Dessert Number 2: Cheat's 'Cheesecake'

I really wanted to create a healthy version of a cheesecake with the ingredients we had in the house. This is the only idea I've had so far, if anyone has any better ideas for the base, I'd love to hear from you.


Cheat's 'cheesecake'
Photos to follow


Wildebeest's comments
Sumptuous and tasty. Petite yet satisfying.


Penguin's comments
I think I'll play with the recipe a  bit, but for a first attempt it wasn't bad. I'm quite pleased with my base, it made it really crunchy. Although the topping was light and fruity, it was a bit too thin. 


Scores on the (cheese) board
                                                Stephen              Laura
Appearance                                 5/5                   4/5
Taste                                           4/5                   3/5
Ease                                            4/5                   5/5
Affordability                                5/5                    5/5
Total                                         18/20                17/20


Ingredients
40g low fat cream cheese
20g low fat yoghurt
10 drops low calorie liquid sugar (if I'd had Splenda, I'd have used that)
Juice and rind of half an orange
30g chopped almonds (I want to use ground almonds next time)
10 drops almond essence
Cinnamon to finish


Recipe
1. Add the almond essance to the chopped almonds and place in a cup cake sized dish/bowl
2. Beat the cream cheese, yohurt and liquid sugar together (add the rest of the nut mixture if there was too much for a base)
3. Mix in the orange juice and some of the rind then pour on top of the nut base
4. Sprinkle with orange rind and cinnamon
5. Place in the freezer for 20 mins and take out about 10 mins before eating


Notes
Next time, I want to try blending some fresh dates with the chopped almonds to see if that makes a better base. 

New Year, new start...dinner number 5

Notes


With three weddings to attend this year and after a rather indulgent end to 2011, we're starting to take a different approach to food. We're not eating carbs after 6pm and cut out the typical baddies, increased exercise and started to feel better. No carbs after 6pm (small wimper) means evening meals have had to become quite inventive. This recipe is probably our favourite so far, it's so filling that we didn't even miss those potatoes (much).



Fish dish
Picture to follow...technical problems arising from internet on one laptop and photo software on the other


Wildebeest's Comments
Quite an expensive dish  but really easy to make. Fresh fish is expensive in Germany. Lots of flavour, no carbs but I still felt full afterwards.


Penguin's Comments
I'm not a huge fan of fish, so I had the tuna and just tried a little bit of the salmon. I really enjoyed it, I thought Stephen did a good job of choosing things that went well with the fish. We'd better find a cheaper alternative to fresh fish if we want to eat it every week though.


Scores on the doors
                                Stephen          Laura
Appearance               5/5                   5/5
Taste                         4/5                   4/5
Ease                          5/5                   5/5
Affordability              3/5                    2/5
Total                        17/20                16/20


Ingredients
Fish steak per person (we used tuna and salmon)
Frozen spinach 
8 mushrooms
8 fresh olives
8 fresh sun dried tomatoes
Juice of half a lemon
Oil, salt, pepper, chilli, herbs


Recipe

1. Bake the fish in tin foil with salt, pepper and slices of lemon
2. Boil the spinach
3. Coat mushrooms in some olive oil, chilli and herbs then bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes
4. Arrange olives and sundried tomatoes on a plate, add spinach, fish and mushrooms.

Dessert Number 1. Bread and Butter Pudding

Created and consumed on 21st August 2011

Yes, it was a CALORIFIC weekend!

Penguin's Comments

This is the simplest preparation I've ever done for the best tasting dessert. It's a really comforting, traditional recipe and needed no accompaniment. It disappeared very quickly! 

Wildebeest's Comments

Very lush. Simple, tasty. Give me another bowl. 

Scores on the doors


                               Stephen               Laura
Appearance                5/5                     5/5
Taste                          4/5                     4/5
Ease                           5/5                     4/5
Affordability               5/5                     5/5
Total                        19/20                  18/20


Average score: 37/40 = 92.5%

Ingredients


8 slices of white bread or broetchen (day old bread works really well)
Butter for bread and greasing
2 eggs
12fl oz milk
3fl oz cream
2 handfuls of raisins
Cinnamon and nutmeg
1 oz sugar

Recipe

1. Slice the bread and butter it one one side (BBC says cut off the crusts and slice in to triangles but that's too posh and faffy for me!)
2. Arrange the slices of bread in a dish buttered side up and sprinkle with cinnamon and raisins. Continue until all the bread is used up.
3. Heat the cream and milk until just before boiling
4. Whisk eggs and sugar until pale/combined and add to cream and milk then mix
5. Strain the egg/milk/cream mixture and cover the bread with it
6. Sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg
7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden

Notes/Other

From the BBC Good Food website

Dinner Number 4. Chilli Pork Schnitzel with Potato Cakes and Mushroom Sauce

Created and consumed on 21st August 2011


Penguin's Comments


The combination worked well together, but the plate lacked any form of colour! All together a bit bland looking. I thought it tasted better than it looks. I'd like to find a way of making the potato cakes with less fat and in a less time consuming manner. The pork needed the chilli to balance the rich sauce. Impressed that I attempted something different.


Wildebeest's Comments


A very heavy dish, tasted nice though. Maybe next time a non-cream based sauce. Individually everything tasted nice. Not one I could eat all the time. 


Scores on the doors


                                    Stephen                         Laura
Appearance                       3/5                             2/5
Taste                                 3.5/5                          3/5
Ease                                  2/5                             3/5
Affordability                      4/5                             4/5
Total                                 12.5/20                       12/20


Average score: 24.5/40 = 61%


Suggestions


Try again! Try pork with different kind of potatoes. Try making the potato cakes lighter. Find another sauce. 


