Cheesecake Pops-A Daring Bakers Challenge

I was still feeling a bit dejected from stuffing up last month's Daring Baker challenge when I saw Elle and Deborah's April dare. It promisingly looked delicious and fun- Cheesecake Pops. I've never had these before, let alone attempted making them.
The pops looked like the perfect treat to take to our favourite twins' fourth birthday party. The do was to be held over the ANZAC long-weekend which means I get an extra day of playing around lest things don't work out the first time around. I need not have worried. These were actually quite easy to make.

Basically, one makes a baked cheesecake, let this firm up, scoop balls out of the cake, freeze the pops and then dip them in chocolate and then decorate. See, doesn't that sound easy? I made less than the specified quantity in the original recipe but this recipe seems quite amenable to adjustments. I wasn't very strict with the measurements and ratios but the cheesecake turned out beautifully light (for a cheesecake anyway. None of that dense texture which I don't particulary enjoy) and yet firm. Instead of using 5 tubs of cream cheese, I only used 3. I used 3 eggs (instead of 5), 1 egg yolk (instead of 2) and 1 cup of sugar (instead of 2). These quantities produced 25 pops.

Oh and I baked the cheesecake for 70minutes, instead of the recommended 35-40mins. I used a spring-form tin, wrapped in three layers of foil to avoid water getting in. I have to say, this is the very first successful cheesecake I have made, no cracks- the top was as smooth as a bub's bottom.

The recipe also calls for scooping out balls of cheesecake but I decided to slice up the cake into cubes. Less wasteage and mess that way, I reckon. The cheesecake morsels were coated in white and dark chocolate from either end of the luxury spectrum. The 250g of white chocolate was a cheap and cheerful, store home-brand. The dark chocolate was Couverture. They were what I had in the cupboard, not really because there was some well-thought out reasoning behind the choices. Curiously, both kinds of chocolate turned out very well after melting them with a tablespoon of shortening. They formed sweet, crunchy shells over the frozen cheesecake cubes.

As for decorating, the pops, no sophisticated bling on mine. Just a sprinkling of colours from rainbow choc chips, butterfly shapes and hundreds-and-thousands.


The pops were a hit at the party! It wasn't a particularly warm day and they held up well on the wooden craft sticks I used. These just make such cute nibbles for the little ones but the taste was much appreciated by the grown-ups. Thanks for a fun challenge Elle and Deborah.





Here is the original recipe from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor.

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Mixed Vegetable Bhaji

Onion Bhajis are quite popular as a snack or appetiser item in the UK. Like most Indian dishes that could be found in the west, I'm not really sure about the authenticity of the recipes used but they taste great :-)
I am taking more liberty with the bhaji, adding more vegetables in the mix to make these crisp, mildly-spiced fritters. I hope my Indian friends won't mind...
These are best made with chickpea flour (gram flour, chana besan). I suppose plain flour could be substituted but one would miss out on the sublte, nutty, chick pea flavour.

Mixed Vegetable Bhaji

2 cups chickpea flour
1 cup thinly sliced brown onion
1 cup julienned sweet potato
1/2 cup julienned zucchini
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt
cold water
oil for frying

1 tsp mint leaves, chopped finely
1/2 cup natural yogurt

In a bowl, mix together the flour and spices. Add the vegetables and mix well. If the batter is too dry, add some cold water, a tablespoon at a time. You do not want a runny batter, it should be thick enough to make patties out of.
Season with salt. Take a tablespoon of the batter at a time, form into balls and flatten with your palms to form patties.

Heat up the oil and deep-fry the patties until crisp. Let the fritters sit on paper towels prior to serving.

In a small bowl, pour the mint leaves into the yogurt and stir. Serve the bhajis with this dip.

Chunky Smoked Salmon dip

Oh how I've missed posting and interacting with you my bloggy mates. I can't say I am back with a vengeance, for I am still time-poor and barely hanging on to my sanity just to keep the machinations of housekeeping going while holding down a paid full-time job.

I just thought I had better post some of the things I've made recently (or not so recently) before I forget the recipes.

Smoked salmon. Ah! I love this stuff. I made a dip to take to a friend's baby shower and couple of the ladies asked for the recipe. So, here goes...

