Light and Creamy Japanese Cheesecake

My family and I enjoy eating Japanese cheesecake and I have made it a number of times in the past. This time, however, I wanted to make a cheesecake that was not only light and fluffy, but creamy as well and not so cake-like in texture. The typical recipe for Japanese cheesecake uses milk and flour in addition to other ingredients like cream cheese and eggs. In making this creamy version, I've substituted the milk with sour cream and omitted the flour component. I did add a scant amount of cornflour as I figured it might help bind the ingredients (that's what I think anyway) and prevent cracks from forming on top of the cake while it's baking. Whether it helped or not, I can't say for certain, but my cake came out perfect with no cracks at all. It rose nicely in the oven, and didn't collapse in the middle while it was cooling down. In fact, the top of the cake came down slowly until it was just level.

If you must know, I was keeping a watchful eye over the cake from the time it was baking until it cooled down. As with most cheesecakes, it is important to ensure that the cake does not experience any sudden drop in temperature after it's baked, which is why they are usually left to cool in the oven. I think the Cheesecake-gods must have been kind to me that day because not only did my cake not crack, but it shrank ever so slightly that it the top became nice, flat and level (as if I'm not reiterating enough). Because of my constant "watchful eye" over the cake, I managed to catch it just as it was starting to pull off the sides of the pan. So I quickly took it out from the oven and loosened the edges of the cake so as to prevent any cracks from forming while it continued to cool down in the oven. And one more thing: I placed a pan of hot water at the bottom of the oven while baking because apparently the steam that is created also helps to reduce the chance of cracks forming over the cake.

The kids absolutely loved this cake because of its light, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Don't expect it to be smooth and creamy like NY style cheesecakes though, because this one is made with a meringue base, and so it has an "airy" meringue-like texture, but creamy nonetheless. And delicious!



Light and Creamy Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

3/4 cup (about 100g) finely crushed Digestive biscuits (or other sweet biscuits)
3 tbsp (50g) butter, melted


Filling:
250g (8oz) Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp fresh milk
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
3 egg whites
 
Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Grease and line the base of a 20cm (8 inch) non-stick springform cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Prepare another pan (either roasting tin/cake tin etc is fine) with some boiling water (about 1 inch deep) which you will need to put in the oven later together with the cake. This provides moisture in the oven when the cake is baking and help prevent cracks from forming on top of the cake.
2. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the crust with a spoon until evenly combined. Press the mixture firmly into the base of the prepared cake tin.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat cheese with milk on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, yolks and vanilla extract until well combined. Beat in the cornflour.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks, and then add the remaining 3 tbsp sugar. Continue to whisk until they just reach stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture above until well combined.
5. Pour into the cake tin over the crust. Place the pan of boiling water (step 1 above) in the lowest rack of the oven. Place the cake on the middle rack, and bake for 50 minutes or until lightly golden brown. The top of the cake will still have a slight wobble when you move the tin. Turn off the oven. Let the cake sit in the oven for 1 hour with the oven door closed. After that, you can leave the door ajar with a one-inch gap and let the cake cool for another 2-3 hours. You can leave the door closed too if you want (it will just take longer to cool!). While the cake is cooling, the top of the cake may start to come down slowly. That's fine. The top of the cake will be flat and level, and shouldn't collapse if you let it slowly cool down in the oven.
6. While the cake is cooling, the sides will start to shrink and come off the side of the cake tin. At this point, you can remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the tin. Quickly put the cake back in the oven and close the oven door (or leave it 1 inch ajar).
7. Once the cake has completely cooled (if it's just a little warm, it's okay too), remove from the oven and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
8. Remove the cheesecake from the pan. Cut into slices with a hot sharp knife. Dust with icing sugar and serve with strawberries and cream if desired.

Nicely browned with no cracks on top

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Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Maple Pecan Dressing

Brussel sprouts are DELICIOUS! I just thought I should mention that first before you skip this post. I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten them, and it's just one of those vegetables that I just don't think about, and is easy to miss at the vegetable section of the supermarket because they don't sell a lot of them. They are also seasonal and are usually available around autumn to early winter in Australia. We were hunting high and low for brussel sprouts last December as we wanted to serve them for Christmas lunch, but they weren't in season then.  And so, when I came across them a few weeks ago at the supermarket, I was thrilled and grabbed a pack immediately.

