Holidays

Name: Lemon, Rose and Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Polish Inspired
Ingredients: 200g caster sugar; 1 tsp dried rose petals; 2 whole cardamom pods; 2 tbsp lemon zest; 1 whole vanilla pod, optional; 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 200g flavoured sugar (as above) or use caster sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean extract or the seeds from one pod; 6 eggs, separated; 500g curd cheese (or Polish white cheese, Twaróg); 500g ricotta cheese; 3 tsp cornflour or potato flour; 25g poppy seeds

December 27, 2016

Five Ways with Christmas Leftovers

Here we are in that no-man’s land between Christmas and New Year when our fridges tend to be stuffed with a hotchpotch of leftovers in pots and bowls. From shredded turkey to the remnants of the cheese board, there’s always something that gets lost at the back!

I’m keen not to waste any of these morsels as they can so easily be transformed into another tasty meal. I don’t know about you but there’s something very satisfying about creating something from nothing. Plus when it seems like there’s always a family member or neighbour popping by, it’s handy to have something to rustle up at the last minute. I actually love leftover meals, as when I was growing up my mum would use every last thing up in her kitchen, usually in a soup or a stew.

So, if you can’t quite face another turkey sandwich or cheese and crackers buffet tea, here are five simple ideas to create a bit of magic with all those random leftovers:

1. Turkey Stronganoff With Soured Cream

This Eastern European-inspired recipe for a turkey stroganoff uses up leftover turkey (or any poultry, really) along with some red onions, mushrooms, mustard, soured cream and a few sprigs of dill.

It’s perfect for a buffet or for a quick family supper, and is in fact a firm family favourite for us all year round.

Grab the recipe

2. Polish-Style Open Turkey Sandwiches

Far more elegant than a bog-standard butty, these open sandwiches common to both Scandinavian and Eastern European cuisine, are the perfect vehicles for turkey (or other meat) leftovers.

Simply have a good loaf of rye or sourdough to hand and plenty of garnishes, such as radishes, pickles, tomatoes, cress, dill, sliced boiled eggs and kabanos (a type of smoked Polish sausage) and bingo, you’ve got a platter of loveliness to serve up to family or friends popping in for festive drinks.

Watch the video & grab the recipe

3. Wholewheat Fettuccine with Kale

This comforting supper is taken from New York-based chef Amy Chaplin’s book At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. It’s perfect for any veggie guests you might be entertaining or if you’re just feeling like you’ve had enough meat!

Amy uses marinated goat’s cheese in her version, but I think any leftover creamy (or even crumbly) cheese can work well here. The recipe also calls for kale (cavolo nero) but you can happily use spinach in its place in this beautifully simple pasta dish.

Grab the recipe

4. French-Style Irish Beef Salad

Did you have roast beef over Christmas? Well here’s a wonderful protein-packed salad to make with the leftovers.

The tender slices of meat look stunning nestled amongst wedges of vibrant red tomatoes and yellow yolks of the boiled egg. I love the addition of lip-smacking capers, gherkins and French-style Dijon mustard dressing. All you need is a fresh baguette to serve on the side and a glass of chilled rosé.

Grab the recipe

5. Quick Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables

This recipe was born out of a virtually empty fridge and a visit from the cleverest cook in the work – aka my mum! It really does prove that you can make something out of virtually nothing.

We simply made a quick risotto using one of those two-minute pouches of rice, some vegetable stock and a tin of tomatoes. You could add some shredded turkey in with the rice before stuffing it into some pre-baked peppers. To pretty up the plates we served ours with some tiny cubed courgettes and a really good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Grab the recipe

What do you do with YOUR leftovers? I’d love to hear about the creations you’ve been rustling up, so share your ideas below!

December 17, 2016

10 Festive Makes and Bakes

From Christmas gifts for teachers and local friends, to canapés and cocktails for all those parties, I’ve pulled together a cracker of a round-up of my absolute favourite makes and bakes for the festive season. So grab a glass of mulled wine, blast out those cheesy Christmas tunes and plan your shopping list!

Gifts

1. CHRISTMAS SPICED CRANBERRY & PLUM CHUTNEY

It only takes twenty minutes to make this delicious chutney, and it goes with a whole host of Christmas goodies like your Christmas day roast, cold cuts or how about a baked Camembert? Jar it up, add a pretty label and you’ll have another present ticked off your list. This recipe makes two jars, so one to give and one to keep – perfect!

Grab the recipe

2. CREAMY SEA SALTED FUDGE

Another quick and easy option for gifting is a batch of indulgent creamy fudge, packaged up in smart boxes or popped into cellophane bags tied with pretty ribbon. My version is flavoured with vanilla and sea salt, which always transports me right back to British seaside holidays. Your friends and family will delighted when you hand them a little bag of these sweet treats.

This recipe is featured on JamieOliver.com.

Grab the recipe

Canapes

3. COD, CHORIZO AND PEA PUREE BITES

These elegant canapés should impress your party guests this season. Combining fluffy white chunks of cod with a feisty slice of chorizo on a bed of buttery pea puree, this is a one-bite experience not to be missed!

Grab the recipe

4. MAKE AHEAD LEEK & POPPY SEED SAUSAGE ROLLS

Once you make your own sausage rolls, there really is no going back! Gorgeous flaky pastry and top notch quality sausage meat makes for an exceedingly crowd-pleasing party canapé. Crucially, you can get them ready in advance and just bake as needed, so it’ll save you faffing about in the kitchen when you could be enjoying yourself!