Chunky Smoked Salmon dip

200g smoked salmon
1 baby fennel bulb
2 Tbsp creme fraiche
2 Tbsp chopped dill
1 Tbsp finely chopped spring onion
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Roughly shred the smoked salmon into small pieces. Chop the fennel bulb into very fine cubes, you'll need approx. 1/2 a cup.

Mix the creme fraiche, dill spring onions and salt and pepper well.
Add the smoked salmon and fennel and very carefully toss together.


*The richness of the salmon is great with the fresh, crisp and slightly sweet bits of fennel. I served this with some store-bought crackers (baked with bits of caramelised onion) but this would also be lovely with thin pieces of white bread toast.

Sweet Potato and Raisin Muffins

More healthy stuff. You have been warned. And this is the worst kind - eggless, butterless and no cow's milk. Shock, horror with an extra gasp for good measure!

There was a time when I used to chide a friend whenever she ordered a 'decaf-lite-soymilk cappucino'. A 'triple-no-fun' I used to refer to her beverage of choice. My, how my tune has changed. Well, when it comes to the matter of health (especially of my kids), I would like to think that I have reasonably learned to compromise, but not on taste. Decaf coffee (there are some good blends out there) I've had to accept since I started getting heart palpitations even when David Beckham is not on the television screen. Then my gorgeous little boy was found to be allergic to eggs and dairy. My heart went out to the poor little mite, envisioning his lifetime deprived of calorie-laden, rich and creamy treats. But that's just me and my tendency for drama. Firstly, he is expected to grow out of his allergies. And in the meantime, I can try and be creative with the 'treats' I make at home so he can also enjoy them.

Enter my 'triple-no-fun' muffins. Made with mashed sweet potatoes,part-wholemeal flour, olive oil and soymilk, these are good for everday guilt-free munching. They turned out absolutely moist but light and springy to the touch. The texture turned out better than my normal muffins which have a tendency to fall into crumbs when eaten. These are not overly sweet, with minimum sugar enhanced by the natural sweetness of the raisins and sweet potato.
As the ads say, 'Try them and you might be pleasantly surprised' :-)

I am sending this over to this week's edition of Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Vani of Batasari. It was fun finding another use for sweet potato, which I normally only use roasted in salads. Varieties of this humble root crop has been cultivated in the Americas for thousands of years and is now popular in most parst of the world especially south east Asia and Polynesia.
Being a reliable and relatively easy crop to grow, it has become a staple in many cultures. Nutritionally, it is high in fiber, vitamins (Vit A specifically), minerals and is low in sodium.


Sweet Potato and Raisin Muffins
makes 12

1 c wholemeal flour
3/4 c self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c castor sugar
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 c raisins/ sultanas
3/4 c pureed sweet potato (steam potato pieces and then whizz in a food processor)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 c soy milk


Preheat oven to 180deg Celsius.

Sift together the wholemeal flour, self-raising flour and baking powder. Add the sugar and cinnamon, mixing to combine ingredients well. Add the raisins and mix to ensure that the fruit pieces are dredged in flour.

In a bowl, mix together the sweet potato puree, olive oil and soy milk.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix but do not overdo it.

Spoon the mixture onto muffin trays lined with muffin paper cups. Bake for 20 mins or until an inserted skewer comes off clean.

Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars)

Warning: Do not involve any 2 1/2 year olds in making these biscuits.

I was trying to get into the Christmas spirit early by doing some trial runs on stuff that will go in this year's gift hampers. I thought 'Hmm, why not make some of my beloved 'Zimtsterne', haven't had them since leaving Zurich a couple of years ago and these biscuits definitely make the holidays worth celebrating. Little did I know that after this little practice, I would be tempted to gift tins of Spam instead in order to spare myself the trouble.

My friends at Google offered a few recipes. The main ingredients were consistent enough- egg whites, icing sugar, almond meal. However, the ratios were all over the place as were the baking temperature and durations. So of course, I do the sensible thing and 'fuse' together a few recipes based on those which came with the best-looking photos. I might add that a couple of these recipes were in German. My second mistake. I am still in denial about my suspect command of the language.

Anyhow, I contracted my daughter to be my assistant. Her enthusiasm to help almost melted my heart. The beautiful picture of mother and daughter, side by side in culinary bonding dissipated all too quickly when a cup of icing sugar was knocked off the table. Deep breaths, a broom and some rags, and we were on our way again.

