Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

 

If you ever feel like making ice cream, try your hand at this one. It's blueberry cheesecake and ice cream all rolled into one, and it tastes absolutely fantastic! As I've used quite a substantial amount of cheese in this recipe, I figured it would be rich and creamy enough without the need to make a custard base for it, which makes this ice cream dead-easy to prepare. I layered the ice cream with some luscious blueberry compote which is also a breeze to make, but feel free to substitute it with other berries or fruit, or perhaps some chocolate chips or cookie crumbs if you like. Alternatively, just make plain cheesecake ice cream, which makes it versatile enough to be served with a variety of toppings like passionfruit, chocolate fudge sauce, caramel, fresh fruits or anything else you can think of. You could also make this into a frozen cheesecake by lining the base of a cake pan crushed biscuits, and then pouring the cheesecake mixture over it before letting it set in the freezer.

 

I've had to make this ice cream twice this week, as the first batch was completely finished within two days and both Mr G and I didn't get to eat much of it anyway. So, there's a new batch of this fabulous ice cream sitting in the freezer right now, and I reckon it won't be long until that's gone too. Before you serve this ice cream, be sure to let it stand on the kitchen counter for a few minutes to let it thaw out a little so that it's softer and easier to scoop.

 

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

 

Ingredients

 

Ice cream:

250g (8oz) Philadelphia cream cheese (at room temperature), cut into cubes

1 1/4 cup thickened/heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup fresh milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

 

Blueberry compote:

1 1/4 cup frozen/fresh blueberries

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water

 

Method

 

In a food processor (alternatively, use a stand mixer), add the cheese and cream and blend until well combined. Add the sugar and blend again. Add the milk and blend until smooth and creamy, making sure that you use a spatula to scrape any cheese stuck to the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and blend until well mixed. Pour into a container and chill for at least 4 hours.

 

Blueberry compote:

Combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until blueberries are very soft and almost mushy. Roughly mash or break up the blueberries with a spatula. Drizzle the cornstarch/water solution over the blueberries and stir until it comes to a boil and thickens. Turn off the heat and transfer the compote into a heatproof bowl. Let it cool and refrigerate until needed.

 

Remove the ice cream mixture from the fridge. Churn the mixture in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.

 

In a freezer-safe container, place one-third of the churned ice-cream, followed by one-third of the blueberry compote. Repeat this layering process until finished. Freeze the ice-cream for at least 4 hours before serving. Enjoy!!!

 

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Thai Duck Noodle Soup

When Ms T asked me if she could make duck soup using chicken stock, this Thai duck noodle soup instantly came to mind. I then realised that she must have been referring to Cantonese-style roast duck noodle soup where the duck is served on top of egg noodles in a chicken broth. The Thai-style version that I've featured in this post uses a stock made using duck bones, galangal, coriander root and some aromatics, and is served with wide rice noodles that I hand-cut to size. Though already tasty on its own, this noodle soup is really best eaten with some tangy, garlicky vinegar chilli sauce that also makes a great dipping sauce for the duck meat.



This dish is absolutely delicious and pretty easy to cook if you can buy (as opposed to make) roast duck from the Chinese restaurant or shop which sells barbecue and roast meats. Then, all that's required is to boil the duck bones to make the stock and serve that with some fresh rice noodles, or egg noodles if you prefer. I highly recommend that you also prepare the vinegar chilli sauce to go with it (recipe below), otherwise you could serve it with some dried chilli flakes instead.

Thai Duck Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1 roast duck (store-bought)
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic
3 inch cinnamon bark
2 star anise
3 cloves
2 inch galangal, sliced
6 coriander roots, finely chopped or pounded
1 tbsp black peppercorns, lightly cracked/crushed
2 litres / 8 cups water

Seasoning:
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel (thick dark soy)
3 tbsp grated palm sugar, or to taste (substitute with rock sugar/white sugar)
Salt to taste

To serve:
1 kg (2 lb) fresh rice noodles sheets, cut into 1 inch wide strips
1 bunch choy sum or baby bok choy, washed and cut
Coriander leaves, chopped
Scallions, chopped
Vinegar chilli sauce (see recipe below)

Method

Debone the roast duck and set aside the meat from the legs and breast. Slice the meat into bite sized pieces.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot and fry the garlic, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and galangal for 3 minutes until garlic is slightly caramelized. Add coriander root and black peppercorns and fry for 1 minute. Add the duck bones, head, neck, fat (and excess skin) into the pot and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Strain the stock and put the strained stock back in the pot. Bring to a boil again. Add seasoning ingredients and adjust to taste. Then, add the rest of the reserved duck meat and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep the soup warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot/wok of water to the boil and blanch the vegetables. Drain and set aside.

