Triple Layer Lemon, Strawberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake

As I was down on my hands and knees scraping squished sultanas from the floor boards, my mind drifted to other pleasant things, after the thought that I should never have introduced my 9 month old to that detestable fruit. My mind took me to that tub of Philadelphia cream cheese chocolate frosting that I had purchased to top cupcakes (I promise!) and I found myself making a bee line for the cutlery draw for a tea spoon.
Honestly, that little tub of heaven never even made it close to a cupcake. Unless that cupcake was already in my stomach.
So with that delicious chocolatey goodness in my mind, I was pretty stoked when Philadelphia released a new flavoured cream cheese block in Strawberry flavour as well as lemon. I instantly knew I had to test these babies out in my kitchen. I borrowed from my favourite triple layered chocolate no bake cheesecake recipe and got to work-not using dark, milk and white chocolate as in this recipe, but just white as a base.

There was a heavenly layer of white chocolate paired with the original cream cheese, one of white chocolate and strawberry, and one of white chocolate and lemon-encrusted with a buttery, crumbly biscuit base that extended up the sides. This was topped with an ornate white chocolate crown and chocolate dipped, crumbed strawberries piled high in the centre.

Once it was set I removed a piece for testing purposes. The layering was so pretty, and the scent of strawberry and lemon arose from that cutting. It was at that moment that I was sure that Philadelphia had done it again, inspired by the divine. So if you're wondering how to use Philadelphia's Lemon or Strawberry cream cheese blocks, look no further. Here's a recipe to tickle your fancy!

TRIPLE LAYER LEMON, STRAWBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

 350g plain sweet biscuits (I used Marie biscuits)
125g butter
1/4 cup boiling water
3 tsp unflavoured gelatine
1x 250g packet original cream cheese, at room temperature
1x 250g packet lemon cream cheese, at room temperature
1x 250g packet strawberry cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup caster sugar, divided into three parts
300ml thickened cream, divided into three parts
600g white cooking chocolate, divided into three parts
250g strawberries, washed and dried
100g extra chocolate to garnish strawberries if desired

Break up 300g of biscuits into a food processor. (Reserve the remaining 50g to garnish the top of the cheesecake at a later point.)
Process the biscuits until they resemble fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a large microwave proof bowl, then add the biscuit crumbs and stir until well combined. Tip the contents of the bowl into a 23cm round springform tin. Using a straight sided glass, press this mixture into the base and up the sides of the tin until even and compact. Place in the refrigerator to harden.
In a small bowl, place the hot water and shower the gelatine evenly over the surface. Stir with a fork until the gelatine has dissolved completely. Set aside.
Melt the 600g of white chocolate gently in the microwave. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the original cream cheese in a medium bowl. Add one third of the sugar (this is approximately 2 heaped tablespoons of sugar). Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well incorporated. Add a third of the cream (100ml) and beat until smooth. Add a third of the gelatine mixture and stir until well combined. Add a third of the melted chocolate (200g) and stir until well combined.
Pour this mixture into the base, cover and freezer to set.
Meanwhile, repeat this process with the strawberry cream cheese for the next layer. Remove the cheesecake from freezer and add this strawberry cream cheese mixture on top of the plain white chocolate layer. Smooth the top and freezer to set.
While these two layers firm, repeat this process with the lemon cream cheese for the final layer.  Remove the pan from the freezer and spread with the final cheesecake layer. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours until firm.
To add the garnishes, process the remaining 50g of biscuit in the food processor. Dip the strawberries in extra melted chocolate if desired, dip them in biscuit crumbs and dry. Pile in the centre of the cake.
If you are interested in making the chocolate crown, melt another 100g white chocolate. Blow up a balloon and paint with the white chocolate. Allow to dry, then prick the balloon with a pun close to the mouth to slowly release the air. Voila!

Serves 10-12

Choc Malt Tim Tam Ice Cream Bombe

A good husband has to get his wife her crave in the middle of the night at least once during a pregnancy. Not pickle and peanut butter sandwiches. Chips smothered in jam? What's the weirdest pregnancy craving you've ever heard of or had? Those hormones do some crazy things to you. As if it isn't bad enough getting up every hour to go to the loo, or having to getting teary over spilled milk, you occasionally have to wake up wanting some bizarre edible (or non edible) in the dead of night.
He's a good man. Better than life itself.
And who doesn't crave Tim Tams in the middle of the night--seriously?

