Game Of Thrones Dessert

GOT Dessert

So here is the decadent dessert for the Game of Thrones season finale. You will probably laugh with the way I came up for this dessert

• Cliff bar – since there is always a cliff hanger
• White cheesecake – for the white walkers
• Huckleberry mousse – just for decadence
• Whipped Cream and the chocolate shard to make it look like a ship for Tyrion’s escape

I will say this – it was devoured and totally enjoyed by all.

 

Ingredients

Makes 8, Total time 30 minutes

Biscuit Layer

• 1 Cliff Bar (Or any other granola bar that you like)
• 2 tablespoons Caramel flavored vodka (optional)

White chocolate Cheesecake Layer

• 8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 5 oz white chocolate
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Huckleberry Mousse

• 6 tablespoons Huckleberry jam
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar

 

Method

Biscuit Layer

Crush the cliff bar and stir in vodka to coat. Divide equally amount dessert cups. Press gently to get it all even

Cheesecake Layer

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds, stir and then go for 5 seconds stirring after each microwave cycle. Once the chocolate has melted let it cool completely. (If it is no cool it will seize when mixed with the cream cheese)

Using the paddle attachment of your mixer cream the cream cheese like you would butter. Set it aside.

Whip the heavy whipping cream until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and continue whipping till you get soft peaks.

Fold the cream cheese and (cooled) white chocolate together. Then fold in the cream. If by some chance the white chocolate seizes up do not worry. Use the paddle attachment again and beat for a few minutes then add the whipped cream and fold. While you will get chunks all will be forgiven when your guests eat the dessert.

Divide this equally between all the dessert cups. Smooth the top using a back of a spoon that has been dipped in warm water.

Huckleberry Layer

Make sure the Huckleberry jam is more on the softer/liquid side (Not jello consistency). Stir it well to break it up completely.

(If you are using a jam that is very firm you will have to add a little water to it and heat it to get it to a more liquid state. Then you will have to let it cool before you mix it with the cream.)

Whip the heavy whipping cream until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and continue whipping till you get soft peaks. Fold 3/4 of this into the jam and spread it on top of the cheesecake layer.

Decorate with more whipped cream and a chocolate shard.

 

No bake Cheesecake

No Bake Cheesecake

Janak loves cheesecake and he reminded me that my sister made a no bake cheesecake that he loved when we were visiting her. I tried to find the recipe that she had given me. I did look through my vast collection of recipes but had no luck finding it and so I did the next best thing, I came up with this recipe.

This was my second go at making it. I made the first version for a pot luck and I topped that one with a strawberry glaze. I also made it in a 8×12 baking dish. I made the topping for that one by pureeing fresh strawberries, mixing in some strawberry jam and some sugar. It was a bit sweet but everyone loved it. The other difference was that I had added 2 tablespoons of Quarante y Tres (a Spanish liqueur) to the cream cheese mixture but the flavor did not come through. I did increase the liqueur in this one to 1/2 cup with this trial but the cream cheese flavor was still quite strong and the brandy flavor came through but very faintly.

The texture of this cheesecake is really light and airy. The other good thing about this dessert is that it is not heavy and the portion sizes help.

You can easily do any topping with this and any flavor of alcohol that you wish to try. Dulce de Leche, Caramel, Mango, Pineapple .. as you can tell I love tropical fruits and in the summer they are great.

Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 8oz packets of cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brandy (optional)
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups passionfruit syrup (or any other topping of your choice)
• 24 blackberries, washed

Method

Mix the crumbs and butter until all the crumbs are well moistened. Divide the moistened crumbs evenly between the 12 bowls.

Whip the cream cheese (using the paddle attachment) until it is creamy. Then add the icing sugar half a cup at a time whipping until it is incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract and whip until incorporated. Then add the brandy (if using it) and whip until incorporated.

Whip the heavy whipping cream with a wire whisk. As it starts to thicken add the 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Continue whipping until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Take a quarter of the whipped cream and fold it into the cream cheese mixture to lighten. Then add the remaining the whipped cream and fold in gently mixing until all the cream is incorporated. Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 bowls.

Top with the passionfruit syrup and then top with the blackberries.

Tea Party Treats

Cucumber and cilantro sandwiches

I had some of my friends over for a little Tea Party. If you have been to jolly ole England and had high Tea it is quite the treat. When I lived in London we went to the Winter Garden at the Landmark hotel for High Tea. Everyone gets to choose their pot of tea (which to me was not the highlight). The pots are have about 3 cups of tea in them so you are really getting a fair bit of tea. However, the most exciting part for me was the sandwiches, scones and pastries that they had.

For my little Tea Party I went a little light leaving out the scones and clotted cream (which i promise to feature in the future) but did a little twist on the Cucumber sandwiches. I also made Herbed Cheddar Crackers with a cheddar cream cheese spread and for dessert I remade Sumier’s surprise (with a modification). Hope you enjoy them as much as my guests did – cause the treats were all gone.

Cucumber and Cilantro sandwiches

Recipe

Makes: 8 whole sandwiches
Prep time: 15 min

• 2 small cucumbers, peeled and very thinly sliced with their skins, dried using paper towels
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, rinsed, patted dry with paper towels, and chopped fine
• 1/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
• 6oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 16 slices good quality white bread (I used pepperidge farm)

Method

Mix cream cheese and cilantro.

Butter both sides of the bread. Spread the mix onto both slices.

Put a layer of cucumbers and then the slices together.

Cut off the crusts of the bread.

You can now cut the bread along the diagonals and then cut the triangles into halves to get mini-triangles.

Put them in a container with parchment paper on top and then a damp towel to keep them from hardening until you serve them. You can also put them into the refrigerator if you are making them early in the day.

Simple Cucumber Soup

Cucumber Soup

 

We have had wonderfully warm days so early this year and I thought the perfect starter to dinner would be cucumber soup. Unfortunately the weather decided not to cooperate that evening and dropped to being chilly – but the soup turned out marvelously and was warmly received by everyone.

This is a really simple soup and something that can be whipped up on the spur of the moment.

Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 medium cucumber (peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks)
• 1 clove of garlic (peeled)
• 1 bunch of curly parsley (tail end of the stems removed)
• 1/4 cup of vegetable stock
• 6-7oz of cream cheese (depending on how thick you want the soup)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 twists from the pepper mill of black pepper

Method

Blend cucumber, garlic, parsley, vegetable stock and cream cheese in a blender until smooth. Add the salt and pepper and you are done.

I normally serve this with roasted red peppers on top.