Finally the dough was ready. One recipe actually warned that the dough is quite delicate and that the biscuits are quite messy to make. Major understatement (upon hindsight). So, although the dough looked quite runny, I foolishly tipped it out onto the table for kneading. Before I could even say anything, the little girl dove in there with both hands and started shrieking when she couldn't shake off the sticky mess that covered her up to the elbows. More deep breaths and mentally humming 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' got me thru somehow and after adding flour (which wasn't in any of the recipes), we managed to get a workable dough.
When the biscuits were finally in the oven, my husband, all too aware of all the prep and cleaning a couple of trays of these biscuits entailed, sensitively remarked 'Those biscuits are only like 2Francs ($2.50) a kilo from the shops'. Thanks, honey. You'll have to travel 10,000 miles now though to get to those shops. So hah!

He redeemed himself later on. After one bite of the fluffy and chewy gems that came out of the oven, he gingerly declared 'These are not bad'. Now, anyone who knows my darling boy will recognise this as a compliment of the highest order. Ah, bless his heart.

The biscuits were indeed delicious. The cinnamon and lemon zest are the perfect festive flavours for the nutty meringues.

Ok, maybe I won't be giving out Spams after all.

Cinnamon Stars (or Hearts, or Moons, etc)
makes around 40 biscuits

4 egg whites
a pinch of salt
300g icing sugar, sifted
200g ground almond
200g ground hazelnut *
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp cinnamon
1Tbsp lemon juice
1/2c to 3/4 c plain flour

Preheat oven to 220deg Celsius.

Whisk egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.

Slowly add the icing sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is quite stiff. Put aside half a cup of the meringue mix.

Add the ground nuts, lemon zest, cinnamon and juice. Carefully incorporate using a palette knife.

Add the flour in small amounts until you get a workable dough.

Turn out onto a floured surface and pat flat to around 8mm thick.

Cut shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter and transfer biscuits onto a tray lined with baking paper.

Brush the biscuits with the reserved meringue mixture.

Bake in the oven for around 5minutes or until the icing just starts to colour.

The biscuits will be quite soft when they first come out so do not handle.
Leave to cool on the tray.

These will keep in an airtight container for around 2 weeks.


*The biscuits can be made with all ground almond instead of mixing with hazelnut.

Udated 24/12/2007- after experimenting a little bit more with these cookies, here's some tips:

1. Refrigerate the cookies for 30mins before baking. This prevents the
icing from browning too quickly
2. Bake at 150deg C for around 10-12 minutes. The icing stays white.


I do believe my friends would love these and they will certainly make a great addition to any Christmas hamper. I am sending this first batch of cookies over to Zlamushka for the fun 'A Spoonful of Christmas' event she is hosting. Be sure to check out the round up for lovely edible Christmas gift ideas.

Banana and Jackfruit Slice (or Turon Saba...sort of)

Ahh, to feel healthy again and join the land of the living. Some nasty chest infection kept me out of action for a little while and it wasn't fun. Cooking and even eating were too much of an effort.

Now that the batteries are slowly getting recharged, food is again foremost on my mind. Curiously, I have been craving more Filipino food.

I have recently made kare kare, a rich peanut based beef stew, although we were having summer temperatures. As I type, there's some salted grated green papaya in the fridge waiting to be turned into a refreshing batch of relish (atsara/achara). And then there's this. Banana and Jackfruit in pastry. Technically, this is a 'deconstructed' version of one of my favourite Filipino snacks. Turon saging are bananas (saging, usually the saba variety), slivers of jackfruit and a sprinkling of brown sugar wrapped in spring roll pastry and then deep fried. Oooh, I remember when I used to burn my mouth as I bite into a hot turon, straight from the street vendor's wok. I never did learn my lesson- I could not muster the patience to wait for my turon to cool down.

Anyhow, I decided to experiment making a snack with the turon flavours in a form similar to baklava. In the end, I can't really say that this is a 'lower fat' version for all the butter and olive oil I used on the pastry. Not that I was too worried about that, you don't think of those things when trying to recreate childhood memories and sharing them with your own family. Hubby and the little girl loved these sweet and flaky slices. They were even good cold, staying crunchy after an overnight stint in the refrigerator. I could not find fresh jackfruit in the local Asian shop so I had to settle for the tinned variety, in light syrup.