"Mummy's made an ice cream bombe, and it's going to explode on your taste buds!"

"Nooo! That doesn't sound good..."

Here I am now feeling super sorry for all those of you who do not live in a place like Australia where Tim Tams can be found in every grocery store. You really are poor unfortunates and what ever do you do when you have a Tim Tam craving? Now that's a question I would like answered!

CHOC MALT TIM TAM ICE CREAM BOMBE (Adapted from Not Quite Nigella)

600ml cream
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup Milo powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 packet Tim Tams
3/4 cup chocolate chips, melted

Place the cream, sifted icing sugar and vanilla essence into a large bowl. Whip until soft peaks form, then evenly divide the contents into two bowls. Set one bowl aside, and in the other add Milo and cocoa powder. Whip to thoroughly combine.
Take a mold such as a bowl that is approximately of 5 cup capacity. Smooth the chocolate mixture into the base and sides of the bowl to coat evenly. Spoon quarter of the vanilla mixture into the middle. Break up 3/4 of the Tim Tams and layer with the vanilla cream, a quarter of the mixture at a time. Cover the top with foil or cling wrap and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight. Reserve the remaining 1/4 of the Tim Tams for decorating the top of the bomb at a later stage.
To remove the bombe from the mold when frozen, prepare a large bowl with enough boiling water in it that it comes to the rim of the mold when submerged (be careful not to let the water come over the top of the rim and spoil the ice cream!) Let the mold sit in the hot water long enough to soften the edges slightly, then remove from the water. You may like to use a smooth knife to help ease the bomb up from the edges of the mold, before turning it upside down on the serving platter. Gently ease the bomb out. Smooth away any scrapes that may have occurred on the bombe's surface with a hot knife. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the bombe and top with the remaining crushed Tim Tams. Return to the freezer or serve.

Serves approximately 6-8

NOTES: If you have an ice cream maker, before smoothing the chocolate cream into the mold, place it in the machine for a few minutes to churn and semi freeze. Then spread into the mold. This makes for a lovely moussy layer when cut. You can also do the same with the vanilla layer, giving the whole bombe a better end result texture.

The cream is whipped into soft peaks, then divided into two bowls. To make the malt flavoured ice cream, milo powder and cocoa is added and beaten, then smoothed into the ice cream mold. The vanilla mix is then layered with the broken tim tams to form the centre of the bomb.

After freezing, the mold is removed from the freezer and unwrapped. It is put into a bowl of hot water to soften the edged, then gently removed with the help of a knife, and turned out onto the serving platter. A smear of hot chocolate is poured onto the top before serving.

Chocolate Custard Strawberry Cream Tart

Here's a really quick and easy dessert if you're in a hurry. I've been testing out all these instant pudding/mousse/jelly products from the stores, because I see so many recipes in America depend on them. While I find the flavour generally lacking in intensity, these sorts of instant mixes can be just perfect and you're time poor and need to whip something up in a flash. And it's always very popular with the kids. I for one would prefer to make my own mousse or custard from scratch, as I find it tastes better and you can up the flavour to your taste-bud's desire. So feel free to replace the store bought filling with your own chocolate custard or chocolate mousse, and then I believe this would really be one delicious dessert. Someone recently commented that every second recipe on here incorporates strawberries...can't you tell I'm addicted?

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD STRAWBERRY CREAM TART (A Lick the Spoon Original)

300g plain chocolate biscuits, crushed
5-6 tbsp butter, melted
1 packet Airoplane Brand Chocolate Wobble (or chocolate pudding or setting custard. Homemade recipe for chocolate custard here)
400g fresh strawberries
1 cup thickened cream, whipped

Combine the crushed biscuits with enough melted butter to get a damp mouldable base mixture. (you may not need all of the melted butter depending how absorbent your biscuits are.) Firmly press this mixture into a paper lined 20cm round spring form tin and up the sides a few inches. Refrigerate.
In a medium bowl, prepare the Airoplane Chocolate jelly mixture according to the directions on the back of the packet. When this mixture is unset at room temperature, remove the tart base from the refrigerator.
Cut the leaves off the strawberries along with a slither of the top of the berries, so that each berry stands flat with the pointed end upwards. Arrange the strawberries on the tart base so that they cover the surface with the ends pointing upwards. Pour the room temperate jelly mixture on top of the berries. Cover with cling-wrap and refrigerate until the chocolate mixture is set, approximately 2-4 hours.
Whip the cream and pipe on the top of the chocolate to decorate. Sprinkle with a little cocoa powder if desired. Serve chilled.

