Strawberry Cheese Cake Ice Cream

I found this wonderful recipe at Gloria's. Gloria has a lovely Blog and churns out so many lovely dessert recipes you nearly expand just reading them. She has a heart of corn and her friendliness comes across cyber space loud and clear. We had a great chat about gardens as I noted in one of her pics a lovely row of Liquidambar in Autumn colour. Gloria is in Santiago in Chile. The other day I dropped by her Blog, as is my want, and this recipe had to be made. Oh it is the nectar of the Gods. I used my ice cream maker to make it but it is not necessary to use one as long as you have a freezer. Strawberries are in season now so there is no excuse not to make it. So easy. No custard to make just everyday ingredients. I made it this morning and i have to say it's the first time I've had ice cream for breakfast. It now sits tidily in it's box in the freezer but it won't last long. Far too tempting. I couldn't be bothered sorting ingredients into metric and imperial measures. Gloria's cups work perfectly

Ingredients

2 Cups of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
4 oz/100g cream cheese softened.
1 cup of milk
1 cup of double cream
3/4 cup of caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Flaked chocolate, toasted slivered almonds, mint leaves to garnish.

Method

Place the strawberries in a bowl and mash them. Not too much. You do want to leave some wee bits of strawberry visible in the ice cream.
In a mixing bowl with a hand held mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Add 1/2 a cup of the milk and mix until just blended
Add the mashed berries, remaining milk, cream sugar and vanilla (if using) and beat gently until combined.
Freeze the mixture in a metal dish or other container and freeze for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove from the freezer and beat well.
Return to the freezer for an hour.
Serve in cones or glasses

Garnish with the chocolate or almonds or mint or all of them.

Enjoy




Note: I didn't use vanilla. The flavour is perfect without it.

Thank you Gloria.

Cappuccino Bars with Cinammon

The eating machine in my life loves a bit of cake. I am more than happy to oblige as I like a wee bit of cake myself and I do enjoy making them. I tend to stick mostly to the same sponge recipe with variations in flavour and toppings. I occasionally break the mould but this is not one of those occasions. I am not fond of making round cakes. Difficult to store in my already overflowing kitchen cupboards. I make them in loaf tins which makes life simple or, as in this case, a swiss roll tin and cut them into squares. I have a terrible time with cup cakes/buns. I look at them on other blogs and they always look so lovely and I am green with envy. Mine are woeful and that is probably an understatement. Slicing a slab of sponge into squares bridges the gap for me. A cheat's cupcake. The original recipe for this comes from 'Good Food 101 Cakes and Bakes'. I was well pleased as it was basically the recipe I use. I tweaked it just a little. Lovely combination of flavours.


Ingredients

Cake

1 teasp cocoa powder plus extra for dusting
2 rounded tablespoons instant coffee granules
225g/8oz softened butter or margarine
225g/80z soft brown sugar
225g/8oz SR Flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons warm water
A little cinnamon powder for dusting

White Chocolate Frosting

100g/4oz white chocolate broken into pieces
50g/20z butter
3 tablespoons milk
175gms/6oz icing sugar.


Method

Preheat your oven to 180.C/Fan 160.C/Gas4/350.F
Line and grease the bottom of a 9 1/2" x 13"/24cm x 33cm shallow sided baking tin.

Mix the cocoa and coffee granules into the warm water.
Now put that and all the other ingredients into the food processor and whizz or if you don't have a food processor just mix everything together in a bowl with a hand held mixer.
Tip into the lined baking tray and spread evenly. I leave a little indentation in the middle so it doesn't form a peak when rising.
Bake for 30 -35 minutes until risen and the top is firm to touch.
Cool in the tin then turn it out onto a chopping board or similar.

For the frosting, melt everything together in a bowl over simmering water. It is better if you bring the water to the boil then remove it from the heat and then put the bowl on top to melt the ingredients. White chocolate can clump if it is over heated.
Remove the bowl and beat in the sieved icing sugar.
When it is smooth spread over the cake.
Dust with a little bit of cocoa powder then a little cinnamon powder.
Cut into 24 squares and pop into paper cases.

Enjoy.

