Roasted Rhubarb and Ginger Cheesecake

Well it’s time to celebrate!!!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for a Happy and Healthy 2014!

And apologies for the lack of recent recipes, I’ve been a little bit unwell for a few months, but in a good way.  Because we’re having another baby!

Roasted Rhubarb and Ginger Cheesecake - a mini version for us to taste test!

 

It all began a few months ago now when I started to sell off my baby gear.  It brought me to tears!  We had always tentatively said two children was enough, the pigeon pair, a boy and a girl.  But when we had a serious discussion it just felt right to have another.  And we’re not getting any younger so it was now or never.

So now here I am, on the brighter side of severe morning / evening sickness and a few daunting tests.  The sun is starting to shine and food is becoming my friend again!

While I still prefer savoury to sweet a special occasion calls for a treat.  We celebrated my parents house warming and my mum’s birthday a few weeks ago and I knew this Rhubarb and Ginger Cheesecake would be just right (inspired by a similar cake I saw on The Great British Bake Off – I’ve never watched so much television as I did in the last few months!)  This cheesecake is not too sweet and best made the day ahead.



Roasting the rhubarb and ginger...



biscuit base pressed in the tin...

swirl the rhubarb through the mix...

bake and voila!

 

Roasted Rhubarb and Ginger Cheesecake

1 bunch or around 5 large stems of rhubarb cut into 1-2 cm pieces

1cm piece of ginger

½ cup orange juice

¼ cup rapadura sugar

200g gingernut biscuits

75g butter

120g raw sugar

500g fresh ricotta

250g cream cheese

250g greek yoghurt

1 tbls cornflour

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

 

Roasted Rhubarb Puree

·         Place rhubarb, ginger, ¼ cup sugar and orange juice into a baking dish and bake for 20 -30 minutes at 180° or until cooked through and slightly browned

·         Cool slightly then puree in Thermomix bowl for 10 seconds on speed 6 then set aside and wash bowl (note: this puree can be made the day before and is delicious on top of muesli and yoghurt)

Biscuit base

·         Line 24cm springform tin with baking paper or lightly grease

·         Place biscuits in TM bowl and crush for 6 seconds on speed 8 then set aside with no need to clean the bowl

·         Add butter to TM bowl and melt for 3 minutes at 50° on speed 2

·         Return biscuits and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6

·         Place biscuit mix into prepared tin and press down firmly with the assistance of a mug or spatula then place in the fridge while preparing the filling

Cheesecake filling

·         Clean and dry TM bowl thoroughly and preheat oven to 160°

·         Add 120g sugar and mill for 10 seconds on speed 9

·         Insert butterfly and add ricotta, cream cheese, yoghurt, vanilla, eggs and cornflour then mix well for 30 seconds on speed 4 or until mixture is smooth and creamy

·         Pour mixture into base then place spoonfuls of rhubarb puree on top and gently swirl around with the end of a teaspoon

·         Bake for 50 – 60 minutes (apparently a dish of water in oven helps prevent cracking at this stage)

·         Then turn oven off and leave cheesecake to cool slowly for about another hour

·         Once completely cooled (perhaps overnight) remove from tin, serve and enjoy every mouthful!

Rhubarb Yoghurt Cake

What mother (and daughter) doesn’t like rhubarb (and the colour pink)? So what perfect Mothers Day cake than a Rhubarb Yoghurt Cake.  Not too sweet, a little tart. Delicious served warm or enjoyed for several days later if there’s any left.

 

We had a lovely mother’s day.  I ventured on an early walk with  little Finn the early riser where he insisted on riding his little bike.  What would normally take about leisurely 40 minutes to the beach and back took 2 hrs with a stubborn little boy who rode at least 4 km!  Once home we were treated to blueberry ricotta pancakes and some great coffee.  We then ventured off to Grandmas...

 

After 35 years in their current house Grandma and Grandpa are finally moving to a new home down the coast.  Call it retirement, call it a seachange, either way I think it’s a great lifestyle move for them and we’re excited as they’ll be a little closer (so look out for more visits!).   We had a very relaxed afternoon which as usual revolved around food.   A scrumptious lunch of vegetarian lasagne, quinoa salad, scalloped potatoes, and some fresh ciabatta bread with pistachio dukkah.  All finished with grandma’s trifle and my Rhubarb Yoghurt Cake.  Yum!

But this cake can doesn’t need a special occasion, just some fresh rhubarb from the garden and it’s a regular treat.