Banana and Turon Slice

2 large bananas, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 cup sliced jackfruit
5 phyllo pastry sheets
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
cooking oil spray

Syrup
1 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 180dec C.
Grease a cookie tray with the cooking oil spray.

Cut the phyllo sheets into four and cover with a cloth to prevent from drying out as you work.

Layer 6 sheets of pastry, brushing each thoroughly with the combined butter and oil.
Arrange the slices of banana to cover the top layer. Sprinkle with half of the sugar.

Layer another 8 sheets of greased pastry over the banana. Arrange the slices of jackfruit and sprinkle with the rest of the sugar.

Top with the remaining 6 sheets of greased pastry. Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining butter and oil.

With a very sharp knife, cut into 3 lengthways, but do not cut through the base.

Bake in the oven for around 40minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the syrup ingredients together in a pan over low heat until the mixture boils and the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

When the pastry is cooked, pour the cooled syrup over the hot slice. When cold, cut into squares or diamonds.

Makes approx 12 pieces.

Spicy Eggplant Relish

Perhaps it's the indecisive Libran in me but I enjoy my food best when there is a melange of flavours competing for my attention in the same meal. This is why I love antipasto platters, mezze plates and going to Yum Cha.

It is a bonus then when a number of distinctive flavours sing so harmoniously together in the one dish, making every bite magic!
This is one such dish. I came across a recipe for Tunisian Eggplant one time but ended up with a completely different recipe using what ingredients I had at home. This is the result. Well, I should really say this is one version of the result. I have made this dish so many times, using different mixes of spices and I kept getting asked for the recipe. I have alternately used garam masala, chermoula and sometimes just cinnamon and cardamom- depending on what I have handy. Each time, the dish comes out tasty and I think this is all thanks to the humble eggplant. I just love this vegetable for being so accommodating of flavours one chooses to infuse it with. Whether it's just the delicate aroma of olive oil or a hodgepodge of robust spices, eggplants take them equally well.

Eggplants (or aubergines, as they are known in Europe) are from the same family as tomatoes and peppers. Though most of us are most familiar with the glossy, teardrop-shaped, purple-black variety, eggplants also come in striped and white varieties, and in various shapes like the lady's fingers or the perfectly round ones used in Thai cuisine. Eggplants are not particularly high in vitamins but rich in minerals like folate, potassium and also contain compounds which are good antioxidants. The plant has been cultivated for centuries and the fruit (which they are technically) are widely used in Indian and Meditterenean cooking.

This eggplant dish is quite rich in flavours but the freshness is lifted by the addition of mint. This is one useful and popular herb when you think of the products it lends it's flavour to- from toothpaste to room fresheners to mint jellies. Originally used for medicinal purposes, a potted mint is a handy plant to have on the kitchen window sill. It can be used infused in teas, in salads, stir-fries and much more.

I am submitting this recipe as my contribution for the second year anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging. This fun and informative event has reached yet another milestone and it's such fun to be participating. Don't forget to check out the round-up at Kalyn's Kitchen for fabulous recipes and congratulate Kalyn for starting a one-of-a-kind food blogging event.


*My favourite way to eat this dish is by mopping up the eggplant and juices with cut-up Lebanese or pita bread.

Spicy Eggplant Relish

1 large eggplant (around 400g)
1 red capsicum (sweet pepper, approx 250g)
1 large red onion (approx 250g), cut into crescents
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp dry chilli flakes (optional)
1tsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) root
1/2c chopped mint leaves
1/2 c chopped coriander leaves
150mL white vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper
sesame seeds for garnishing
3 Tbsp olive oil


Pre-heat oven to 200dec C. Cut eggplant length ways, keeping the stem intact. Halve the red capsicum. Put the the eggplant and capsicum halves on an oiled baking tray, cut-side down. Bake for around 25mins or until soft. When cooled down, scrape the flesh from the eggplant halves. Discard the skin and chop the flesh into very small pieces. Peel the skin off the capsicums and also chop into small pieces.

In a saucepan, heat up the oil and add the onions. Stir around until very very soft, then add the spices (coriander, cumin,cinnamon and chilli flakes). Stir around, making sure they do not stick to the pan. Then add the coriander root, ginger and garlic. Stir for a couple of minutes.