When ready to serve, blanch the rice noodles for about 1 minute or until softened. Drain and place into individual serving bowls along with some vegetables. Ladle some duck soup into the bowls and top with duck meat. Garnish with chopped coriander, scallions and serve with vinegar chilli sauce.

To make vinegar chilli sauce:
Slice 2 long red chillies and pound them with a mortar and pestle with 1-2 cloves garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Add 3 tbsp chinese rice vinegar and 1/2 tbsp sugar (or to taste) and mix well. Adjust seasoning as desired.

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Malai Kofta with Roasted Capsicum

 

I first tried malai kofta at this Indian restaurant called Curry at the Rocks in Sydney, and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was, given that I'm not a big fan of vegetarian-type dishes. My colleague who introduced this dish to me explained that malai koftas are deep-fried potato balls served in a creamy sauce prepared from boiled milk, spices and fresh cream. The first thought that came to me was "I have to make this at home!", and so I looked up some recipes on the internet to get an idea of the basic ingredients that went into this dish. The koftas are usually made with mashed potato and paneer (an Indian cottage cheese) which are formed into balls and deep-fried until they form a crisp layer. The sauce predominantly comprises tomatoes and cream, but I decided to substitute part of the tomatoes with roasted red peppers instead.

I was quite happy with how the dish turned out, which I think it was pretty successful for a first attempt. I added a few paneer cubes and almond flakes in the sauce for texture (and also because that's how it was served at the restaurant where I tried it). The sauce is rich, creamy and slightly sweet, and compliments the crispy cheese and potato balls.

Malai Kofta with Roasted Capsicum Sauce

Ingredients

Koftas:
1 cup boiled and mashed potato
1 cup paneer, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp cornflour
Besan or cornflour for coating

Sauce:
Vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 roasted capsicum, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, quartered
1 tsp chilli (or to taste)
2-3 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
Salt to taste
1/2 cup thickened cream (or more)
1/4 cup cubed paneer
1 tbsp almond flakes
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Method

Use a blender and finely chop the tomatoes and red peppers until smooth. Prepare the sauce first by heating some oil in a saucepan. Fry the garlic and ginger, followed by the ground spices. Then add the blended tomatoes and red peppers, chilli and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Add the cubed paneer. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until sauce is  thickened. Add more cream if necessary. If too thick, add a little water. Check for seasoning. Set aside and keep warm for later.

For the koftas, combine all ingredients except for the flour coating. Mix and knead well and form into rounds the size of golf balls. Roll in the besan or cornflour and coat well. Shake off excess.

Heat suffiicent oil in a pan for deep-frying. On medium heat, fry the koftas for 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crisp.  Drain on kitchen paper.

To serve, place the koftas in a bowl and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with almond flakes and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with boiled white rice.

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Petits pois à la Française (French-style Peas) with Brussel Sprouts (and Roast Chicken)

Peas have usually been an afterthought for me. I always have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer that I use when I need to add a splash of colour to my food ( e.g. fried rice and pasta dishes), or when I have no other fresh vegetables on hand and peas are the closest substitute. I've never really considered cooking a dish of peas before, because, really, don't you just toss them with butter, salt and pepper and serve them as a side? Or mash them up and make mushy peas? Well, I came across some recipes for "Petits pois à la Française", which I thought sounded very.....French and exotic! It means French-style baby peas, usually cooked with butter, onions, stock, lettuce and sometimes bacon. It sounds like a simple dish, but it tastes absolutely amazing! I didn't have any lettuce, and so I substituted it with brussel sprouts instead (love love love!) which turned out so perfect especially with the butter and bacon combination.