Rhubarb Yoghurt Cake

60g butter
250g raw or rapadura sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 free range eggs
250g plain or Greek yoghurt
Pinch salt
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cinnamon
150g wholemeal plain flour
150g self raising flour

350g rhubarb diced

·   Grease and line a 20cm springform tin and preheat oven to 160°

·    Place sugar and butter in Thermomix bowl and cream for 20 seconds on speed 6

·    Add vanilla and eggs and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4

·   Add yoghurt and mix for 5 seconds on speed 4

·   Add remaining ingredients apart from rhubarb and mix until combined, about 10 seconds on speed 4

·   Add rhubarb and mix for 5 seconds on speed 4 in Reverse

·   Spoon mixture into tin and bake for about 1 hr 15mins at 160°

Serve with fresh berries and cream or pomegranate seeds and Greek Yoghurt for extra tartness

Enjoy!

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

Sugar and spice and all things nice... that’s what little girls are made of.

Pretty cakes for pretty girls...

And what better cake to celebrate a gorgeous little girl’s first birthday (and another slightly older gorgeous lady) than a Rhubarb and Custard Cake.  Plenty  of pink fresh rhubarb, a cinnamon spiced cake with a layer of homemade custard.  Delicious.  I knew the type of flavours I wanted then came across a very pretty version on Eat LittleBird.   With the usual tweak of reducing the sugar, I also added more rhubarb, some cinnamon and in my 2^nd attempt added almond meal which added more interest to the cake component.

A layer of homemade custard....

With rhubarb still growing in abundance and custard so easy to whip up in the Thermomix how could I resist.   And most importantly it looks pretty!

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

Custard

50g  cornflour

50 raw caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 free range eggs

500g whole milk

Cake

Approx 4 stalks of rhubarb (choose pink young stalks for the top)

2 tbls rapadura sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

180g unsalted butter

100g rapadura or raw sugar (milled in Thermomix for 10 seconds on speed 8 then set aside)

2 free range eggs

1 tsp vanilla

180g SR flour

60g almond meal (made in Thermomix or store bought)

Cake

• Preheat oven to 180°
• Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper
• Cut 8 pieces of rhubarb to fit in a star formation in your cake tin and set aside
• Chop remaining rhubarb into 1cm pieces, place in a baking dish and sprinkle with 1 tbl sugar and bake for approx 20 minutes while making the cake and custard

Custard

• Place sugar and flour in Thermomix bowl and pulverise for 10 seconds on speed 8
• Add remaining ingredients and cook for 8 minutes at 90° on speed 4
• Transfer to smaller bowl and allow to thicken on cooling (I placed in the freezer as I was continuing the cake immediately)

Cake

• Place sugar and butter in Thermomix bowl and cream for 20 seconds on speed 5 (no need to wash bowl between)
• Add 2 eggs and vanilla and continue for another 20 seconds on speed 4
• Add flour, ½ tsp cinnamon and almond meal and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4 scraping down if required and repeat for another 5 seconds
•   Spoon ½ mixture into prepared baking tin, sprinkle over cooked rhubard then pour over cooled custard (keep a small bowl or two aside for the kids and they’ll be happy while you continue cooking)
• Carefully spoon remaining cake mix over custard.  This is a little tricky as it’s quite a thick cake mixture but rest assured it will rise and fill the gaps on cooking
• Arrange longer rhubarb pieces into a star formation on top and sprinkle with a mix of remaining 1 tbls rapadura sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon
• Bake for approx 1 hr or until cooked (it’s a little tricky to tell when it’s cooked as an inserted skewer will be moist from the custard but it will be browned and coming away from the edges)

 

Delicious served warm but also great cooled if you can wait that long

Enjoy!

Roasted Strawberry and Rhubarb Ice Cream

Roasted Strawberry and Rhubarb Ice Cream

 

What thoughts and memories does the word ice-cream conjure up for you?  Is it a special treat on a hot summer’s day, dripping faster than you can lick?  Is it the kind of treat you let your 2 year old  have nearly every day  on holidays even though she’s hardly ever had it at home (oops did I just confess to that?!?)  Is it rich and creamy accompanying a gourmet dessert or light and fruity and usually quite healthy when make it at home?

The start of the home grown strawberries...

Whatever takes your fancy you can’t beat good icecream and I’m really excited that summer time is here so I can start experimenting with my Thermomix icecreams again.  There’ll be plenty to follow but today I’m continuing with the rhubarb theme as it’s growing gorgeously.  Mixed with some delightful organic strawberries from my our local farmers market the results were definitely worth writing about.  Roasted  Strawberry and Rhubarb Ice Cream – devine!

