Caramel Cheesecake

I had long wanted to conquer the condensed milk caramel thing, and needed to take a special cake for a work celebration, so went looking for a caramel cheescake.  Found a good one at Taste.com http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/16031/baked+caramel+cheesecake which of course I adapted to include the condensed mild caramel.

For the caramel:

Boil an unopened can of condensed milk for 2 hours (making sure that you top up the water so the can is always emersed) and voila!  ...... Caramel.

For the cheescake:

1 x 250g packet of ANZAC or granita biscuits
125 g butter, melted
2 x 250g pkts cream cheese (you can use fat reduced) softened
1 x 300ml carton sour cream (or normal cream if that's what you have)
150g plain yoghurt (low fat is good)
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 can condensed milk caramel (cooled)

Method:
1. Crush biscuits to a fine crumb, add melted butter and pack firmly into the bottom of a springform pan. Chill for 30 mins

2. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Pulse cream cheese, eggs, sugar, yoghurt, cream in a food processor to combine.

3. Pour 1/2 the cream mixture over the biscuit base. Spoon caramel over (globs are fine) then top with remaining cream mixture

4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 mins or until set. Turn off oven, and leave cheesecake in oven with door ajar for 2 hours until cooled (this will ensure that the cheesecake does not split).

5. Chill in fridge for 4 hours or overnight

Smoky chilli braised beef with cornbread dumplings

Found this Donna Hay recipe in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago.  They are the best savoury dumplings I have ever tasted.  Really good!!

2 tbs olive oil
1.5  kg beef brisket, cut into 2cm pieces
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1 brown onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 dried Chipotle chillies, chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbs tomato paste
2 x 400g tined tomatoes, chopped
2 cups beef stock

Sour cream to serve.

Dumplings:
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 cup instant polenta
1 ½ cup buttermilk
Salt & pepper
1 cup grated vintage cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped coriander leaves
1 long red chilli

Heat 1 tbs oil in large heavy base saucepan.  Sprinkle beef with salt & pepper and brown In batches. Set aside.  Heat remaining oil and sauté onion and garlic until soft.  Add paprika and chipotle chilli and cook 1 minute.  Return beef to pan, and add brown sugar. tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 3-3 ½ hours.

Preheat oven to 200 C.  To make dumplings: place all ingredients in bowl and mix to just combine.  Place spoonfuls into top of casserole.  Bake uncovered in oven for 15-20 mins.  Serve with sour cream.

Rice and Pumpkin Torta

2/3 cup arborio rice
EVO
1 onion finely chopped
2 cups firmly packed grated pumpkin, jap or butternut
80g grated Parmesan cheese
1.2 cup cream
1/2 cup ricotta
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
Salt/pepper

Cook rice for 8 minutes. Drain.
Heat 2 tbs EVO in non stick pan and fry onion for 5 minutes.
Add grated pumpkin and fry another 5 minutes.
In large bowl combine everything except breadcrumbs.
Oil a 21cm springform pan ( or lamington tin) then sprinkle with half the bread crumbs.
Spoon in the rice mixture, and sprinkle top with remaining bread crumbs.
Bake at 180 for 35 minutes or until firm in middle.
Serve warm or at room temp.

Vue de Monde

Last month my family had lunch at Vue de Monde. The food, the view and the service are all absolutely magnificant. This was our menu:

Oyster
&
Salt cured kangaroo
&
Celeriac, Sunflower seed
&
Smoked eel, white chocolate, caviar

~

Spanner crab, rockmelon, salmon roe

~

Tomato, fennel, watermelon, wasabi

~

Marron, kohlrabi, caviar, tarragon butter

~

Fried duck egg, lamb sweetbreads, pickled onion

~

Cucumber sorbet, crushed herbs

~

Snapper, herb emulsion, prawn, smoked bone marrow

~

Pigeon, carrot, clove, orange

~

Blackmore wagyu beef, fig, pear

~

Assortment of cheeses, bread, jams

~

Passionfruit, licorice, coconut

~

Lemon meringue ice cream, white chocolate, lemon curd, parsley

~

A selection of coffee, teas, infusions & petit-fours

~

WINE
2006 Delamere Blanc de Blancs Sparkling, Pipers Brook, Tasmania
2010 Man O War ‘Exiled’ Pinot Gris, Ponui Island, New Zealand
2010 Chateau D’Esclans, Whispering Angel Rosé, Provence France

Chocolate Brownies

This is Donna Hay's brownie recipe. It's goood.

Ingredients
250 g butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped
1 ¾ cups brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
4 eggs
1 cup plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder

Method

1. Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over gentle heat then cool slightly.
2. Stir in sugar, cocoa, eggs and sifted dry ingredients.
3. Spoon the mixture into a lined 23 x 23cm slab tin.
4. Bake at 160°C for 30-35 minutes.
5. The mixture will seem soft but will harden on cooling.
6. Allow to cool in tin before removing.

Heston you're amazing

Check it out:
http://vimeo.com/theneighbourhood/sweetshop

Melon and Tuna Maki

Dressing

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tbs honey

1 tsp wasabi

1 rockmelon

200 g sashimi grade tuna

6 nori sheets

Combine dressing ingredients and set aside.

De seed melon and cut into strips about 2cm x 2 cm.

Cut tuna into same size strips as melon.

Place tuna on top of melon, and cut nori to size so it can wrap around this. Serve with dressing and garnish with parsley or fennel flowers.