Look at these delicious little baby peas...and those caramelized brussel sprouts which are so sweet and tender....

I served these peas with some chicken that I flat-roasted with butter, lemon, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Doesn't that look yummy? :-)

Here are more pea and brussel sprout pics again. Don't they look so fresh and delicious? Wait till  you taste them....all that bacon and buttery goodness.

The peas should be cooked until they are just tender, leaving it with a slightly reduced sauce that keeps the peas moist, juicy and tasty.

Here's Mr Butterfly-Chook again! I just tossed in some parboiled potatoes that I seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted them with the chicken during the last half hour of cooking.

The recipe for these french-style peas with brussel sprouts is quick and easy, cheap and cheerful. I used a 500g (1/2 pound) bag of peas for this and it made quite a substantial amount that could probably serve a small village. Nevertheless, they tasted so good, especially with that chicken, that I was too happy to have leftovers to be savoured over the next few days. Enough said for now, please find the recipes below, and enjoy them!

Petits pois à la Française with Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

200g (7oz) bacon, diced
80g (5 tbsp) butter
250g (8oz) brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthways
4-6 scallions, white part only, chopped
450g (1 lb) or 4 cups frozen baby peas, thawed
3/4 cup chicken stock (or more if necessary)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a large non-stick pan, fry the bacon over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until most of the fat has been rendered. Transfer the bacon to a plate and leave about 2 tbsp of bacon fat in the pan (discard the rest of the fat, or leave it if you prefer).
2. Place half of the butter in the pan on high heat and arrange the brussel sprouts in it, cut side down. Leave it to sear in the pan for about 3 minutes until the bottoms are slightly charred. Flip the sprouts over and sear the other side.
3. Push the sprouts to the side of the pan and add the remaining butter. Fry the scallions for 2 minutes until softened.
4. Add the bacon from step 1 above. Pour in half of the stock and bring to a simmer, mixing the brussel sprouts in. Cover with a lid and simmer for 3-4 minutes until brussel sprouts are almost tender.
5. Add the peas and the remaining stock and bring to a boil. Stir to mix the peas with the bacon and stock, then cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes until peas are tender, and the stock/sauce slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with your favourite roasts.

Here is the recipe for the roast chicken, which goes perfectly with the peas!

Butterflied Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

1.5kg (3 lb) free-range chicken

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and black pepper

2 tbsp butter, sliced

8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 lemon, thinly sliced

2 sprigs rosemary

4 sprigs thyme

8-10 parboiled baby potatoes (optional), tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 210C (410F). Line a large roasting tin with non-stick baking paper.
2. To butterfly the chicken, cut the chicken in half along the backbone and flatten it. Place the sliced butter under the chicken skin along the leg/thigh.
3. Rub the chicken all over (top and bottom, inside and out) with olive oil, followed by salt and pepper. Place on the baking tray.
4. Take the 2 ends of the sliced lemon and place it under the cavity of the chicken (with cut-side of lemon up) along with the garlic cloves, one rosemary sprig and one thyme sprig.
5. Pull off the rosemary leaves from the other sprig and sprinkle over the top of the chicken. Arrange the rest of the lemon slices over the chicken, followed by the rest of the thyme. 
6. Roast the chicken for 50 minutes or until cooked and skin is golden brown and crisp. During the last half hour of baking, toss the parboiled potatoes into the roasting tin and continue roasting until cooked. Mix the potatoes around with the pan juices before serving.

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Creamy Pea and Basil Soup

I stumbled upon this recipe for pea and basil soup while I was searching for ways to use up the half tub of bocconcini and half bunch of fresh basil that I had in the fridge from two nights ago. I never thought that peas and basil would go together, and was curious as to how it would taste. Well, it's no fancy soup, but it tastes fantastic especially where you get the sweetness from the peas combined with the fresh and bright flavours of the basil. And it doesn't stop there. Top it with some creamy baby bocconcini and bits of roasted red bell peppers and that makes a complete meal that's great for all seasons. I can unshamedly admit that I polished off two bowls of soup for lunch today, and even my four-year-old enjoyed it (albeit in small amounts).