 

I have never cooked brussel sprouts before this, but I've heard from G that they are great deep-fried and served with bacon. Well, I happened to have some maple syrup in the fridge and I thought, why not serve it with maple syrup instead? Anyway, maple syrup and bacon go together, so maple syrup should work with brussel sprouts too, right? Indeed, they were the perfect combination. I roasted the brussel sprouts until they were slightly caramelized, and a little charred round the edges, and then tossed them through with the maple and pecan dressing. It was soooo good, I kept eating it from the bowl as though it was popcorn. They were wonderfully sweet, tender and creamy on the inside, with just a subtle hint of bitterness. Even my 4-year old loved it! I also used the same dressing as a glaze for grilled salmon which I served it with along with some creamy buttery mashed potatoes. It's also great with steak (topped with sundried tomato butter!) and mash. Gee, I'm getting hungry already. I think I'm going to be shopping for brussel sprouts this weekend.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Maple Pecan Dressing

Ingredients

4 cups (450g or 1 pound) brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise

1 small red/spanish onion, cut into wedges, leaving the root end intact

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Dressing:

3 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp orange juice

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp soy sauce

Method

1. Preheat oven to 230C (450F). Toss brussel sprouts and onion wedges with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Lay them out in a single layer (cut-side up) on a lined baking tray. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until they are slightly browned and crisp.
2. In the meantime, combine ingredients for dressing and place them in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until it starts to reduce. Add pecans and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens to a syrup. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. When the brussel sprouts and onions are cooked, remove them from the oven immediately and place in a bowl. Toss with the maple pecan dressing. Serve with steak and mash potatoes or whatever you like! Or just enjoy it on its own!

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Chocolate and Cream Cheese Layer Cake

This recipe combines the best of both worlds - rich and moist chocolate cake, and sweet delicious cream cheese. It was one of the many cakes that my mum used to make for us when we were kids, and one of our favourites too. She made it without the raspberries, and I decided to add them since I had a box of them in the freezer. From the photos, the cheese layer looks much too brown on top, and that's because I didn't cover the pan with baking paper to prevent the cake from over-browning. The other reason may be that I used a dark-coloured cake pan which often results in a darker crust since it absorbs more heat. I'll have to try using a silver-coloured pan next time then, or perhaps reduce the temperature of the oven slightly.

In case you're wondering, this is not a brownie, but a rich, decadent, chocolatey cake that tastes so good with the slightly tangy cream cheese layer. The cake is so moist and tender that it literally melts in your mouth, and, like all things chocolate, will have you in a state of happiness (forget the diet!). The kids enjoyed making this with me too, particularly when I let them lick the batter off the spoon, which came back to me spotlessly clean!

Chocolate and Cream Cheese Layer Cake

Ingredients

180g (3/4 cup) butter, softened

230g (1 cup) caster sugar

2 eggs

35g (5 tbsp) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

140g (1 cup) plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Topping:

250g (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

80g (1/3 cup) caster sugar

1/2 cup raspberries (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Grease and line a 23cm (9 inch) round cake tin.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined. Add in the sifted ingredients and beat on low speed until evenly mixed. Alternatively, you can mix using a spatula. Pour into prepared tin.
4. Place the ingredients for the topping (except raspberries) in a medium bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Fold in the raspberries. Then, pour it over the top of the cake mixture.
5. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50-60 minutes or until cooked and a skewer inserted comes out clean (If the top of the cake wobbles when you tilt the pan from side to side, it means the chocolate cake layer is not fully cooked yet). Cool the cake on a wire rack before serving.

Note:

If the surface starts to turn light brown before it's cooked (after 35 minutes in the oven), take a piece of baking / parchment paper and place it over the top of the cake tin to avoid it from browning too much.

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Sun-dried Tomato Butter

The only time I ever tried sun-dried tomato butter was at an Italian restaurant called  Pete's Place in Singapore, many years ago. They had this wonderful spread of breads that you can help yourself to, and I would go straight for the orangey-coloured sun-dried tomato butter. It just had that "umami" flavour from the tomatoes that made it taste so addictive, I would keep going back for more. Since I had a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in the fridge that I hardly use, I figured I might as well turn it into this delicious butter that is versatile enough that you can also use them as a flavour topping for steaks (so good!!!), chicken, seafood, vegetables, pasta or anything you like. It's also a great and easy way to use up any leftover sun-dried tomatoes you may have.


