Recipe: Savoury cheesecake

Cheese cake, sneakin’ out the back door

Goats’ Curd and Herb Savoury Cheesecake with Tomato Jam and Pesto Oil

I have a friend who does not like cheese*. I think he is weird, because what’s not to like? I tell him so with regularity, which he takes in good humour! For reasons not worth detailing here, we happened to have far too much parmesan cheese and were looking for an excuse to use a batch in one go. We were also entertaining that week and figured that a savoury cheese cake would be an excellent choice for a starter which could be made in advance, but still taste delicious on the day.

This dish is quite a cheese fest, with light goat’s curd mixed with thyme and a buttery melt-in-the-mouth parmesan short-bread biscuit base. Accompanying the cheese cake is a zingy, sweet tomato jam and pesto oil. You can substitute with fruity chutneys too.

Your cheese lover friends will hopefully enjoy this every bit as we did. Plus, you may get lucky and have a slice or two left over for brunch the next day. Enjoy with a Muscat or fruity light red wine. Alternatively, serve in lieu of a cheese course with a fruity tawny port.

* Except for mozzarella as “it doesn’t taste of anything”.

Prep time: 45 min

Cook time: 1 hour 30 min

Total time: 2 hours 15 min

Yield: One 20cm (8”) cake (8 servings)

Parmesan Crust Ingredients

• Flour: 125 grams
• Butter: 85 grams
• Parmesan cheese: 100 grams, freshly grated
• Cayenne pepper: 1/2 tsp

Filling Ingredients

• Goat milk curds (or ricotta if not available): 300 grams
• Cream cheese: 250 grams
• Eggs: 4 medium sized plus 1 egg white
• Regular cream cheese: 250 grams
• Salt: pinch
• Freshly chopped chives: 1 tablespoon
• Fresh thyme leaves, chopped: 1 tablespoon

Tomato Jam Ingredients

• Coarsley chopped tomatoes: 250 grams
• Shallot: 1 medium
• Soft brown sugar: 40 grams
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Ground coriander: 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin: 1/4 teaspoon
• Cider vinegar: 40ml

Pesto Oil Ingredients

• Fresh basil leaves: 150 grams
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese: 30 grams
• Toasted pine nuts: 20 grams
• Extra virgin olive oile: 50ml

Method:

To make the parmesan shortbread

1. Mix the butter and flour together until you get a breadcrumb like texture. Use the paddle attachment if using an electric mixer.
2. Add the parmesan and cayenne pepper and mix until even. Try not to over mix.
3. Form the mixtre into a ball of dough and cover in cling film and refrigerate for an hour to allow the gluten in the flour to settle.
4. Remove the cling film and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3/4 of a centimeter.
5. Use a knife or a cutter to cut “cookies” from the dough into 5cm sections (they don't have to look perfect because you're going to smash them up later) and place onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
6. Return to the fridge for another hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 180C (Gas mark 4) and bake for 14 minutes or until they are golden in colour.
8. Use Use a spatula to remove the cookies from the tray and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack.

To make the cheesecake

1. Place the parmesan shorbread into a freezer bag and smash up with a rolling pin into a coarse consistency.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan, then add the crumbs and mix well.
3. Spread the crumbs over the base of a tall 20cm springform cake tin. Press down firmly with a glass until it is flat and well compacted.
4. Place the tin with the base into a preheated oven at 180C (gas mark 4) for 15 minutes
5. Put the goats curd and cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk until smooth and soft.
6. Mix in the soured cream, chives, and thyme.
7. Beat the 4 eggs together and add to the mixture bit by bit, beating just until a smooth consistency is reached.
8. Take the tin out of the oven and brush the surface of the base lightly with egg white.
9. Turn the oven down to 110C (Gas Mark 2). Keep the door open for a minute or two to help it to cool down.
10. When the base has cooled, pour the filling mixture into the tin, and shake gently to level it.
11. Put the tin onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 1½ hours until it has almost set but still a bit wobbly in the middle
12. Run a thin spatula around the edge to separate the cake from the tin, then turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool completely inside before taking it out and refrigerating

To make the tomato jam

1. Place tomatoes into a pan with the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil and lower to a gentle simmer for 2 hours until a thick sticky jammy consistency is reached
2. Allow to cool before transferring to a sterilised jar and keep refrigerated.

To make the pesto

1. Toast the pine nuts
2. Put all ingredients into a food procesor with a chopping blade and pulse until a coarse but even consistency is reached

By Wennie’s Affairs August 30th, 2011

Recipe: Traditional Monkfish Casserole (Sopa de Rape)

There are no monks in my band

We love monkfish (or rape in Spanish), even though the little blighters can be tricky to get hold of, as it is quite unconventional. It is worth persevering for a dish of this sort, as there are very few fish which are robust enough to be stewed without disintegrating. If you are not familiar with monkfish, it is firm and meaty, as opposed to cod or haddock. The texture is similar to large prawns. It is simply delicious and a joy to cook with.

Monkfish, unfortunately, is not cheap (at least in the UK). As an alternative, you could substitute the fish for prawns (shrimp) or even use haddock or cod, but add it five minutes towards the end. However, just to reiterate, it is worth the time and cost to preserve the traditional aspects of this dish.

