Recipe Collection Thread (recipe board)

Hi, money Savers! Replace the Soured Cream with Yoghurt (thanks Lychee) and the Raspberries with anything you want thats a bit cheaper!
thanks to Galtizz for recipe suggestion!

10-Minute Raspberry Cheesecake ? How to Cheat

Well actually it does take 30 minutes to cook but all you have to do is throw it together in lightning fashion. You can then top it with any soft fruit you like, but my favourite is with fresh raspberries and our hero ingredient for the week ? English Provender Co. Raspberry Coulis. This, as it happens, is also good poured over a bowl of hulled strawberries (which have been sprinkled with a little caster sugar) and a huge dollop of D'Isigny crème fraiche or, if you're feeling good, from the same supplier ? fromage frais.

Serves 6

2 oz (50 g) butter

8 digestive biscuits

12 oz (350 g) cream cheese, such as Philadelphia

2 tablespoons caster sugar, plus one extra teaspoon

2 large eggs

3 drops vanilla extract

1 x 142 ml tub soured cream

5oz (150 g) raspberries

1 x 200 g jar English Provender Co. Raspberry Coulis


* Click on an ingredient to find out more

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

First melt the butter, then crush the biscuits to fine crumbs using a rolling pin and combine them with the melted butter. Now press the biscuit mixture evenly over the base of a lightly oiled, 8 inch (20 cm) springform tin.

Then in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of caster sugar together until smooth and free from lumps. Next beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Then spoon the mixture into the tin, spreading it out evenly, and bake on the centre shelf for 25-30 minutes or until the mixtures feels firm in the middle. The cheesecake will shrink slightly from the sides of the tin but this is normal.

Now turn the heat up to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C). Spoon the soured cream over the cheesecake, sprinkle on the teaspoon of sugar and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

To serve, loosen the base from the side of the tin, and decorate the top of the cheesecake with the fresh raspberries and drizzle over a little of the raspberry coulis. Pour the rest of the coulis into a small jug and serve separately.

How to Cheat Hero Ingredient:
1 x 200 g jar English Provender Co. Raspberry Coulis

Every Day Biscuits - Make and bake, or make and freeze, then bake

Yield: between 45 - 50
Gas 5/190C/ 375F

Metric Imperial
225g 1/2 lb butter, softened
100g 4oz caster sugar
225g 1/2lb SF Flour
5ml 1 tsp vanilla essence
To finish: sprinkle of icing sugar

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add vanilla and fold in the flour
Mix to a smooth dough
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or two. Roll into a sausage shape approx 5cm/ 2in in diameter, put in fridge to chill until firm.

To Freeze: Wrap in foil, pack in a freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze.
To Thaw and Serve: Thaw in the wrappings in the fridge for approx 30 mins, then cut into thin (ish) slices, place on greased baking sheets and bake in a preheated oven for 10mins.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

Variations:
Chocolate: Sub 25g / 1oz cocoa powder for the vanilla.
Cherry: Add 50g / 2 oz glace cherries, finely chopped
Nut: Add 50g/2oz chopped almonds or walnuts.

Notes:
These take moments to prep. I make one batch and cut the 'sausage' in half before chilling. Once chilled to firm, one half is then put in the freezer.
The "dough" will keep in the fridge for a few days, so you can "slice" fresh biscuits as and when required.

Feedback: Boys had a couple in today's lunchbox and gave their mates a 'taste' ... hehhehe, not only "compliments to the Chef" but now d10yo and his group want to "sell" some at Youth Club! :rotfl:

This is quick, easy and cheap, and so tasty I've even used it for dinner parties. Always gets compliments, and even kids like it.

"Chinese" chicken

Serves 4
8 chicken thighs, skin on
6 tblsps wine (red or white, doesn't matter)
3 tblsps dark soy sauce
1 tblsp water
1 tblsp sugar (just granulated is fine)
1 tsp mustard (made mustard, not powder)

Turn oven on to Gas Mark 5. In a casserole dish, put all the ingredients except the chicken and mix well. Add the chicken thighs and coat well with the mixture (I put them in with my fingers and turn them over in the sauce). Put the lid on the casserole dish. Put it in the oven. Cook for an hour or so. Take the lid off the casserole dish and put back in the oven to crisp the skin for about 30 mins.

Sorry the timings aren't exact, but I generally judge it's time to take the lid off when it starts to smell nice!

Serve with mashed potatoes to mop up the gravy and veg of choice.

You can make this with more chicken, but it produces an amazing amount of gravy, so don't think you have to increase the amounts of things for the sauce too much. This dish freezes very successfully. You can also make it the day before and bung it in the fridge, in which case it tastes even better (and you can scoop off any fat, which makes it healthier!). Just heat it through again "till piping hot" as they say on the packets!

(Not my claim - Annabell Karmels' - but they are darn good!!! )

Makes 16ish

INGREDIENTS
3oz butter
1 +1/2oz brown sugar
1oz granulated sugar
1/2 beaten egg (save the other half for scrambled egg or such? or make double amount of cookies!:D )
1tbsp water
1tsp vanilla essence
1 +1/2oz plain flour
1/2tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4tsp bicarbonate of soda
3oz oats
3oz raisins

Pre-heat the oven to 180c and line two large baking sheets with g/proof paper.
Cream the butter and sugars until pale then beat in the egg, water and vanilla.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt and bicarb and stir into the mixture.
Finally stir in the oats and raisins.

The dough will be a bit sticky so dust your hands with flour and make walnut sized balls from the dough and place on the baking sheets (they spread so leave a bit of space in between each) flatten each ball down slightly and bake for about 15 mins.

These are lovely soft cookies and "magically" dissapear in our house!!

This is the easiest Tiramisu recipe I've seen, and it's suitable for Vegetarians, AND for those of you who don't drink alcohol like me.

INGREDIENTS:

2 x 284ml tub ELMLEA Light(or normal) Double Cream
[DON'T EVER buy ASDA Double Cream, or your Tiramisu will be ruined! Trust me I speak from experience]

1 x 250g round tub TESCO Italian Mascarpone

2 x 425g cartons ASDA Thick & Creamy Custard
[Good For You ones taste just as nice!]

1 or 2 pack ASDA/TESCO Bouidoir/Sponge Fingers

coffee powder mixed with some hot water
[the more coffee powder you use, the stronger the coffee flavour will be]

a sprinkle of cocoa powder


METHOD:

First, dip the Sponge Fingers one by one into a cup/bowl/mug of coffee powder+water mixture - take care not to dip it too long as it'll make the Sponge Fingers soggy & messy. Then line your serving bowl with these dipped biscuits. What I normally do if there's leftover coffee mixture, I just pour the mixture over the lined biscuits.

Next, pour the ready-made custard on top of the biscuit layer. Use as much or as little custard as you want. You can also repeat the layer of biscuit & custard as many times as you want.

Next, using electric mixer, with medium or low settings, cream the Double Cream and Mascarpone Cheese until thick & creamy. Normally this will take about 20-25 depending on the speed you use. But becareful - do NOT over beat the mixture as it'll curdle if you beat it too much. Your Tiramisu will still taste nice, just not as smooth as it should be if it's curdled.

Spoon this Double Cream & Mascarpone mixture over the custard, & level it.

Finally, sprinkle cocoa powder on top of cream mixture to finish.

Note: I normally use half of the ingredients, as the one above is to make use of the whole Mascarpone Cheese tub. Whenever I make Tiramisu, I always had to use at least 2 dishes, and always give the other dish to friends. Though sometimes I don't get the chance to as my husband loves Tiramisu & kept raiding the fridge!

Enjoy!