Obsession

Once upon a time we went to San Sebastian and there was a restaurant which sold pretty much only cheesecakes. They sold other things, but San Sebastian is a town where each restaurant has one or two items for which they are known for, and when the walls are covered in cheesecakes, it's fairly obvious what this place sells. Now it seems basque burnt cheesecakes have reached a new kind of cult status so naturally I had to try.  The recipe I used was from Bon Appetit , which for a 10 inch cake pan was far too big for me to contemplate. Instead, I reduced it by half and used a 7 inch pan. Also because I made it on the same week as a guiness cake we discovered the two are very palatable eaten together. Ingredients: 480g cream cheese (room temperature) 150g caster sugar 3 eggs 240ml double cream 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla paste for some nice flecks) 20g plain flour Method: 1. Blend the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and cream in order. (...

Apple cheesecake In a short on ingredients world everything for this cheesecake has remained readily available. It serves two generously, four if you’re being restrained, and one if you’re just having that kind of a day. This recipe is hugely adaptable to what you have in the house, any fruit, any biscuit, any sweetener or fats (the texture might be a bit different but it’s all delicious). If you have some yogurt, sour cream or an extra lemon, the extra tartness would be good but not essential. Whipped cheesecakes are the mother of all inventions. Add anything you fancy. If it tastes good on it’s own, it is rarely going to taste bad combined with all the other lovely ingredients. If you want to save yourself the washing up, make it directly in your serving bowls as a deconstructed kind of dessert (call it a parfait!). Officially you would chill the cheesecake to help it firm up and hold its shape which is essential if you’re using a tin, however I’m just fine eating it when the c...

Yes I cranked out the icing sugar finally. The blackberries are covering some HUGE cheesecake cracks, but the actual cake itself is as soft and melting as I always want, unlike the cakey, floury number I feared. Sister dearest informs me that whilst it was lovely, it was slightly eggy, which is probably the result of the two extra egg whites. Needless to say, I ended up with a lot of blackberries to eat after my family scraped them off.

Not to sex up dessert... no, not at all. But I've always had... earth moving experiences with food. It has been noticed that I seem to inadvertantly *mmmmmm* when I eat certain foods I find appealing. Gu chocolate molten middle puddings - those ones you put in the microwave for a minute, and oddly enough Scottish Oat cakes really do it for me. Anyway today it was all about the cheesecake. I should have gone to the gym and watched a film at the cinema since it wasn't rainy, but instead me, mum and sis hit the local Waitrose for a shopping trip. Came back with the makings of cheesecake because after last year, year of the gingerbread house, this year is for cheesecake. It's a competitive thing. I think I must have mentioned. If not, here it is again, the ladies who bake are competitive. The chinese chiffon cake is the main item of choice, however my great-aunt has recently discovered the joy of cheesecake and orders it if they go to cafes. They don't know how to make one....