Peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake

 

 

• Serves: 6
• Prep time: 1 hr 30 mins
  including chilling time
• Total time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Skill level: Easy peasy
   
• This incredible creamy, crunchy, tangy, sweet and salty cheesecake is a knockout for adults and kids alike. And it’s very simple to make. Just bash some biscuits to make a base, then mix together peanut butter, mascarpone cheese and icing sugar for the filling, before topping with homemade chocolate caramel. The cheesecake takes 1hour to cook and 30 mins to prepare which is rather speedy for a cheesecake. Serve with melted chocolate or a spoonful of double cream and enjoy. 

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1 packet ginger nut biscuits
• 80g melted butter

For the filling:

• 2 x 250g tubs of mascarpone cheese
• 4tbsp icing suger
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 4tbsp smooth peanut butter.

For the topping:

• 30g butter
• 30g dark muscovado sugar,
• 2tbsp double cream
• Large pinch of ground sea salt
• 50g dark chocolate.

Method

1. Make the cheesecake base by putting the ginger nuts into a sandwich bag and bashing them with a rolling pin to crush them up.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, remove from the heat and mix in the crushed biscuits. Spoon the mixture into a deep, loose bottom cake tin, pushing the mixture down so it’s evenly spread out.
3. Mix the mascarpone cheese with the peanut butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and icing sugar. Stir until smooth and creamy.
4. Spread the cheese filling over the biscuit base and smooth over. Put in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
5. Once the cheesecake has completely chilled, pop it out of the cake tin and place it on a plate to be finished.
6. Quarter-fill a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. In a heat-proof bowl, add the chocolate and put the bowl over the simmering water. Stir until melted and gloopy.
7. Meanwhile, melt the butter and muscovado sugar in a pan. When bubbling add cream and salt.
   Use a pastry brush or rubber spatula to liberally paint the butter topping over the cheesecake, then criss-cross with the melted chocolate. Return to the fridge until set, then cut into triangles to serve.

 

 

 

Source:http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/537536/peanut-butter-and-chocolate-cheesecake

 

Creamy spinach chicken pasta

 

 

• Serves: 4
• Prep time: 10 mins
• Cooking time: 15 mins
• Total time: 25 mins
• Skill level: Easy peasy
  
  

  Ingredients

  
  

  • 300g (11oz) tagliatelle
  • A knob of butter
  • 400g (14oz) skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thick strips
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 50g (2oz) ready-to-use sun-dried tomatoes
  • 150g (5oz) baby spinach leaves
  • 250ml (81/2fl oz) single cream
  • A generous pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

       Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat and, when foaming, fry the chicken for 4–6 minutes until cooked through.
3. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and fry until the spinach has wilted.
4. Add the cream, bring to a steady simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes, then season with salt and black pepper.
5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the sauce. Toss well and serve straightaway.

Source:http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/519431/creamy-spinach-chicken-pasta

 

Bang bang chicken recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 6 shallots, thinly shredded
• 2 carrots, finely sliced
• 1/2 telegraph cucumber, de-seeded and finely sliced
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Sauce

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 3/4 cup boiling water

Method:

To make the sauce, whisk all of the ingredients together and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk the vinegar and sugar together.
Place the vegetables into the bowl and toss until well coated.
Using tongs, put the vegetables on a serving platter and lay the chicken on top.
Drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

 

Notes:

• It is best if the vegetables in this recipe are finely sliced. An easy way to do this is to use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons and slice them lengthways.
• I have seen some Bang bang chicken recipes that include vermicelli noodles with the salad. These would be a great addition if you were making it a main meal.
• The sauce will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
• This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder.

Source:http://www.kidspot.co.nz/recipes-for+3191+24+Chicken+Bang-bang-chicken.htm

 

Cedar-Planked Salmon on the BBQ

 

 

There is nothing easier to do with salmon unless, of course, you want to eat it raw. The pre-soaked cedar plank does all the work as far as seasoning goes. All you need to do is squirt some lemon juice over it and serve.

Prep time: 45 minutes - 4 hours to soak the cedar plank (it depends on the thickness of the cedar plank – the thicker it is, the longer it takes)
Total Cooking time: 20 minutes or so
Serves 2 (just add 1 salmon fillet per person but most planks hold 5 fillets comfortably although I did manage to fit 6 on this plank. More than that will take longer to cook because the fillets will touch each other and the center pieces will take longer for the heat to penetrate).