Sun-dried Tomato Butter

Ingredients

1 cup (250g/8oz) butter, softened
2-3 tbsp finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp chopped parsley (or a small handful)
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients (I used a small electric chopper/blender to chop them finely together) and beat until well combined. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for an hour before serving to allow the flavours to develop. Alternatively, roll it up in clingwrap into a  sausage shape, which makes it easier to cut out portions as and when needed. Keeps refrigerated for up to approximately 2 weeks. Freeze if you want to keep it for longer. Use it as a delicious spread for breads, or as a flavoursome topping for steaks, pastas or vegetables. Before using, remove from fridge and let it soften and come to room temperature before using as a spread on breads. If using on steaks, place a slice of butter on top of the hot steak and let it melt into deliciousness!

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Garlic Bread Recipe

Here is a simple but delicious recipe for garlic bread, made with fresh crusty baguette from the bakery. I added some extra-virgin olive oil to the garlic butter mixture which helps cut through some of the richness from the butter, and at the same time give it a lovely aroma and flavour. The kids love, love, love garlic bread, but they were a little fussy when they saw the green bits of parsley in it. Guess I'll have to remember to make a separate batch for them next time, without the parsley. You can use any sort of bread to make this, and I usually use Turkish pide as I love the crispy and chewy texture when it's hot out of the oven. If you're using a baguette, try getting a good quality one with a nice crust. I got mine from Baker's Delight and it turned out really crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside without turning all mushy. You can make extra loaves of garlic bread and refrigerate or freeze them for another day. Serve them with pastas, soups, stews or just have them as a snack or appetizer. You won't be able to stop at one!

Garlic Bread Recipe

Ingredients

2 x 35cm quality baguette (or 1 long french loaf, halved or quartered cross-wise)*
1/2 cup  (120g) butter, softened
2 tbsp (30ml) Extra-virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped continental parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (430°F). Slice the baguette into 1 inch-thick slices, without cutting all the way through the base. You can halve the baguette cross-wise to make a smaller loaf so that you can refrigerate or freeze any extras for another day.
2. Combine the butter, oil, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Use a knife to spread the mixture over the cut sides of the baguette. Wrap each baguette in aluminium foil. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove and unwrap the foil immediately. Serve hot.

* Note: You can substitute with hot dog buns, which will give you Pizzahut-style garlic bread which has a softer crust.

Piping hot garlicky buttery bread with a crunchy crust. Soft and delicious inside.

Butter, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and continental parsley

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Japanese-style Hashed Beef (Hayashi Raisu)

Have you ever eaten food that made you smile? It's when you take the first bite, and suddenly all your tastebuds are awaken and you feel a calming sense of euphoria which translates into a big smile spread across your face. Some foods (like chocolate, ice-cream and chilli) can trigger the brain to release more endorphins in the body, which is why we feel happy or even "high" when we eat them. One of my most memorable encounters with such "happy food" was at this restaurant called Modestos in Singapore, where I ordered the tiramisu for dessert. When it arrived on the plate, I could already tell how good it must be, looking at the moist and creamy layers of sponge and mascarpone, topped with a generous dusting of cocoa powder. The first mouthful just overwhelmed me with that warm and fuzzy feeling inside, and I just couldn't contain the urge to smile. Needless to say, it was the perfect way to end a meal, and I would always order it each time I went back.

When I first tried this dish called Hayashi Rice at Oiden Bowl Bar in Sydney last week, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious and comforting it was, having no expectations at all what it would taste like. It's similar to Japanese curry, meaning it is also roux-based, which gives the sauce that rich and creamy consistency - perfect for dousing over white rice. Though I believe the typical hayashi rice contains beef, mushrooms and onions, the one I ate at Oiden only had beef, drowned in a thick, glossy and luscious sauce, with a side of pickled ginger. If there were mushrooms, I must have missed them. I was so excited with my new food "discovery" that I couldn't wait to make it on the weekend. By the way, hayashi rice is a popular Western-style dish in Japan and is said to be named after hashed beef.

There are heaps of recipes on the internet for hayashi rice, but I finally found the perfect one from No Recipes. The photos of it looked just like the one I had at Oiden, and it defintely tasted as good as it looked. It was the ultimate comfort food, and I couldn't help smiling each time I had a mouthful of it (thank goodness I was eating at home because I would look ridiculous if I was eating and smiling to myself in public). I had to modify the recipe slightly as I didn't have demi-glace (a rich and concentrated brown sauce often used as a base for meat stews and soups), and so I omitted that and substituted the water with beef stock to hopefully enhance the flavours. I was also hoping that the use of the brown roux in the sauce might partially make up for the absence of demi-glace.

