like £1,000, maybe I should apply? Nah, can’t be bothered but if you can and you make my cheesecake then I happily await your bank transfer (bank details to follow).

Chilli & lime cheesecake
Serves 8-10 / hands on time 45 mins / total time 45 mins + chilling / V🌶
You’ll need: 10 inch flan tin
Base
250g ginger biscuits
90g unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp chilli flakes
Topping
300ml double cream
360g cream cheese
4 limes (juice of 4, zest of 3)
50g of golden caster sugar

TIP: To make 4 individual cheesecakes, half the recipe and split between 4 ramekins.

Method
1. Line an 10 inch flan tin with baking paper and put to one side. In a food processor blitz the ginger biscuits until they resemble bread crumbs. Pour into bowl and mix in the chillies and the melted butter.
2. Pour the base into your flan tin and level it out evenly to the edges. squash the base down using either your hands or a wooden spoon. Pop in the fridge for an hour to chill. Using a mixer with a balloon whisk or a hand help electric whisk, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, lime and lime zest (saving a small handful for decoration later). Once combined start to whisk in the double cream bit by bit to thicken the mixture.
3. Once mixture has thickened pour it into the centre of your flan tin and spread to the edges evenly with a wooden spoon or spatular. Chill for a couple of hours or cover with cling film and chill over night. Cut into segments and serve topped with a sprinkling of lime zest.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian 🌶– Spicy

Jamie does Jamie’s baked cheesecake

February 7, 2016January 25, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Sweet baby Jesus. If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life, it may very well be this cheesecake. Not sure what possessed my boyfriend to bake a cheesecake in the first place but that doesn’t matter now. Brandishing Jamie Oliver’s recipe on his iPhone, he started digging around the cupboards for a 24cm springform cake tin.
“I don’t think we have one of them” I yelled from the living room watching Nancy and Whitney having a fight on Eastenders. Jamie emerges from the kitchen holding a 24cm springform cake tin.
“Huh, who knew we had one of those?” I said drawing my attention back to Eastenders. Hang on, Ryan’s back? I thought he was dead?..
Anyway after a million questions about vanilla essence, corn flour and caster sugar I went to work, expecting to return home to a kitchen full of smoke and tears. But no, I came home to this…

It was without a doubt, one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever eaten. It had a beautiful creamy texture and the flavour was subtly citrusy. Well done Jamie Oliver and Jamie Green, you’ve both made me a very happy woman. 10/10.
Oh and Jamie would like it noted that “it’s the chef that makes the cheesecake not the recipe.” I have feeling he’s referring to himself as the chef in this instance, sorry Jamie Oliver.