Burger Cheese Melt

You just have to try this - for all those who love Burgers

Ingredients

Burger Patty - recipe given below

8 slices bread of choice

16 slices cheese of choice

2 onions sliced and sauteed.

Barbeque Sauce

Butter

First make the burger patty.

• 500 gms mince meat
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 bunch of corriander leaves chopped
• 1 small green chilly chopped finely
• 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 tsp corriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilly
• salt to taste

Mix all above and keep aside for 1/2 hour for the flavours to meld together.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan.

Make patty with wet hands and cook on high flame to seal the meat.

Turn only when done on one side, co.ooking the second side on medium flame

Cook till done

Place a slice of bread on a butter grill pan, top with a slice of cheese.

Then layer with the onions and top with a burger patty

Spread some barbeque sauce over the patty and top with another slice of cheese.

Finally top with a slice of bread, buttered on the outside.

Cook in the grill pan - if you don't have a press down grill, place something heavy on the top slice of bread to keep it down.

Serve with fries and a salad

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cakes are normally best in winter when the red carrots are available.  However, you can do this in summer with the orange carrots we get.  The carrot actually loses its flavour in the cake but it adds moisture and sweetness to the cake.  You can see the orange flecks which makes it look pretty.  I did read somewhere that you could use crushed pineapple bits to add to the depth but did not feel the need for this.  

This cake can be made with whole wheat or with regular flour.  

 

170 grams grated carrots - I used my food processor to do this - faster and less wastage.

130 grams  flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

2 large eggs

150 grams granulated sugar

120 ml sunflower oil

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:

30 grams butter, room temperature

115 grams cream cheese, room temperature

115 grams icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Butter & line the bottoms of an 8" pan with a circle of parchment paper. 

In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and ground cinnamon.

Using a hand mixer,  beat the eggs until frothy.  

Add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored (about 3 - 4 minutes).  

Add the oil in a steady stream beating well.  

Add in the vanilla extract. 

Add the flour mixture and beat on slow,  just until incorporated. 

Using rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. 

For Frosting 

Using a hand mixer,  beat the cream cheese and butter, on low speed, just until blended with 

no lumps. 

Sift in the icing sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth.  Do not overbeat.  Please do not use castor for this.  Icing sugar has a certain amount of cornflour in it which helps the mix maintain the shape.

Mix in the vanilla extract, and lemon zest. 

Spread over the cooled cake.  

CHERRY JUBILEE CHEESECAKE

Cheesecakes, my weakness.  I keep promising myself to lose weight but can't give up eating these.  What the hell, will walk a little extra :)

I also have a passion for buying books and storing them.  Rummaging through a cupboard I found THE CHEESECAKE BIBLE sitting with my cookbooks.  I immediately knew that I had to make one of these.  Last year I had made the Banana Split Cheesecake and it was yumm.

Note - please collect all the ingredients in advance as they should be at room temp to ensure a good cheesecake.  

CHERRY JUBILEE CHEESECAKE

adapted from The Cheesecake Bible

EQUIPMENT
8" loose bottom tin
Hand Whisk
Spatulas
Weighing scale

CRUST
15 Graham Cracker Biscuits
4-5 tbsp butter

FILLING
1 tin condensed milk
1 pack cream cheese - I used philadelphia
Juice of 2 lemons
4 eggs
1 tbsp cherry liqueur

The Liqueur I found in the bar

TOPPING
1 cup fresh cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

1. Put biscuits in a ziplock bag and crush roughly.  Melt the butter and mix into the biscuits.  The mixture should clump together.
2. Press this mixture into the base of the loose bottom tin and keep in the freezer to set.
3. Make the topping by combining the cherries, water and sugar and bringing to a boil.  Cook this cherries are soft and water has thickened.  Keep aside to cool
4. For the filling beat the cream cheese till smooth and creamy.  Add in the condensed milk and lemon juice and mix well
5. Mix in eggs one at a time - do not overbeat.
6. Fold in the cherry liquor [optional] and some of the topping mix.
7. Pour this over the frozen base and bake at 160C for 30 min.  The Centre should jiggle when done.  Leave to come to room temp for at least 2 hours.  The cheesecake will continue to cook.  
8. Once cooled wrap in cling film and keep in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours for the flavours to mature.
9. When ready to serve top with some of the cherry jam.

Oreo Cookie Mini Cheese Cake

I seem to have spent quite some time on the internet chatting with new found friends at CAL.  The inspiration to go into the kitchen again comes from all that talk of food and the inspiration for making mini cheesecakes came from the wonderful Norpro Mini Cheesecake Pan I saw and have to buy

Very soon Monish is going to throw me out of office as I dont seem to work - Hate to confess I am waiting for him to do that :)

My kids love Oreo and cheesecakes - so it had be a combination of both.

This can be made in a regular 9" springform pan also.

Ingredients

CRUST
10 oreo cookies
5 tablespoon butter(melted)

CHEESECAKE
2 cups heavy cream - I use Rich's
200 gms cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

5 Oreo Cookies, crushed

Directions:

BASE
Separate the cookies, remove the vanilla filling, and crush to a rough powder

Add melted butter and blend until combined.  Press into pan. Set aside.

FILLING  
Beat heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside.

Add Oreo cookie vanilla filling, cream cheese, sugar, salt, &, lemon juice to a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth (approximately 3-5 mins). 

Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and mix until incorporated.

Gently fold in crushed Oreo cookies.

Pour over the base and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.

Remove from refrigerator and smooth top to level with edges. Serve garnished with halved Oreos.