Roasted Strawberry and Rhubarb Sauce

Strawberry and Rhubarb Sauce

250g organic strawberries

Approx 4 stalks organic rhubarb

1 tbls rapadura sugar

1 tbls balsamic vinegar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

• Preheat oven to 180°
• Roughly chop rhubarb and strawberries and lay in a baking dish
• Sprinkle with sugar, vinegar, salt and vanilla, toss gently and bake for approx 30 minutes until tender
• Sit back and enjoy the amazing aroma filling your home!
• Once cooked and cooled this could be enjoyed over yoghurt or on pancakes but try to reserve most of it for the icecream

Ice Cream

2 egg yolks

250g cream

250g full cream milk

100g raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla

• Place all icecream ingredients into Thermomix bowl and cook for 5 minutes at 80° on speed 4
• Pour into a stainless steel bowl (or thermomix bowl  if it fits in your freezer) and stir through half of the strawberry and rhubarb mixture
• Place in freezer for around 4 hours or until form but not frozen
• Place icecream back into Thermomix bowl and mix for 20 seconds on speed 9 then 10 seconds on speed 4 using spatula if required
• Return to stainless  bowl and swirl through the remaining strawberry and rhubarb sauce
• Return to freezer for 12 hours or overnight and best to leave out for 10 minutes before serving
• (Alternatively make in an icecream maker or by hand if you don’t have a Thermomix)
• Enjoy! ( and look forward to more ice cream adventures!)

 

Rhubarb and Apple Muesli Crumble Cake

What’s there not to love about rhubarb!

Rhubarb and Apple Muesli Crumble Cake

It’s easy to grow year after year from the same crown, it’s looks gorgeous, tastes divine and is very easy to cook.  The rhubarb in my garden has had a growth spurt after some warm weather followed by plenty of rain so I have a few rhubarb recipes on the go today.

An abundance of perfect rhubarb in the vegie patch just screaming out to be eaten!

One is a Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberry  Icecream that I’m planning for the weekend with a heat wave on the way but for desert tonight I thought I’d treat the family to a Rhubarb and Apple Muesli  Crumble Cake.  Couldn’t decide between Rhubarb Crumble and cake so I simply merged the 2 and aren’t we a happy family!

 

It was also one of those Thermomix days where it’s just too tempting to “whip” up something in your magic machine when the kids are behaving themselves.  And the kids pretty much have fruit and yoghurt for dessert most nights so I thought a treat would be like the saying “a change is as good as a holiday”.

 

Rhubarb and Apple Muesli Crumble Cake

50g butter cubed

2 tbls rapadura or raw sugar

1 cup of muesli

1 cup of cooked apple and rhubarb

1 stalk of rhubard extra cut into 1cm pieces

120g butter cubed

140g raw sugar

180g yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

220g SR flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

 

• Preheat oven to 180°
• Grease and line a 22cm springform tin
• Place 50g butter, 2 tbls sugar and muesli in Thermomix bowl and mix at 90° on speed 2  for 2 minutes or until butter has melted.  Set aside
• Place remaining butter and sugar in bowl and mix for 20 seconds on speed 6 then scrape down
• Add eggs,  and vanilla and mix for a further 20 seconds on speed 6
• Add dry ingredients and combine for 5 seconds on speed 4
• Pour into cake tin, spread with apple and rhubarb and gently stir through batter
• Sprinkle with raw rhubarb pieces followed by muesli crumble mix
• Bake at 180° for 55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean
• Best enjoyed warm with a dollop of thick yoghurt or cream!
 

Stewed Apple and Rhubarb

Catching up with special friends makes you feel all warm and cosy, just like eating this yummy Stewed Apple and Rhubarb.  In this case it was a very dear cousin of mine, a newbie to the Thermomix world, who I visited today.  She treated me to a delicious piece of lemon cake from the Thermomix EDC book and I can honestly say it was perfect.....She’s an amazing mum to her adorable kids, not to mention a business owner and house renovator.  But most of all she’s a great friend who always puts a smile on my face.



The last of the rhubarb...

Today she was steaming some pears for her baby girl in the Varoma of her newly purchased Thermomix which prompted me to share my way of cooking fruit.  This is so quick and easy I either whip this up for the kids for breakfast to top their cereal or for a healthy desert with yoghurt, or sometimes topped with a little custard.


 

While apples are still in full season my rhubarb in the vege patch is just finishing off and it’s time to trim it back and divide a few crowns.  I’d love to add another veggie plot soon and perhaps move the rhubarb there so watch this space.  For now it’s time to pick these last few stems and enjoy.

 
 
Stewed Apple and Rhubarb

Approx 300g peeled and cubed granny smith or other tart apples (3-4 apples depending on size
100g rhubarb stems cut into 2 cm pieces
50g water
A few squeezes of lemon juice
¼ tsp cinnamon

• Place apples in Thermomix bowl with water, lemon juice and cinnamon
• Cook for 6 minutes on Reverse speed 1
• Add rhubarb and cook an extra 2 minutes on Reverse speed 1

Note: Cooking time will vary on the type of apples and how firm or soft you like the end result.  I simply cook for an extra minute at a time if needed.