Add the eggplant and capsicum. Stir around to coat with the oil and spices. Add the vinegar and sugar. Let simmer on low heat for around 30 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid sticking to the pan. If the mix seems too dry, add around 100mL of water.
Add half of the coriander leaves and half of the mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes.

Let cool (I like to serve this at room temperature). Just before serving, mix in the rest of the coriander leaves and mint leaves, reserving some to garnish on top. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds.

HHDD#15 -, Tea for Two (Candied Lemon and Lime Tarts)

Motherhood, I'm finding, is all about taking in the simple moments and making them really special. Reading books together, singing along to tunes in the car, stopping to pick a flower during our walks-they're all little things that make the days I spend with my two babies precious.
A favourite activity with my little girl these days is to spread out a blanket on the deck and have mock picnics or morning tea. We enjoy pretending to be proper ladies, sipping from tea cups and eating tiny sandwiches or rice crackers. As a treat, we sometimes have proper 'tea' goodies like cupcakes and macaroons. Earlier this week, I made us some special tart-something citrusy to herald the definite arrival of sunshiny days.
This recipe for Candied Lemon and Lime Tarts is Donna Hay's as it appears in marie claire dining. The only change I made was in the size of the tarts. Instead of using 8x10cm tart tins, I made only two in that size. Then I made a large tart in a 20cm tin, to share with friends. The rest went into two muffin holes, producing tarts the perfect size for the little lady's tiny fingers.
For other tart recipes, be sure to watch out for the Hay Hay It's Donna Day#15 Round-up at TriniGourmet. Sarina's elegant Caramelised Onion and Ancovy Tart kicks-off this round of the fun and fabulous event started by the inspiring Barbara. Her blog, winosandfoodies is a treasure trove of information and recipes.
This is my first time submitting an entry to HHDD and I couldn't be more excited.

Candied Lemon and Lime Tarts
(original recipe)

1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (also made as per Donna Day's recipe)

filling
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 c lemon juice
1/3 c lime juice
1 c caster (superfine) sugar
2c cream

topping

2c sugar
1 c water
2 lemons, sliced
3 limes, sliced

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is 3mm thick. Cut pastry to fit eight 10cm deep tart tins. Prick pastry shells with a fork and line each with paper. Fill shells with rice or baking weights and bake in a preheated 200deg C(400deg F) oven for 5 minutes. Remove weights or rice and paper, and return shells to oven for 5 minutes or until pastry is light golden.
To make topping, place sugar and water in a large saucepan over low heat and stir gently until sugar has dissolved. Simmer the sugar syrup for 1 minute. Add lemon and lime slices to the pan in one layer. Cook over very low heat for 20 minutes or until rinds are soft. Do not boil. Place slices on non-stick paper, and allow them to cool and set.
To make filling, combine eggs, lemon and lime juice, sugar and cream. Pour mixture into pastry shells and bake at 160deg C (315deg F) for 10minutes or until filling is beginning to set. Top tarts with slices of candied lemon and lime, and return to the oven. Bake a further 10 minutes or until filling is just set.

Cinnamon-Spiced Beef Phyllo Rolls

Flicking thru a finger-food recipe book the other day (still dreaming that we can go back to hosting regular cocktail/drinks parties once again-maybe when the kids move out in 20years!), I came across a scrumptious sounding recipe for phyllo pastry pillows filled with beef and dried figs. This presented a mini-mission: adapt the recipe for tonight's dinner.

Ok, that means something filling enough to have with just a bowl of salad for hubby and myself, and healthy and interesting enough for little girl L. As usual, the vegetable components started off as ingredients for baby A's dinner-grated zucchini and sweet potato that I was going to boil and puree.

I also wanted to keep the sweet/savoury combo that was in the original recipe so I used some pitted dates, which I already had in the cupboard, instead of the dried figs.

The result was quite delicious and we found the rolls very more-ish. I can see how the mini versions would be great with drinks. L absolutely loved them and I was pleased that she got her quota of vegies in, albeit with a bit of cheating and disguising.
This recipe makes around 12 x 5-inch rolls.