Strawberries and Cream Mousse Pie

Buying fresh fruit and vege is one of my favourite foodie experiences. I love all the different fruity aromas that float around as you drift and sift through the piles of green and red, yellow and orange for the best of the best produce (I wonder how many others have handled the same fruit?) Of course there's the occasional paw paw that you bypass (I tend to think fresh paw paw smells a bit like vomit) but on the whole it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience for someone like me. Especially when you hit upon a super I-can't-go-past-that sort of bargain. Monster strawberries, 99c for 500g. Yes please!
Now I don't know if youre familiar with monster strawberries. 4kg of them later, I stood staring at them sprawled all over my kitchen bench, wondering what fabulous recipes there going to result from this bunch. Then it hit me. Why were they all so deformed, so gigantic? They're mutants! Would they sprout arms and bare teeth and start stomping around like something out of a Pnau video clip?
So I had to go and research them before they passed anyone's lips. Not that I didn't trust that they were edible, but I had to know the ins and outs of these massive red strawberries that had looked like they were joined to at least four others.
To my joy, it turns out that monster strawberries form simply out of a weather incompatibility, nothing more. They were delicious, mind you--fat, juicy and flavoursome, and just had to fill this heavenly tart--a light biscuit base, topped with airy strawberry cream mousse, finished off with a garnishing of fruit and lime jelly glaze.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM MOUSSE PIE WITH LIME JELLY GLAZE (Adapted from Martha Stewart)

8-10 Nice biscuits
3 tbsp. lime juice
2 3/4 tsp unflavoured gelatin
500g fresh strawberries
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 cups heavy cream, chilled

Lime Jelly Finish:

1/2 cup boiling water
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp unflavoured gelatin

Grease and line a 20x20 square glass or tin dish, leaving an inch or so of baking paper overhanging at the sides for easy removal of pie.
Lay the Nice biscuits on the base of the dish, breaking biscuits if necessary to cover the bottom evenly.
In a small bowl, place the lime juice and shower the gelatin over the top of it. Leave it aside to soften for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place 400g of the strawberries in a food processor, and blend into a fine puree. Push the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan, and discard the seeds. At a medium setting, heat the puree along with 1/2 cup sugar, stirring occasionally, until bubbles begin to form around the sides of the saucepan. Add the gelatin and cook until the gelatin dissolves, stirring continually. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whip the cream and the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar for about 4 minutes until firm peaks form. Gently fold the strawberry puree into the cream with a spatula until well combined. Smooth this mousse mixture over the top of the Nice biscuit base. Slice the remaining strawberries lengthways and arrange on the top of the mousse as desired. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.
To make the lime jelly finish, Place the boiling water in a small bowl with the lime juice. Shower the gelatin on the water and sit for a few minutes to soften. Stir occasionally to ensure the gelatine dissolves, then cool to room temperature. Pour onto the mousse pie and refrigerate until set. Serve.

HUGE!

No Bake Triple Chocolate Layer Cheesecake

I recently did a short poll on Lick The Spoon's facebook fan page about cheesecake. I don't know anyone who doesn't like cheesecake, but the question is, baked or refrigerated? The votes were pretty even but refrigerated came out on top, to my surprise. I had always thought a baked cheesecake would win hands down. The image that came to my mind of a refrigerated cheesecake was one of those cheap supermarket cheesecakes that you can buy for about $4.00. Which, mind you, is probably okay for one of those quick desserts but now I know its nothing like the real deal! I am fully converted to refrigerated cheesecakes. Wholeheartedly converted.
This means I never have to go through that stress of pulling the cheesecake from the oven, testing the wobbly centre and thinking "is it cooked or isn't it?"
I couldn't believe the smooth and silky texture of the refrigerated cheesecake also, and how quick and easy it was to put together, without the use of eggs. Trust me, when you've grown up watching chooks lay eggs, it can put you off using eggs. At one stage I swore never to eat another egg...but then I discovered baking. Anyway, this recipe requires no eggs and loads of chocolate, with a decadent chocolate ripple biscuit base. It is three layers of cheesecake--white, milk and dark chocolate, sprinkled with crushed biscuit and piled high with chocolate dipped strawberries. It's the ultimate cheesecake. By far the best cheesecake I have ever tasted. Stress free.