Ingredients


Pork
A schnitzel or cut of pork per person (more for hungry people)
Half a lemon
Chilli, salt, pepper, butter


Mushroom sauce
1 onion, chopped
1/2 packet mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 tbs plain flour
Splash of cream
Salt, pepper, dill


Potato cakes
12 oz potatoes peeled, grated and excess water drained off
1 egg
1oz plain flour
Salt, pepper, dill


Recipe


Potato Cakes

1. Prepare the potatoes and place in a large bowl
2. Add flour, seasoning and egg and combine then set aside until ready to cook
3. Fry in burger shaped forms, about 5 mins each side and then place in oven to keep warm

Mushroom sauce

1. Fry onions, add seasoning
2. Add mushrooms and fry until brown
3. Add more seasoning, flour and cream, then reduce to a thick sauce. Put in the bottom of the oven to keep warm

Pork Schnitzel

1. Season and fry in butter
2. Add chilli and lemon, cook 8-10 minutes until golden

Assemble potato cakes, sauce and schnitzel on plates. 

Notes/Other


The potato cakes are from 'The Vegetarian Student Cook Book'. The sauce idea is also from there, but I made this recipe myself as I didn't have all the ingredients in the book. It was Stephen's idea to add meat, naturally.

Dinner Number 3. Lasagne

Created and consumed on 20th August 2011


Penguin's Comments


It's a really rich, creamy, traditional recipe. Personally, I love it. It's meaty, creamy and cheesy, very filling and good value.


Wildebeest's Comments


Very luxurious in taste, very creamy and very delicious. Comfort food at its best.


Scores on the doors


                                      Stephen                 Laura
Appearance                         5/5                      5/5
Taste                                   5/5                      5/5 
Ease                                    5/5                      4/5
Affordability                        5/5                      4/5
Total                                 20/20                   18/20


Average score: 30/40 = 95%


Suggestions

1. Bake longer, because the pasta was a little too al dente for my liking
2. I'd like to use fresh pasta sheets one day (oh, I have such exciting hopes!)

Ingredients


Bolognese sauce
1 onion, chopped
500g mince
1 tin tomatoes
2tbs tomato puree
basil, oil, pepper, salt


Cheese sauce
1pt milk
3oz flour
30z butter
cheese, grated


Other
Lasagne sheets
Extra cheese


Recipe

1. Fry the onion with salt, pepper and basil
2. Add the mince and brown off
3. Add tomatoes, tomato puree and simmer down
4. In a separate saucepan, put the milk, flour and butter in a pan and whisk on a medium heat until the sauce thickens
5. Add the cheese to the white sauce and beat 
6. Assemble the lasagne in a dish, add cheese on the top
7. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes

Other

Very easy to make and most ingredients are already in the house. Penguin is very proud that she made a dish Wildebeest scored 20/20! Having been vegetarian until two years ago, and this being only the second time I've cooked mince, it's a major achievement!


Feeds one hungry Wildebeest and a penguin.


Takes about 90 minutes to make.

Dinner Number 2. Baked red peppers stuffed with cherry tomato risotto

Created and consumed on 19th August 2011


Penguin's Comments


The feta cheese went well with the sweetness of the pepper and the creamy risotto. I really enjoyed it and it was very filling. It took about 90 minutes to make, so quite time consuming but it was worth the wait!


Wildebeest's Comments


A very tasty dish that lacked a vital component - MEAT! Notwithstanding the meat issue, I thought the pepper and wild rice risotto was creamy and moorish. The feta added needed acidity and maybe next time a dollop of lemon juice would help too. 


Scores on the doors


                                        Stephen                         Laura
Appearance                        5/5                                 5/5
Taste                                  3.5/5                              4/5
Ease                                   4/5                                 3/5
Affordability                       5/5                                  5/5
Total                                 17.5/20                           17/20


Average score                32.5/40 = 81.25%


Suggestions

1. Serve with meat (guess whose suggestion this is!)
2. Use mushrooms in the risotto instead of tomatoes
3. Bake even longer until peppers are really soft

Ingredients

Red pepper per person

1 onion, chopped

1pt veg stock

1 packet cherry tomatoes

Wild rice 

1 glass white wine (for the risotto, extra for the cook)

Cream
Feta cheese

Salt, pepper, basil

Recipe

1. Fry the onion in oil, salt, pepper and basil
2. Add the chopped cherry tomatoes
3. Add the rice after about five minutes
4. When the rice is translucent, begin to add the stock a little at a time. Allow it to simmer until almost all the stock is absorbed and continue until the rice is cooked
5. Add the wine and simmer again, repeat with the cream
6. Cut the top off the peppers and scrape out the insides. Fill each pepper with risotto, squash it in with a spoon and top off with a chunk of feta cheese
7. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes

Plagiarism note

This is my standard recipe for a risotto, I have no idea where it comes from but it's not intended to plagiarise! 

Penguin's rating key

I just thought that we should explain our rating system. Most of them are clear, but here are the criteria for affordability and ease. Note that the person eating and not cooking is likely to rate the ease as higher than the person cooking!


Affordability


1. Luxury or treat
2. Now and again
3. Once a month
4. Regularly
5. Every day


Ease


1.Very time consuming, lots of complicated or difficult things involved
2. Some time needed, something complicated or difficult involved
3. Not too taxing
4. Fairly straightforward
5. The hardest thing is eating it


Happy Eating,
Penguin