Caroll’s legendary cheesecake

This cake has been a Lovejoy family staple for as long as I can remember. The recipe was very kindly passed to me by my auntie Caroll when I was a teenager, and I’m yet to find an easier or tastier fridge-set cheesecake.
You can take the high road and top it with fresh fruit or, if we’re being entirely true to tradition, get a can of black cherries in syrup from your local supermarket for a naughty but nice touch. In fact, if you’re going down the cherry route, can I suggest getting some dark chocolate to shave over the top too, a la black forest gateau?  

Ingredients
• 14 digestive biscuits
• 100gms butter
• 2tbsp caster sugar
• 100gms icing sugar
• 100gms Original Philadelphia cream cheese
• 284ml double cream
• 1tsp vanilla essence/extract- buy the best quality you can for max taste
• Fresh fruit to top

Method
1. Crumb the biscuits in a food processor, or bash them up to fine crumbs with the end of a rolling pin.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the caster sugar and stir until dissolved. Switch off the heat and stir in the biscuit crumbs, mix until everything is well coated, then press the biscuit mix into a greased 7-8” springform tin with the back of a spoon to form the base (don’t press them down too hard or the base will be like a rock).
3. In a large mixing bowl cream together the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence.
4. In a separate bowl whip the double cream until it stands in soft peaks (be careful not to whip too much or it will become solid), then fold it gently into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Spoon the creamy mixture on top of the biscuit base. Smooth the top and chill the cake for at least 2 hours.
6. To serve, remove the cake from the springform case and decorate the top with the fruit.

Beef kofta curry

Made this curry for dinner last night and it was scrummy!  http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-kofta-curry-with-fluffy-rice-beans-peas

Roast chicken with pasta

 

 

 

 

 

Because so many people have asked for this recipe…

Ingredients:
·         1 large free range chicken
·         1 small packet of basil
·         4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
·         1 lemon
·         3tbsps olive oil
·         Salt and pepper
·         5 garlic cloves
·         4tbsps balsamic vinegar
·         Approx. 300gms cherry tomatoes (I use a standard bag from the supermarket-a bit more or less won’t hurt)
·         Tagliatelle or spaghetti for 4 people
·         Parmesan to serve

Method:
1.      Preheat the oven to 190oC and find yourself a large metal roasting tin (if it has a little roasting rack inside even better, but this isn’t essential) that you won’t mind putting on the hob later
2.      Remove the chicken from its packet and remove any string binding the legs, give it a good rinse under running water then drain and place in the tray (on the rack if you’re using one).
3.      In a pestle and mortar or using a hand blender mash up the basil with the olive oil. Strip the thyme leaves from their stems, add these then give them another blend.
4.      Pour this green sticky mixture over the chicken and massage it all over, especially into the breasts and thighs, then cut the lemon in half and put it inside the chicken.
5.      Salt and pepper the top of the chicken then empty the bag of cherry tomatoes into the tray around the chicken. Take the skins off of the garlic and add the cloves to the pan too with a small splash of water.
6.      Roast the chicken for about 1.5 hours at the bottom of the oven. Make sure you check it occasionally and if the tomatoes and garlic are looking dry add a splash of water to the tray- you don’t want them to burn to a crisp.
7.      When the chicken is cooked remove it from the oven and place it on a plate to rest. Cover with foil to keep it hot.
8.      Meanwhile boil a saucepan of water and add the pasta.
9.      Place the baking tray with the chicken juices, toms etc. on the hob over a low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the balsamic to this mixture and stir well, mashing up the tomatoes and garlic with the back of the spoon. Allow the sauce to reduce down for five mins and scrape the pan to get all the nice sticky bits off the bottom.
10.  When the pasta is ready drain it and add it to the roasting tray. Mix well to coat in the sauce then serve along with a few slices of the chicken and plenty of parmesan.