Yummy Cheesecake with Berry Coulis

Base
90g of unsalted butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
200g ginger biscuits

Filling
1 lemon, grated zest and juice (about 15ml)
15mls gelatine
1 tub Kefalos Cottage Cheese (250g) or Kefalos Ricotta Cheese
1 tub of Crème Fraîche (300ml)
2 eggs, separated
100g castor sugar
5ml vanilla essence
Topping (when berries are in season)
1 punnet of strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.
2-4 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Place the biscuits in a polythene food bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Melt the butter and syrup in a saucepan, and mix with the crumbs. Press the buttery crumbs into a 24cm flan dish. Chill for an hour.
Place 60mls of cold water into a bowl and sprinkle with gelatine. Set aside for 5 minutes to soak. Place bowl in a saucepan of simmering water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
Whisk the egg whites until softly peaking, and then set aside. Place Cottage Cheese, Crème Fraîche, egg yolks, sugar lemon zest, juice and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the gelatine, gradually while processing. Gently fold the egg whites into the Cottage Cheese mixture. Pour the mixture over the base and chill until set, or overnight.
The topping can be served like a sauce or poured over the top of the cheescake. It is best to make this on the day, otherwise it can get a bit sticky! Hull the berries if needed and wash them. Place fruit in a food processor and add the sugar and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and strain.

Feta, Pea and Claremont “Salmon” Frittata2 tbsp oil
1 onion thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g shelled peas
1 packet Claremont Smoked “Salmon” Trout
150g Kefalos Feta cheese, chopped into small cubes
15ml chopped mint (optional)
6 eggs
Salt and pepper

Serves 4-6
Preheat oven on to 180ºC or 350ºF.
Fry the onion and garlic over a fairly low heat for ten minutes until softened and golden. 
Put peas in a pot with a small amount of water and bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes and drain.
Pour the onions and the oil into glass flan dish, and make sure the dish is evenly coated with the oil.
Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper in a bowl. 
Stir in the cheese, the peas and the mint.
Thinly slice the Claremont Smoked “Salmon” Trout into ribbons and add these to the egg mixture.
Pour the egg mixture into the flan dish and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until risen and lightly browned on top.


About 800g fresh bread dough (either make your own or buy it from your baker)
250g Kefalos Provolone, cut into thin strips
100g very fresh rendered lard
75g salted anchovy filets, rinsed and boned
3 ripe plum tomatoes, blached, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips
An onion, thinly sliced
10 black olives, pitted
Salt and pepper to taste
25cm diameter cake or pie pan
 
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 380 F (190 C). Briefly knead the dough and divide it into two pieces, one somewhat larger than the other. Roll the larger one out and use it to line the pan. Lay the strips of cheese over the dough, followed by the tomatoes, anchovies, and olives.
Lay the sliced onion over all, dot it with half the lard, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Roll out the second piece of dough and use it to cover the pie, tamping down the edges with a fork so they stick.
Dot the top of the pie with the remaining lard, make a few holes in the crust with a fork to let the steam escape, and bake the scacciata for about 40 minutes. Serve it hot.

Keran’s Fun Cookies

100g of unsalted butter, kept out of fridge for about 3 hours
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/3 cups plain flour
pinch salt
150g Smarties
50g chopped nuts
Makes 2 dozen cookies

Preheat oven to 180°C and cut greaseproof paper to fit a big baking tray, and grease the paper. Using a food mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla essence In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold flour into the creamed mixture. Stir in Smarties and bring the mixture together in a ball, using hands. Form little balls, using a heaped teaspoon of the mixture, then flatten into a biscuit shape. Try to ensure that the smarties are inside the dough, rather than on the outside of the biscuit. Place on baking tray about 5 cm apart. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until edges are lightly browned and centres are still soft. Cool for one minute on the cookie sheet and then cool on wire racks.

Zimbabwean Style Tiramisu

3 egg yolks
¾ cup of castor sugar
300g Kefalos Ricotta Cheese
300ml tub of Crème Fraîche
125g of boudoir biscuits (if not available, try sponge fingers)
60ml ¼ cup brandy
60ml ¼ cup of strong coffee (Vumba Coffee is ideal)
4 cubes of finely grated chocolate or sieved cocoa

Serves 6
Beat together the egg yolks and castor sugar until thick and pale, which will take about 5 minutes in an electric beater.
Beat in the Ricotta and the Crème Fraîche.
Soak the biscuits in a mixture of brandy and coffee.
Spoon a third of the Ricotta mixture into a glass bowl, then half of the biscuit mixture and then carry on ending with the Ricotta mixture, making 5 layers in all.
Sprinkle top with finely grated chocolate, or sieved cocoa.
Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 5 hours.
If you feel like being really decadent, serve Tiramisu with a warm and sinful chocolate sauce. To make the sauce, melt 1 bar of cooking chocolate, with a teaspoon of instant coffee, 1 teaspoon butter, ¼ cup of golden syrup, ½ cup crème fraîche and ½ cup of milk. This is best made in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, and it needs to be stirred constantly until melted and quite glossy looking.

TV Snacks
Try grilled avocado with Kefalos Provolone Cheese for a change, it is so simple to make.  Just fill the centre of an avocado with a little fried onion and garlic, fresh chopped tomatoes and basil and then top with slices of Kefalos Provolone cheese.  Place under the grill until the cheese melts and starts to brown.  Alternatively the avocado could be scooped out, and then put on the toast with the tomato mixture

Savory Cheese Torte
200g puff pastry
200g mixed cheeses, including fontina, ricotta, and Parmigiano Reggiano
200g mild Italian sausage
3 eggs
250g spinach
A clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation
Wash the spinach well, heat it in a pot with just the water it had on its leaves until it is well wilted, and squeeze out most of the water (you don't want it bone-dry).
Mince it.
Skin the sausage, crumble it into a pan, and briefly sauté it to render out most of the fat, which you will want to discard.
Separate one of the eggs and set the yolk aside. Lightly beat the remaining eggs and white, and combine them with the sausage meat, minced spinach, and garlic. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Look at your filling, and estimate what size pan it will fill. Next, take the puff pastry and roll it out thinner, then divide it into two pieces, one that will be large enough to line the pan, and the other large enough to cover it all. Lightly butter the pan and line it with the larger piece of dough, then spread the filling evenly and cover it all with the second sheet, using the tines of a fork to weld the two pieces together and produce a pretty notched rim. Puncture the top in several places to allow steam to escape, brush it with the reserved egg yolk, and bake it for about an hour. Serve it sliced, either warm or cold.