Heather's Scones

A dear forum friend Heather made these fabulous scones. She doesn't have her own blog but I thought these were so lovely I'd pop them on here. The recipe comes from Rachel Allen's 'Bake'. I have not made this recipe but I assure you I will soon. Don't they look wonderful with the jam and cream oozing out? What could be nicer with a cup of tea.




Ingredients

• 500g (1lb 2oz) light Italian or plain flour
• 1 rounded tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 rounded tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 125g (4 ½ oz) unsalted cold butter, cubed (if you are using salted butter, decrease the salt to ½ tsp)
• 25g (1oz) caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 275ml (9fl oz) buttermilk or milk, plus extra for the egg wash
• 50g (2oz) caster or granulated sugar (optional)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas mark 7.
• Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix well.
• Set aside about a third of the beaten egg and combine the rest with the buttermilk, then add to the flour mixture and mix briefly to combine into a moist dough. Place on a lightly floured work surface and knead ever so slightly to bring together, then press or roll out to a thickness of 2cm (3/4in).
• Using the cutter (6cm (2 ½ in) cutter), cut out approximately 12 scones and place on a floury baking tray. Add about a teaspoon or so of buttermilk to the remainder of the beaten egg to make an egg wash.
• Brush the scones with the egg wash (and dip the tops in sugar if you wish) and bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes or until golden brown on top. Eat as soon as possible!

VARIATIONS
Cinnamon: Add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon to the flour.
Orange: Add the finely grated zest of 1 orange to the flour.
Chocolate chip: Add 100g (31/2oz) of dark or milk chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) to the dry ingredients before you add the liquid.
Sultana or raisin: Add 100g (31/2oz) of sultanas or raisins to the dry ingredients before you add the liquid. I also sometimes add 100g (31/2oz) dried cranberries or dried blueberries instead of the sultanas.


Thank you Heather

Soft and Simple Bread Rolls.

I have long been looking for a perfect soft roll that would suit a sandwich or a burger. I have tried some very good recipes but they were either too rich having eggs in or they still had a density which I did not like. I wanted light fluffy pillows of air and I also wanted fast. I have found myself needing rolls fairly quickly this past while so once again the search was on. I looked in my folder and found a recipe I had used sometime in the dim and distant past and recalled the rolls had a rather unpleasant yeasty flavour. These rolls only have one quick rise and I wondered if the combination of this and the use of dried active yeast maybe contributed to the yeasty taste. I decided to give them a go and use instant/fast action yeast this time round. Now remember I wanted light and fluffy. At the end of the mixing I don't know what possessed me but I had baking powder sitting out. I am not usually a very impulsive person but I thought what the heck it might work so I added the baking powder. I don't know what happened. I know little about the science of bread making so I don't really know if the baking powder did it but my goodness I got my fluffy pillows and no yeasty taste. Fast too as there is only one rise and no kneading involved. These are a keeper. If you try this recipe I would be delighted with any feedback.










Ingredients

600gms/ 1 pound 5 ounces plain flour
2 teaspoons instant/fast action yeast
400mls/14 fl oz warm water
1 tablespoon of dried milk powder or use 200mls water and 200mls milk
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Method

Put the flour yeast salt sugar and powdered milk (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir together

Add the oil and liquids to the flour mixture, and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 3 minutes. The mixture should leave the sides of the bowl cleanly when mixed but still be nice and soft. If you find it a little dry add more water but only a very little at a time.

At the end of the mixing time spread the dough out to make a well in the centre and sprinkle the baking powder in. Mix for another minute.


Turn dough out onto an oiled surface with oiled hands (stops the dough sticking to you and everything else) and let rest under bowl for about 10 minutes.

Shape dough into 12 slightly flat balls, and place on greased baking sheet or into two sandwich tins to rise until doubled in size.About 30 minutes

If you want burger rolls divide the mixture into eight

Bake in a preheated oven 200.C/Fan 180.C/400. F/ gas 6 for 12 to 15 minutes. They should be well risen and golden brown on top.

Leave for a few minutes before turning onto a cooling rack as they are quite soft and delicate.

Tip

The easiest way to divide the dough is to press it out into a rectangle then roll it up into a sausage shape before cutting into the required number of pieces.