3Tbsp olive oil
500g lean beef mince
1 clove garlic, minced
1tsp ginger, minced
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2c chopped dates
1/2c grated zucchini
1/2c grated sweet potato
Salt and pepper

8 phyllo pastry sheets
cooking oil spray


To make the filling, heat the oil in a pan and add garlic, ginger,onion and cinnamon.
Stir around until the onion becomes transluscent. Add the beef and continue cooking until browned. Stir in the dates, zucchini and sweet potato. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook for a further 2 minutes.
Allow the filling to cool completely before wrapping.

When ready to wrap, preheat the oven to 200deg C and line trays withs baking paper.

Take 2 sheets of phyllo pastry. Spray one with cooking oil spray, top with the second sheet and spray again with oil. Cut crossways into 3 even strips.

Take one strip and place 2Tbsp of the beef mixture along the bottom of one narrow edge. Roll the end of the pastry over the filling until covered. Fold in the long sides to enclose the beef mixture and continue rolling until your reach the end of the strip.
Repeat the process with the rest of the filling.

Place the rolls on the lined trays and spray lightly with oil. Bake in the oven until golden (around 15 minutes).


Changes I will try next time:
*Add pistachio nuts and chopped mint in the filling.
*Serve with a yogurt dip

Father's Day Breakfast

I reckon Dads get the short end of the stick when it comes to being properly acknowledged and celebrated with a special day in their honour. For all the hoo-hah, overpriced flowers and elaborate lunches that come with Mothers Day, Father's Day seems to come and go with hardly any fanfare.

So I wanted to fuss a little bit over our favourite man on Father's Day to say thank you (on behalf of L and A) for making bath time so much fun, for having the patience to play the same game over and over (even when Top Gear is on) and for giving the best cuddles ever. I decided to make him Greek tomato fritters for breakfast as a change from our usual toast or bowl of cereal eaten at the break of dawn when our kids get up. Hubby loved the domatokeftedes we were served daily for breakfast during our honeymoon in Santorini. The tasty tomatoes grown on the volcanic soils of the island made these fritters really special.
My version uses Roma tomatoes.

1 1/2c finely chopped Roma tomatoes
1/4 c finely chopped red onion
1 c self-raising flour
2 eggs
1/2c milk
1tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1Tbsp chopped mint
1tsp dried thyme
pepper
olive oil for frying

Beat the eggs into the milk. Add the sifted flour, salt and sugar and mix well. The batter will be quite stiff. Add the tomatoes, onion, herbs and then season with pepper.
Let the mixture stand for an hour.

Pour around 2Tbsp of olive oil into a non-stick pan on medium heat. Ladle some of the batter into the pan . Cook for around 2 minutes or until the underside is brown. Turn the fritter over and cook on the other side. This makes around 4 pancake size fritters.

I served these topped with some baby rocket and crumbled feta cheese.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Biscuits

Baking didn't use to hold much appeal to me as I felt the discipline required would leave me feeling the heat of the kitchen. All that strict measuring, weighing, proving, whipping-until -'soft peaks' -form, etc just sounded oh so technical. I love to cook with gay abandon- another pinch of this and that, just throw that in, substitute this for that, oh yes- needs more madeira, brandy, red wine! Taking on that sort of attitude with baking usually means sunken cakes and very weird-tasting biscuits. Until recently, I have left that side of culinary responsibility on my husband as he had more patience and is actually the one with a sweet tooth anyway.

These days, I am slowly discovering the joys of baking. One thing now I know- baking is a lot more fun when there's help from another set of hands, no matter how small they are.



These cookies always turn out lovely and I always get asked for the recipe.
The original recipe was actually for white chocolate and macadamias but since more and more people I know have developed an intolerance for nuts, I have substituted dried cranberries. I also use a bit of condensed milk, which I think makes them more chewy.


250g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c condensed milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1 c white chocolate chips
1 1/2 c dried cranberries
a pinch of salt

1. Preheate oven to 180 deg C
2. Cream butter with sugar until pale. Beat in the condensed milk.
3. Lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla together and add to the butter mix.
4. Add in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
5. Add the cranberries, choc chips and oats. Mix until well-combined.
6. Form gold-sized balls of the dough and place on lined baking trays. Slightly flatten with your fingers.
7. Bake for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let cool on trays for a few minutes (the biscuits will be very soft when you take them out of the oven).
9. Once firm, the biscuits can be transferred onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.