This is a really easy recipe, and like most soups, the base is simply garlic, onions and chicken stock, and to that, you just add peas and chopped basil, blitz it and stir through some cream. The bocconcini and red peppers gives the soup some textural contrast and elevates it from being plain old boring pea soup to something you might be served in a restaurant. I roasted (or baked) the bell peppers in the oven, but you can use ready-prepared ones that comes in a jar if you like. I love the fresh and bright flavours in this soup, and unless you have an aversion to peas of some sort, I'm sure you will love it too!

Pea and Basil Soup
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups frozen peas

3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 cups chicken stock/broth

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup milk

8-10 baby bocconcini, thinly sliced

1/4 cup diced roasted red bell peppers (jarred is fine)*

Method

In a medium pot, heat up the olive oil and butter, and sautee the onions and garlic for 5 minutes or until onions are softened, but not coloured. Add the peas and basil leaves, and heat until the peas are thawed. Add the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.

Blend the soup (I used a stick blender) until smooth and fine. Heat the soup again and stir in the milk and cream. When it just starts to come to a simmer, turn off the heat. Ladle into individual soup bowls and top with sliced bocconcini and roasted red bell peppers. Serve hot.

*Note: To make roasted bell peppers - Preheat oven to 210C. Place one whole red bell pepper on a baking tray and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until the skin is evenly blistered all over. Remove from oven, seal in a plastic bag and let cool before peeling. Scrape off the seeds and dice into cubes.

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Farfalle Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms in a Rosa Sauce

The moment I did a preview of the photos on this post, I knew I had forgotten to add something to the pasta. Peas! That's what was missing! It would have added such a nice pop of vibrant green to the dish. Well, at least I didn't forget the parsley, for both flavour and colour. It's been a while since I last cooked pasta, and when I do, it's usually a spaghettini with bacon and mushrooms in a creamy lemon butter sauce. I can't help it. Those are all my favourite ingredients and it's the only way I know how to incorporate them all in one delicious  meal. Well, up until two days ago when I made this super delicious pasta (I used bowtie or farfalle) with pork and fennel sausages, mushrooms, pancetta in a creamy tomato sauce. It was an absolute hit with everyone in the family (even my picky toddler, who often scoffs at any food I place in front of him, was too happy to finish his bowl of "butterflies" -that's what I told him they were).

I've used farfalle here, but you can easily substitute with penne or any other pasta you like. It's a really easy dish to make, and one that you can quickly get to the dining table on a busy weeknight. I used Italian sausages which I bought from Woolworths, and these were basically labelled as gourmet pork sausages with fennel and Italian herbs. They worked really well in this dish and tasted really good too. As for the rosa sauce, it was a combination of tomato passata (or tomato puree), butter, thyme, lemon juice and cream. A rosa sauce is essentially a combination of a tomato sauce with a touch of cream. The cream helps to mellow out some of the acidity from the tomatoes to yield a sweet and velvety pink sauce that is just perfectly balanced.  I added mushrooms to the dish, but I forgot the peas. Both are optional, but if you like peas and mushrooms (or even zucchini, capsicum or any other vegetables you may have lying around), then throw them in. We just love, love this pasta and that delicious creamy sauce!

Farfalle with Sausage, Pancetta and Mushrooms in a Rosa Sauce

Ingredients

350g dried farfalle / bowtie pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, finely diced

100g (3.5oz) pancetta, chopped

300g Italian style pork sausages, casings removed

250g (9oz) button mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves

700g (25oz) tomato passata (or tomato puree)

1/4 cup green peas

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup thickened / heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated parmesan

Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

3 tbsp flat-leaf  parsley leaves, chopped

Method

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until al dente.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and fry the garlic, followed by the onions and pancetta. Fry for 5 minutes until onions are softened.
3. Add the sausage meat and use a spatula to break it up in the pan. Fry for 3 minutes, then add mushrooms and fry for another minute.
4. Add thyme and passata, and bring to a boil. Add peas and gently simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in butter. lemon juice and cream and simmer again for 5 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.
5. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the sauce in the pan. Mix well to combine. Transfer to individual serving plates, sprinkle with grated parmesan and chopped parsley, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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