 

Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets each about 2” wide, skin on
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thin lemon slice per fillet, cut in half
• 2 thin slices red onion, cut in half
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Soak the cedar plank according to the instructions on the package. Just in case there aren’t any – thin planks need about 30 minutes or so to soak through and 1” planks will need at least 1 hour, longer is better for the smoke factor. Some packages say to soak overnight, but I've never found that to be necessary.
2. Preheat the grill for 15 minutes or so (I use a gas BBQ, so you’re on your own if you use charcoal). You want the heat at medium high. Place the planks on the grill and keep the temperature medium. Close the cover for another 15 minutes to really "smoke" them.
3. In the meantime prepare the salmon. Place the fillets skin side down on a platter or board ready to transfer to the cedar planks. Top with garlic, chopped dill, lemon & onion slices and pepper.
4. When the BBQ is smoking and the smell is awesome, it’s time to place the prepared salmon fillets on the plank skin side down. Cover and continue to cook for 20 minutes or so. The fish will be done when it flakes easily and warm in the center if you pierce it with the tip of a knife. You want it juicy, not dried out.
5. Slide the salmon off the skin and onto a platter or plate. As Jamie Oliver would say – “Easy Peasy!”
   
    

Source:http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/cedar-planked-salmon-on-the-bbq/recipe.html?dishID=9374

Piñata cake

 

 

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 200g butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder

For the buttercream:

• 450g icing sugar
• 150g butter
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• Food colouring; purple, pink, green and blue

To decorate and fill:

• Hundreds and thousands
• M&Ms
• Skittles
• Haribo sweets
• Dolly mix

Cut into a normal looking sponge cake to reveal a naughty surprise - it's packed full of sweets!

But how is it done? It's actually quite easy to hide a hidden centre in your bakes - and we're here to show you how.

With our simple step-by-step recipe, our piñata cake is much easier to make than you may think. All you have to do is hollow out the inside of the sponge after baking and pack it with a variety of sweets.

You can choose jellied sweets like Haribo or chocolate sweets like M&Ms, just remember to make sure your cake is completely cooled before you add the sweets otherwise they’ll melt inside.

Decorate with different coloured buttercream to make it extra special. We used purple, blue, pink and green, but you could use whichever colours you prefer – you could even go one step further a choose all the colours of the rainbow!

This cake should serve up to 6 people and will last 3 days in an airtight container. This recipe would work just as well with a chocolate cake mixture and you can also fill it with fresh fruits or chocolates - the possibilities are endless!
The cake is named after a classic pinata which kids beat to make the sweets fall out, but we wouldn't advise taking a bat to this treat: it's far too tasty to waste. Simply slice into the pinata cake to reveal the surprise. Little eyes will light up seeing the sweets tumble out the middle of this extra special bake.

This cake takes 25 mins to bake and 1hr to fill and decorate.

Equipment

• 2x21cm/9inch cake tins (3cm height)
• Greaseproof paper
• Piping bag
• Electric hand whisk

 

Step 1

Preheat oven 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and line 2x 21cm/9inch cake tins with greaseproof paper.

 

Step 2

Make your sponges using the all-in-one method, pour all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk until combined. Once combined, pour into the cake tins making sure you they’re as even as possible.

 

Step 3

Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until springy to the touch. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and decide which is going to be the base and which is going to be the topper. Turn the base upside down and leave to cool.

Step 4

Meanwhile prepare the buttercream. Whisk the butter and vanilla extract and gradually add in the icing sugar until combined. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water, if it’s too thin, add some more icing sugar until it reaches a creamy texture. You don’t want the mixture to be too wet as you’ll be adding food colouring to it later on. Leave to one side.

 

Step 5

Turn the top cake upside down and mark out a circle on the sponge using a sharp knife. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through the sponge, you want to go half way down and scoop out the insides. Do the same to the base cake.

 

Step 6

Once you’re happy with both sponges, cover the outside edges of each layer with a light buttercream. You can do this neatly using a small spoon or spatula.

 

Step 7

Pop the base cake onto your chosen serving plate or board and pack it with different sweets and chocolates. Make a little mound of sweets and when you’re happy with the amount put the topper cake on top like a lid. Press the edges down firmly so they sandwich together.

 

Step 8

Coat the cake in a light buttercream layer – this is a crumb coat which will stop any crumbs from sticking onto your final decorations. Leave to one side to set.

 

Step 9

Split the rest of the buttercream mixture evenly into 4 separate bowls. Add a few drops of food colouring to each e.g. purple, blue, green and pink and mix with a spoon until you’re happy with the colour.

 

Step 10

Spoon the mixtures into individual piping bags and pop them into the fridge to firm for about 5-10 mins, so the colours don’t run or blend when you pipe them onto the cake.

 

Step 11

Take the piping bags out of the fridge and pipe onto the cake. Start from the outside and work in drawing different coloured wavy lines with the nozzle.

 

Step 12

Once you’re happy with the top, work on the sides. Start from the bottom and pipe up the cake edges pulling away as you reach the top of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with hundreds and thousands to finish.

 

Step 13

Serve on a cake stand and cut into the middle of the cake using a sharp knife, revealing the sweetie surprise!

Source:http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/538571/pinata-cake