 

NO BAKE TRIPLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CHEESECAKE (Adapted from Taste)

350g Chocolate Ripple Biscuits (or plain chocolate biscuits)
125g butter
1/4 cup boiling water
3 tsp unflavoured gelatine
3x 250g packets cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup caster sugar
300ml thickened cream
200g white cooking chocolate
200g milk cooking chocolate
200g dark cooking chocolate
250g strawberries, washed and dried
100g extra chocolate to garnish strawberries if desired

Break up 300g of biscuits into a food processor. (Reserve the remaining 50g to garnish the top of the cheesecake at a later point.)
Process the biscuits until they resemble fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a large microwave proof bowl, then add the biscuit crumbs and stir until well combined. Tip the contents of the bowl into a 23cm round springform tin. Using a straigh sided glass, press this mixture into the base and up the sides of the tin until even and compact. Place in the refrigerator to harden.

In a small bowl, place the hot water and shower the gelatine evenly over the surface. Stir with a fork until the gelatine has dissolved completely. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well incorporated. Add the Cream and beat until smooth. Add the gelatine mixture and stir until well combined.
Melt the white chocolate gently in the microwave. Remove from heat and set aside.
Divide the cream cheese mixture into three. In one third, stir through the melted white chocolate. Spoon this third onto the base of the cheesecake and smooth. Place in the freezer to harden.
Meanwhile, melt the milk chocolate gently in the microwave.
Stir the melted milk chocolate through the next portion of the cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Remove the pan from the freezer, and smooth the milk chocolate layer over the white chocolate layer.
Return to freezer.
Melt the dark chocolate gently in the microwave. Stir the dark chocolate through the remaining cream cheese mixture until well combined. Remove the pan from the freezer and spread with the final cheesecake layer. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours until firm.
To add the garnishes, process the remaining 50g of biscuit in the food processor. Place a 20cm round bowl face down in the centre of  the cheesecake and sprinkle the biscuit crumbs around the edges. Remove the bowl. Dip the strawberries in chocolate if desired and pile in the centre of the cake.

Serves 10-12

Rich Banana Ice Cream

I know I've said it before, but one of the perks of living in a sub tropical climate is the abundance of delicious fruit. Bananas, mango, papaya, and many more simply thrive up here in Queensland, so there's almost always one of the three in the house. The smell of mangoes is especially divine, and I add that delightful fruit to my next batch of ice cream. If you haven't noticed, we're having a bit of an ice cream marathon in this house. Don't worry, the baked goods will be back in full force soon, with the winter weather on the way. Not that it will stop me from indulging in a little ice cream here and there, but I must say I am looking forward to the house being cool enough to be able to have the oven on without discomfort! Bring on the fresh bread, cakes and pies! I am sure they will take my addiction off ice cream momentarily.
However, I think we've hit upon another favourite ice cream recipe in this house. My husband and I think it's on a par with the last batch of  Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream we made, which I never thought any other ice cream would compare to in richness, texture and flavour.
I was a little skeptical to be honest, and so you can imagine my surprise when I tasted this rich, creamy smooth banana ice cream...it is decadent! Who ever thought banana could be so good? I must apologise about the pictures though. The severe melting is due to being called away while photographing, and ending up with it all looking a little softer than it should. Melted or not, it's delicious!

RICH BANANA ICE CREAM (adapted from Mistral Igloo Ice Cream maker manual)

3 medium bananas, ripe and mashed
1 egg white
1/2 cup caster sugar
250ml cream
pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice

Beat the egg white until light and fluffy. Add a little of the sugar at the end of the mixing process. In a medium bowl, mash bananas. Add the remaining sugar, cream, salt and lemon juice and mix to combine. Gently fold in the egg white mixture. Refrigerate overnight, before placing in the canister to churn and freeze.