The stew turned out awesome even without the demi-glace (nor the cippolini onions which I couldn't find). It might just be a beef stew, but it's a darn good one, and especially with that big glug of shiraz that went into it, how can it not taste good? The sauce was thick, rich, silky and luscious wth a lot of the flavours and fruity undertones from the wine coming through. The beef was tender and juicy, and so were the mushrooms. All this served over a bed of white rice is enough to make anyone happy and contented.

Hayashi Rice (ハヤシライス)
Adapted from No Recipes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

700g (1 1/2 pound) well marbled beef chuck, sliced into thin long strips

3 onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

3 small cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional)

2 cups red wine

2 cups water (I substituted with beef stock)

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or tonkatsu sauce)

1 tablespoon concentrated demi-glace (I omitted this)

2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

250g (8 ounces) small button or crimini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and halved if large

250g (8 ounces) cippolini onions, peeled and trimmed (I omitted this)

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

Method

1. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat until hot, then add the oil. Generously salt and pepper the beef, then add it to the hot oil. Fry undisturbed for a few minutes or until the beef has a golden brown crust on one side, then flip the beef and fry until browned on the second side. The browned crust is were the flavor is at, so the more crust the better.
2. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside. Add some more oil if needed, then add the onions and garlic. Cover with a lid and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, then add the baking soda if you want to speed up the caramelization process. Fry the onions, stirring frequently until it’s about 1/6 of the original volume, and is dark brown and glossy. If you add baking soda, this should take about 20 minutes, if you don’t, it will take about an hour.
3. Return the beef to the pot along with the wine, water/stock, bay leaf, cloves, tomato paste, worchestershire sauce, demi-glace (if used), soy sauce, and paprika, along with the mushrooms and cippolini onions (if used). Partially cover with a lid and cook for 1-2 hours or until the beef is very tender. Add a pinch of salt to taste if necessary. While the beef is cooking, heat the butter and flour in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir continuously until the butter is melted, then stop stirring until the mixture starts taking on a color. Continue cooking and stirring at regular intervals until the roux has almost reached a caramel brown color. Remove from the heat immediately as it will continue to brown further in the pan.
4. When the beef is tender, turn the heat down to low, add the roux a spoonful at a time and stir vigorously to keep it from clumping. The hayashi stew should start getting thick pretty quickly (you might not need all the roux). Stop when you’re happy with the thickness. Serve with hot white rice.

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Sesame-crusted Chicken with Sweet Chilli Glaze

These oven-baked drumsticks are crunchy and delicious, and no doubt healthier than your regular deep-fried chicken. You can use drumsticks (or chicken wings/thighs if you prefer) either with or without skin on, and they both turn out beautiful with a thick golden crust that is especially delicious with a sweet chilli glaze. It uses only four basic ingredients, which is fantastic, and takes only minutes to prepare. The oven does the rest of the work! No deep-frying, no oil-splatters, no greasy countertops and pans to clean up after. You can omit the sesame seeds if you want (not everyone is a fan of sesame seeds, I know) and just use the breadcrumbs, and perhaps throw in some herbs, cheese and all that for some variation. Next time though, I might try using chicken breast fillets and make little nuggets for the kids, which are easier for the little hands to handle.

Baked Sesame-crusted Chicken

Ingredients

1 kg (2 pounds) chicken wings or drumsticks

Salt and pepper

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup sesame seeds

Optional:

Thai sweet chilli sauce

Cajun seasoning

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C (390F). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Wash chicken and pat dry. Rub all over with a little salt.
3. Place the beaten egg in a shallow dish. On another plate, mix the breadcrumbs with the sesame seeds and some salt and pepper to taste.
4. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, drain off excess, and coat it well with the breadcumb mixture. Press the breadcrumbs in firmly so that they stick properly. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
5. Arrange the chicken on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, turning halfway while cooking, until chicken is golden brown and cooked. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy while hot and crunchy!

Optional:

1. When the chicken is cooked, brush some sweet chilli sauce all over the chicken and bake again for 2 minutes until caramelized.
2. For a spicy twist, omit the salt in the breadcrumb mixture and substitute with 1 tbsp cajun seasoning instead, and a pinch of cayenne pepper for extra heat.

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