Fab Cheesecake, Fab Tart, Fab Family Lunch

Once a month we have family dinner. Everyone takes a turn and it was mine this week. Our granddaughter Sophia came over early to help. She set the table. We brought the outdoor table inside so we could seat everyone in comfort.

She cut the skin off the oranges for the lovely Toffee Orange Dessert Click here

They are the dessert of the month for me at the moment.
Everyone loved them, the toffee splendidly hardened on immediate contact with the cold oranges. Excellent.
This time I remembered to sprinkle the candied peel over the completed dish
I also stirred in a tablespoon of peel into the accompanying crème fraiche.
Just a few Honey Roasted Almond Accents gave an extra crunch

Sophia's mother Helen made a divine BLACK AND WHITE CHEESECAKE

She found the recipe in Delicious magazine submitted by Australian Chef Jill Dupleix
Helen used orange zest in the cream cheese layer to complement the Toffee oranges
100g dark chocolate, chopped
200g sour cream or crème fraiche
600g cream cheese, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
200g castor sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbs grated orange or lemon zest
3 large eggs

Biscuit Base
200g digestive biscuits, finely crushed
125g unsalted butter, melted
1 tbs cocoa powder, plus extra to dust

Grease a 23cm springform pan.

For the base, process biscuit, butter, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt in a food processor until you have moist crumbs.
Tip into the cake pan and press firmly over the base and 5cm up the sides.
Refrigerate while making the filling.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Heat chocolate and half the sour cream in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.

Using an electric mixer,
Beat the softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, caster sugar and

remaining sour cream until smooth.
Beat in the plain flour and orange or lemon zest, then
beat in the eggs one at a time.

Pour two-thirds of the cream cheese mixture into the crust.
Whisk the melted chocolate cream into the remaining cream cheese mixture until smooth.
Using a soup ladle, pour the chocolate filling over

the vanilla filling until you reach the top of the crust.

Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes,

until the centre is just firm and the top is slightly golden –
it will split slightly.
Cool, then refrigerate overnight before serving.
Dust with cocoa powder,
Use a hot knife to slice the cheesecake and serve.

Fantastic.

To start the meal Lana made her

Goats Cheese and Caramelised Onion Tart.

The flavours were divine.

So To make Lana's scrumptious tart

50 ml olive oil
8 red onions sliced
2 pinches of white sugar
2 pinches of thyme leaves
200g shortcrust pastry
350 g goat’s cheese
75 ml milk
75 ml cream
3 eggs
Salt &
A pinch of paprika
Ground nutmeg to taste

Pre heat oven to 190 deg C.
In medium pan, heat the olive oil –
add onions and sugar and continually stir until brown and very sweet to taste.
Add thyme leaves stir and remove from heat and leave to cool.

Line a 26cm tart shell with pastry rolled out 2mm thick.
Half fill pastry shell with caramelised onions and
Top with slices of fresh goat cheese.
I used marinated feta and then another layer of onion
and then fresh feta on top.

Combine milk, cream, eggs, salt and pepper, paprika and nutmeg and mix well.
Pour over the top of the tart.

Bake in oven until the base of the tart is golden brown and mixture set.
Cool on a metal rack.
Slice tart with serrated knife.

Serve with a Fresh Tomato and Basil Salad.
Use several types of tomatoes.
Drizzle a little olive oil around the plate and
Serve with cracked pepper and a little sea salt

Of course I am still on the Mumsie Food and cooked the Corned Beef Dinner again.
It was very good but there is a lot of prep for 15 people I am glad I got up early

This time I accompanied it with:
Mashed Potato
And
Caraway Cabbage and Bean Sprouts
Remove the outer leaves and core of the cabbage
Slice it thinly
Blanch in boiling salted water about 1 minute
Drain and out aside you can do this earlier.
When ready to serve
Place a big knob of butter in a hot wok
Add cabbage
Season with pepper
Toss around till coated with butter
Add bean sprouts and 1 tbs toasted caraway seeds.
Of course carrots and small onions cooked in the stock were a must.
All topped off with mustard sauce.

Someone mentioned that caraway relieved the normal flatulence associated with cabbage.
I think they were right. All very comfortable in our house

Of course I had leftovers

And what did I make but Corned Beef Hash
Take a pan that will go in the oven
Heat oven 180C
Place pan on stove add big knob of butter
Squash mashed potatoes on bottom
Throw in sliced up corned beef

Then the carrots and onions chopped
Then the cabbage and peas
Top with shavings of Gruyere cheese
Continue to cook over med heat till a crust is formed
Place in oven and cook about 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

Just serve and eat.
Excellent

All in all Sunday was a lovely day.

We have decided our next family we are going to be at

Lana’s for a “High Society” Singalong Brunch

After the success a couple of years ago of our Sing Along with “The Sound of Music”

held at our studio.

I want to be Grace Kelly but I guess I’ll get to be the Mrs Seth Lord (matronly)
Dale I think will be have to be Uncle Willie he was the one always looking for the next drink..
Dale made a fairly dodgy nun He was the flying Nun

Here we have some delightful shots of the Sound of Music
Here's Lana as a Favourite Thing with Sister Neil

Dale the Flying Nun with the Wine for Mass Dan made a fetching Uncle Max

Lisa and Ian were fabulous as the Nazis

Here's the Flying Nun again

Sister Neil and Mother Superior (me) Climb every mountain

Helen made a great Maria

Singalong with the Flying Nun

Then we had the follow up raging Success “Grease”

Old and Young Sandys...looks like breast envy

Helen as Rizzo

Sandy and Danny

"aka Bridgie and Steve"




There they are in latter years. Cry your eyes out Olivia Newton John and John Travolta

Sandys in all shapes and ages So if High Society is anywhere as good as the other two. We should be having a ball.

I'll keep you posted.