Makes about 800ml, depending on banana size

Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream

I know ice cream is meant to be creamy, hence the name, but sometimes it's so rich and super creamy you just have to add the extra adjective. My new ice cream maker has been working over time, and we recently hit upon an instant favourite. Don't worry, we're not living off ice cream. I have quite a small ice cream maker that only makes about 800ml maximum at a time, so we're able to try out lots of different flavours without the need to consume massive amounts. Sadly I didn't get the best pictures of the ice cream (someone remind me to buy an ice cream scoop!) But you can take my word for it, once it softened a little, it was so smooth and creamy and the texture was silky.
After I had made it, I heard the Home Ice Cream delivery van going past and I heard myself giving a wickedly insane chuckle. I never have to buy from them again (their ice cream is delicious though.) Do yourself a favour and go and buy an ice cream maker instead! So much fun to be had.

CREAMY CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM (Adapted from the Minstral Igloo Ice Cream Maker manual) 

120g chocolate chips
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 egg yolks
500ml cream

Add cream, chocolate and sugar in a small saucepan, and place over a low heat until the chocolate melts. Add the egg yolks and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight. Pour into ice cream maker canister and allow to churn and freeze.

Makes approximately 500ml

Calling the Universe to give me Homemade Icecream

My hubby and I often have a good laugh when something we have long wanted unexpectedly appears out of the blue. I know a lot of people believe in calling to the universe for their wants and expecting it to magically appear aka "The Secret". Yes, I read the book with an open mind, but I have a feeling there was something that went unmentioned in the book, hence we have a laugh in reference to it now and then in this house.
You can't simply want something, ask the universe and expect the universe to simply hand it to you. You have to do something about it too. You can want a million dollars with all your might, but if you don't do anything about it, how is that magically going to just appear in your bank account? (even if you win the lotto, you have to buy the ticket first!)
Anyway, I'm all for wanting something so much that your mind is set on getting it, regardless of the cost. Your every action is made with the view of achieving your goal, and yes, you may just get there if you keep at it!
Well, anyway, I've been wanting an ice cream maker for a long time. We found a beautiful model, and bought it as a gift for my hubby's cousin. We bought another for my mother in law.

The jealousy was rising. 

Then hubby told me he was going to buy one for my birthday, and I started to get excited in anticipation. I started collecting recipes, drooling over pictures of home made ice cream, and waiting for May with such a longing.
Bing!
The universe heard my plea *cackle*
My husband brought one home yesterday. A darling relative had overhead me discussing the gift we bought for hubby's cousin, and had one at home she never used! So she passed it on to me, and here you have it, the result I have been longing for for months. Home made ice cream, and I am never buying it from the store again. Do I care that it's almost winter in Australia?
No.

And yes it's in an ash tray (never used of course) It just looked so right at the time...hehe...

LEMON CURD ICE CREAM WITH LEMONCELLO (Adapted from Taste.com.au )

1/3 cup caster sugar
150ml water
3 egg yolks
600ml thickened cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
400g lemon curd (see recipe below)
Lemoncello liqueur to drizzle

Over a low heat, combine the sugar with 150ml of water in a small saucepan. Once dissolved, simmer on a medium heat for 3 minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg yolks for a minute until frothy. With the beater still running, add the sugar syrup and combine thoroughly, until cool.
In a separate bowl, place the cream and vanilla. Whip until soft peaks form. Gently fold in yolk mixture. Gently fold in curd.
Follow the manufacturers instructions on your ice cream machine to turn and freeze the ice cream. It is recommended that the ice cream mixture is left aside overnight for optimum results, before processing with your ice cream machine.
Thaw a little before serving, with a splash of lemoncello for delicious adult decadence.