Ingredients

• 500g Monkfish fillets, cut into bitesized pieces
• 2 Medium potatoes, diced
• 1 Medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 125g Long sweet red pepper (we used a combination of Spanish Pimiento and Romano)
• 125g Vine ripened tomatoes
• 150ml Fish stock
• 150ml Dry white wine
• 3 tbsp Plain flour
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar will do)
• 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp Salt, plus extra for adjusting the seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Chopped parsley
• 2 Hard boiled eggs, sliced

Method

1. Cut the red peppers in half lengthways and remove the stalk and seeds. Place under a grill on a high heat for 8 minutes until the skin darkens a little and begins to blister. Remove from the heat and cut into long thin strips.
2. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds and dunk into ice water. Score the skin remove from the flesh. Discard the skin, chop the flesh coarsely and leave to one side.
3. Add the flour to a mixing bowl with the salt, pepper and cinnamon.
4. Add the monkfish pieces to the flour and mix until they have an even coating.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large pan and add the fish. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove and set to one side for later.
6. Add the remainder of the oil to the pan with the onion and garlic. Cook on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.
7. Turn the heat up, add the potatoes and cook until they begin to brown and then turn back down to a medium to low heat.
8. Add 2/3 of the red peppers to the potatoes and pour in the wine, stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer, place a lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
9. Add the tomatoes and fish to the pan, replace the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes.
10. Transfer the casserole to a suitable serving bowl. Scatter over the remaining peppers, then the egg slices and finally sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with a green salad mixed with thinly sliced red onion, dressed with a red wine vinaigrette.

We should add, it is worth googling monkfish, so that you can familiarise yourself with its appearance. We have not included a picture as it is probably the most ugly fish in the sea. I guess beauty does come from within.

Wine Paring

Planalto Douro White Reserva 2009 (£6.99 from Majestic) A crisp and fresh aromatic white wine from Portugal with a subtle zest that compliments the tomatoes in the dish and allowing the meaty fish to stand proud.

A hearty homemade brunch with good friends

Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink

Our friend Vicki is getting married next May, and Linds, Rach and I are to be bridesmaid (so pleased). Today we went bridesmaid dress shopping, where we nailed the garment choice and colour scheme.  I knew we would have a positive result, so had left Keith at home preparing a celebratory brunch fit for a bride plus her ravishing, I mean ravenous, bridesmaids. 

Our brunch menu consisted of Northfield 100% herby pork breakfast sausages courtesy of Borough Market, homemade tangy baked beans, rosemary home fries, scrambled eggs with dill, and roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine.  All this served with Keith’s home baked bread. No brunch is complete without fizz, so for drinks we decided on juicy, traditional mimosas. 

We followed the main course with cinnamon, buttermilk pancakes with a strawberry and banana compote and dollop of rum crème fraiche… oh and another mimosa.

Homemade Tangy Baked Beans

• 400g tin of cannellini beans
• 400g tin of butter beans
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp of black treacle or molasses
• 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Fry onions and garlic in the olive oil until they become translucent.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, treacle, paprika, Worcester sauce and tomato puree and simmer for two to three minutes.
3. Use a blender to homogenise the tomato mixture.
4. Return the mixture to the heat and add in the cans of beans.
5. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Rosemary home fries

1. Peel and chop 4 medium potatoes into 3/4 inch cubes and parboil or steam for 5 minutes
2. Preheat a roasting tin with sunflower or vegetable oil to gas mark 6/210 C/400 F
3. Carefully add the potatoes to the oil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
4. About 2/3 of the way through cooking, turn the potatoes add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary

Roasted Vine Tomatoes

• Place vine tomatoes into a small roasting tin and bake for 10mins.

Sausages

• Grill sausages until evenly brown and cooked through

Scrambled Eggs

1. Scramble the eggs with a little olive oil spread and a splash of milk.
2. Add a tbsp of crème fraiche just before the eggs finish cooking.
3. Remove from the heat and stir until the eggs are at the right consistency.
4. Add a little salt to taste
5. Serve with a sprinkling of freshly chopped dill.

Pancake Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 2 heaped tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 50g of caster sugar
• 1 heaped tsp of ground cinnamon
• 200ml butter milk
• 100ml regular milk
• 1 tbsp low fat créme fraiche
• 1 ounce melted butter
• Sunflower oil spray

Pancake Topping ingredients

• 10 strawberries halved
• 2 bananas chopped
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 100ml low fat creme fraiche
• 1 tbsp fraise des bois (strawberry liquor)
• 1 tbsp rum

For the pancakes

1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir with all the dry ingredients
2. Whisk all wet ingredients together into other bowl, then add to the dry ingredients
3. If the mixture is too thick then add a little water or milk. If it is too thin then add a little more flour. The mixture should be runny enough so that it falls easily off the back of a spoon
4. Warm up a frying pan to a medium heat and add sunflower oil spray
5. Pour in half a ladle of the mixture and cook on one side until bubbles form on the top
6. Flip the pancake over and cook until the both sides are golden
7. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, you should have enough to make about 15 to 18 pancakes.

For the compote and crème fraiche

1. Add fruit into a pan with 1 tbsp of the caster sugar and 3 tbsp water
2. Heat the fruit mixture until hot and all the sugar has dissolved and then remove from the heat.
3. Stir the rum into the crème fraiche with the rest of the 1 sugar

Serve the hot pancakes onto a plate with a helping of the fruit topped with a good dollop of the crème fraiche. Mimosa Mia!!!!

There’s something about brunch, which makes me feel naughty.  I don’t know why.  Maybe it’s because I wonder what someone was doing before brunch that meant they couldn’t have breakfast…