Grab the recipe

Christmas Baking

5. RICE KRISPIE HOUSE

This cute little rice krispie house is a great project for little people (and big people) and it’s a great alternative when you feel like making something, but don’t quite have the energy for full-on baking. Let’s face it, we’re all exhausted at this time of year!

Grab the recipe

6. MINCE PIE CUPCAKES

If you’re looking for a festive twist on a batch of Christmas cupcakes, then you should check out my Mince Pie Cupcakes – made with a vanilla sponge, mincemeat and a luxurious brandy butter icing. You can decorate them with sprinkles, coloured sugar or some retro-picks.

7. WHITE CHOCOLATE MALTESER CAKE

Or how about this simple but spectacular White Chocolate Malteser Cake? It makes a wonderful centrepiece for a party spread, and is a great swap-in for a fruit-cake if your family aren’t fans.

Find both recipes here

Cocktails

8. APEROL SPRITZ

Let’s kick off with a round of Aperol Spritz cocktails – I think the jewel-bright orange colour of these 19050’s inspired drinks are perfect for the holiday season!

Grab the recipe

9. GIN & RHUBARB FIZZ

What better way to get your New Year’s Eve party started than welcoming your guests with a glass of Gin & Rhubarb Fizz. It’s fruity, classy and fun – just like all the perfect party hosts should be!

Grab the recipe

10. POMEGRANATE & VANILLA VODKA

I love how achievable this recipe is! You could make this and give it as a gift, but you could quite easily keep it to share at parties this Christmas. It’s also brilliant for defrosting the grown ups when they’ve got back in from all those frosty family walks or trips around the park with the kids test-driving their new bikes and scooters!

Grab the recipe

Hope some of these recipes appeal to you! Let me know if you make any by tagging them with #renbehanfood

I’ll be back soon to share a couple of festive recipes from my new You Tube channel.

December 15, 2016

Lemon & Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake

A light and airy baked cheesecake, perfect with a cup of lemon tea .

1 vote

Lemon, Rose and Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake

Prep 25 mins

Cook 60 mins

Total 85 mins

Yield 8

A baked cheesecake, flavoured with lemon zest, rose, cardamom and vanilla, dotted with poppy seeds.

Ingredients

For the flavoured sugar:

200g caster sugar
1 tsp dried rose petals
2 whole cardamom pods
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 whole vanilla pod, optional

For the cheesecake:

200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g flavoured sugar (as above) or use caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean extract or the seeds from one pod
6 eggs, separated
500g curd cheese (or Polish white cheese, Twaróg)
500g ricotta cheese
3 tsp cornflour or potato flour
25g poppy seeds

Instructions

To make the flavoured sugar, mix the caster sugar with the rose petals, cardamom pods and lemon zest. Tip it out onto a tray lined with baking to allow the lemon zest to dry out. Leave for a couple of hours at room temperature and then transfer to a sealed container. You can also add a whole vanilla pod. This can be made up to a week in advance. Remove the two whole cardamom pods and vanilla pod before using.
Pre-heat the oven to bake the cheesecake to 180C.
Using an electric beater or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for five minutes until it is pale and creamy. Remove the cardamom and vanilla pods from the flavoured sugar and slowly add the sugar to the butter, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla bean seeds from the pod, or one teaspoon vanilla extract and beat again.
Add in the egg yolks, one by one and mix until incorporated.
Add the curd cheese and ricotta cheese. Beat well until smooth.
In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peak stage. Once stiff, using a metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the creamy cheese mixture. Stir in the cornflour or potato flour and the poppy seeds.
Take a 20cm round spring-form cake tin, grease the bottom and sides and line the bottom with a circle of baking paper. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the tin. Wrap tin foil around the outside and bottom of the tin to protect any water from seeping in when baking in a bain-marie.
Take a large roasting tin and half fill it with water to create a bain-marie. Gently lower the foil wrapped tin into the water and bake for one hour. The top should be golden and the centre a little wobbly but not too much. Leave the cheesecake to cool completely before releasing it from the tin and chill in the refrigerator, preferably overnight before cutting and serving.

Notes

Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine Polish Inspired

With thanks to Waitrose for this commission.

December 1, 2013

Cupcakes & A White Chocolate Malteser Cake – Good Food Channel

There was more than a little cloud of icing sugar in my kitchen this weekend as I busily baked and decorated cakes for the school Christmas fair. Luckily, I’d already had a warm-up, creating some Christmas recipes for the Good Food Channel earlier in November, which provided me with the perfect template for the cake stall and a spot of Christmas baking.

If you’re looking for a festive twist on Christmas cupcakes, then you might enjoy my Mince Pie Cupcakes – made with a vanilla sponge, mincemeat and a luxurious brandy butter icing. You can decorate them with sprinkles, coloured sugar or some retro-picks, as seen here.

Mince Pie Cupcakes for the Good Food Channel – {Recipe here}

A tiny bit more of a challenge, but not much, are these Profiterole Cupcakes. If you’re not quite up for a ‘Bake Off’ style choux pastry challenge – you could cheat by leaving out the choux pastry step and buying some profiteroles to go on the top. Although I have to say, even though I’ve only made choux pastry once before, it is much easier than you might think, so I’d say have a go at the whole recipe.

Profiterole Cupcakes for the Good Food Channel – {Recipe here}

Finally, if you are up for a spot of Christmas baking and are looking for a Christmas showstopper, this White Chocolate Malteser Cake is actually a simple sponge cake, covered in white chocolate butter cream and topped with white chocolate Maltesers, which makes an impressive centrepiece or star prize for the Christmas raffle! For a little twist, you can also spread a little raspberry jam or lemon curd in between the layers before icing. Then all you need to do is have fun eating the little Malteser balls as they roll off!