NOTES: My ice cream machine instructions note that the ice cream in the manual is best eaten within a week. I assume this is recommended for most home made ice creams. This ice cream may not be suitable for pregnant women, as it contains raw egg. You can buy lemon curd from the store, however, I highly recommend making your own with freshly squeezed lemons, as this gives the best flavour. The recipe below is my favourite lemon curd recipe. It makes more than necessary for this recipe however, so be prepared to enjoy the leftovers on your toast in the morning! (i like to smear it on a warm croissant...a wonderful way to enjoy lemon curd! For other ideas on how to use your left over lemon curd and egg whites, click here)

Makes 1 litre

LEMON CURD

1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup (125ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups water
3 egg yolks
60g butter

Combine the sugar and cornflour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the lemon juice and water while stirring continuously until mixture is smooth. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add the egg yolks and butter. Continue stirring until the butter has melted and mixture is well combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

NOTES: use fresh lemon juice for optimum flavour. If you use store bought lemon juice, increase the quantity, otherwise your curd may taste "eggy"

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

As promised, I have a few more delightful truffle and chocolate recipes to share. Here's a delicious white chocolate truffle, zesty with lemon accents and ever so creamy. Pop one of these in your mouth and you won't be able to stop.

WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON TRUFFLES (adapted slightly from Swapna's Cuisine)

500g white chocolate, chopped
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
1/3 cup cream
cocoa powder or caster sugar to roll

Combine the cream and zest a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to bubble, but not boil.
Remove from heat and add the chocolate, whisking quickly until the chocolate has melted and becomes thick and smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix until well incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate until firm enough to form balls. Form rough balls using a teaspoon. Roll the truffles in caster sugar or cocoa powder and place in paper cases. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Easi-yo Homemade Yogurt Cheat

I'm sure the New Zealand company Easi-yo won't be all that pleased that I found this money saving cheat. Well--of course many have found it before me, but I wanted to share it all the same for those who have not heard how you can save a few dollars on this deliciousness and get more for your money. My son and I would eat about a litre of yogurt a day if it was possible, and now it is. Without the expense.
And, unlike so many of the recipes on here, its very healthy for you.
So listen up!
You can purchase a packet of dry yogurt mix for around $4, and for those who aren't familiar with Easi-yo, all that needs to be added to this formula is water. The mixture sits in a canister in a thermos of hot water for about 8 hours, and voila! You have yourself a litre of creamy, thick and healthy yogurt.
$4 doesn't seem like much, but if you're eating a litre a day, its worth listening. If you look at the ingredients on the back of the packet, the main ingredient is  powdered milk.
So you can really quarter it, and get 4 litres of yogurt out of one packet as opposed to one litre if you add enough full cream milk powder, and its just as good! You do lose a bit of the original flavour, but you can serve it with fruit if you need the extra kick for your taste buds.

For demonstration purposes, we will simply make two litres from one packet, to simplify the process.

1/2  packet (1 cup) dry Easi-yo yogurt mix
1 cup full cream milk powder
500ml cold water
extra water to top up
1/4 cup sugar, optional
Easi-yo canister

Fill the Easi-yo canister up half  way with the 500ml of water. Add the powdered ingredients, close the lid and shake until mixed through the water. Add sugar if desired. Fill the canister to the top with extra water. Fill the thermos to the top of the red insert with boiling water.
Place the yogurt canister inside the thermos, close the lid and leave for 8 hours before removing and  refrigerating. Save the remaining dry packet mixture for your next batch!

NOTES: There are two cups of dry yogurt powder in the packets. Use the ratio 1 cup of milk powder to 1 of dry yogurt mix.

Chilled Chocolate Rum and Raisin Custard

Recently we had a green energy meter installed at our house, which gauges how much electricity is being used at one time. The idea is to be more energy efficient and be able to see what uses the most energy, so as to cut back and save money.
I was surprised to see that the oven used as much power as our air conditioner! I had never really thought of any cost being involved in using the oven, for some strange reason. Of course with summer coming up, the oven won't be used as much, which should keep the heat down in the house anyway. Do you have a cost efficient oven? It's certainly something to think about. Makes me think twice about keeping mine on for long periods!
Here's a refreshing summer recipe that doesn't require the heat of the oven. It's a combination between a boozy chocolate custard and a mousse--it has a soft bubbly top, custardy centre and is topped with chocolate covered raisins and cream. Delicious!

CHILLED CHOCOLATE RUM AND RAISIN CUSTARD

1/2 can evaporated milk, chilled
1 1/2 tsp. gelatine powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup caster sugar
Rum, or rum essence to taste
Chocolate coated raisins to decorate
Extra cocoa to decorate
Cream to decorate


Dissolve the gelatine in water and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, beat the chilled evaporated milk with an electric beater until thick, like cream. (approximately 2 minutes)
Add the sugar, essence and cooled gelatine, and beat until combined. Mix cocoa powder through the mixture until well combined. Spoon into two dessert glasses.
Cover with plastic and refrigerate until set.
Beat the cream and pipe a design onto the centre of each glass. Decorate with raisins, extra cocoa powder and any preferred berries or chocolate shavings.


Serves 2

Cherry Berry Rocky Road

Well, its really warming up here in Queensland, and having the oven on for a few hours is looking less and less desirable. To top it off, I'm carrying an extra 14 kg and that adds a few extra degrees to the body, and definitely makes cooking all the more tiring. I cant even get close to the bench anymore with this protuberance at the front of me!
Hopefully baby Massey #2 will be here before long and I wont be so heavy for when Summer really hits us.
So with the warming weather, I've been dreaming up ways of "baking" without baking, filling up the uncomfortable void of oven strike. Fortunately there are tonnes of recipes that are deliciously unbaked, and call for no additional heating of the house. I'm thinking jellies, mousses, ice cream cakes, sorbets, frozen delights, refrigerator slices, truffles. Let's add rocky road to the list, because its simple, delicious and is a winner at just about any occasion.
Speaking of good food, I'd like to share a rather exciting event that's coming up here for those of you who live in the Brisbane area. It's the Good Food and Wine Show, and it's being held over a few days in early November. If you're interested in going, I recommend checking out this link 
http://www.weekendnotes.com/brisbane-good-food-and-wine-show/
It sounds totally awesome, and although I've never been, I'm hoping to make it this year! Finger's crossed, the unborn lets me. Bon Appetit!

CHERRY BERRY ROCKY ROAD

100g paschal swirl berry marshmallows
250g dark chocolate
1/4 cup peanuts or cashews
6 mini cherry ripe bars (about 100g), roughly broken
4 chocolate ripple biscuits, roughly broken

Line a 20x20cm square dish with baking paper.
Arrange the nuts, marshmallows, broken biscuit and cherry ripe pieces on the base. Pour melted chocolate over the top, ensuring all the other ingredients are well covered.
Refrigerate until firm, cut into squares and serve.

SRC Mocha Frappuchino

Just about anyone who has ever visited my page will know that I'm not the world's healthiest cook. That is, I love my sweets and I'm not afraid to eat them. When you have the metabolism I have, this isn't a problem. Just wait until it catches up with me in a few years!
Mind you, its not like I live off the stuff, most of what I post here goes to various mouths that are not my own...it's how I like it...I cook for others. I enjoy seeing the joy in others who are eating what I have made. Its thrilling.
When I joined The Secret Recipe Club I never expected I would find it such a challenge. The Secret Recipe Club is a group that designates a food blog to its members every month. As a member, you choose one recipe from you assigned blog, cook it and blog about it. I have such a hard time choosing what to make!  This month I was assigned a great cooking blog Amy's Cooking Adventures. She's a sweet mum of two gorgeous boys from North Dakota, and she has a great list of recipes to choose from. She likes to "sneak in extra vegies" and that's something I admire her for. Still, I found myself opting for the less healthy side of her blog with this delicious Mocha Chip Frappuchino. I even ended up adding more sweet things to it and making it unhealthier. But don't worry, I'm sure there's a warm day coming up where you deserve to indulge! They're perfect for the warmer months and are so inviting when you've had a busy weekend morning out in the hot sun. Slurp it down and enjoy this baby! It rocks.
And don't forget to check out the original recipe at Amy's Cooking Adventures!

MOCHA FRAPPUCHINO (adapted from Amy's Cooking Adventures)

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup vanilla ice cream
2 cups ice
1/4 cup chocolate topping
2 heaped tbsp. chocolate powder or milo
1 heaped tbsp. instant coffee granules
1/4 cup hot water
2 tbsp. mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, extra
sprinkling of extra milo to decorate

Combine the coffee granules with the hot water and stir until dissolved. Refrigerate until cooled.
Place the coffee, milk, ice, milo, ice cream and chocolate topping to the blender and process until the ice has broken down.
Serve in tall glasses, topping with the extra ice cream and extra milo, and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips or shavings.

SERVES 2