Strawberry Coconut Cheesecake

Now Scott doesn't like cheesecake at all.. until he ate mine!  Immediate success.. this cheesecake is the best one I have ever had - including ones from the restaurants (and I'm not trying to boast here!).  Even miss Princess loved it.

The thing about cheesecake is it can be overly 'cheesy' and not really taste like a dessert.  This recipe solves every doubt you had about glunky 'cheesy' cheesecake.

The secret is in the exotic coconut!  Result = a tropical island sensation with the ability to convert a stubborn Man United anti-cheesecake fan into a cheesecake appreciator.  So its got to be worth trying right?  Go for it :)

Ingredients & Instructions

Crust

• 6 tbs unsalted butter, melted, divided
• 3/4 cup Graham crackers, crumbed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted,
• 1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 200C.  Blend crumbs, coconut, sugar, and butter in medium bowl.  Press mixture into a large oven proof dish and cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool.

Filling

• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tbs corn starch
• 4 large eggs
• 1 can coconut cream (not milk, and don't use reduced fat either - it wont set as well)
• 1/4 cup coconut rum

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, butter and corn starch with an electric beater.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time.  Beat in coconut cream and rum.  Pour batter over crust.
Place dish in a larger roasting dish and fill roasting dish with ot water until it reached halfway up the cheesecake dish.  Cover roasting pan with foil and place in oven for 1 hour.  After 1 hour remove foil and bake until puffed, pale brown, and just set in the centre.  Take out and cool.
Can be made 2 days ahead!

Topping

• 1/4 cup strawberry jam
• 2 tbs water
• Strawberries (or other berries)

Simmer jam and water in a small saucepan.  Brush top of the cheesecake with the jam.  Overlap berries on top of the cheesecake, covering the top completely.  Use the rest of the jam to brush over the top of the berries.
Chill.
Can be made 8 hours ahead.

Potato, Rosmary and Pecorino Bread

Week 4 of July Recipe A Week Challenge - Baked Goods

So I'm going to cheat a bit this week on the July Recipe A Week Challenge... this week has been sooooo busy!  I have had no time to have a go at the Week 5 challenge - vegetarian!  

Luckily last week I made two of the recipe challenges and I must say this has saved my skin!  

This week is the Potato, Rosmary and Percorino Bread.  Oh my word this bread was the best bread I have ever made!!  Totally moreish and who cares about the carbs... I ate about half the loaf and loaded it with butter just as it came out the oven.  Smelty nom nom :)  

I couldn't find Pecorino cheese so I used Parmesan.  I think the Pecorino would be better as Parmesan is quite a bit stronger.

Ingredients (makes 2 loaves):

I cup cooked potatoes (cook with 2 sprigs of rosemary and reserve 1 cup of cooking water), cooled to room temperature
2 x 10g sachets yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
2 cups finely grated Pecorino
6-7 cups flour

Instructions:

Combine the reserved cooking water (from the potatoes) with the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar, mix and allow to stand for 5 minutes until frothy.
In a separate bowl, combine the potatoes, butter, oil, sugar, eggs, salt, rosemary and Pecorino and mix well.
Add the egg mixture to the yeast mixture and mix well.
Add two cups of flour and mix until the dough is sticky then add the rest of the flour cup-by-cup until you have a soft dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 6-7 minutes until the dough is smooth.

Place in a floured bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Place in a warm spot and allow to rise for 45 mins – 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
After an hour, punch down the dough and divide in two round loaves. Cut a cross/square onto the top of the dough and place on a baking paper-lined baking sheet. (don't cut the cross too big otherwise your loaf will split into 4 while you cooking it!)
Place in the oven and allow to bake for 30-35 minutes until the loaf is golden brown, crusty and sounds hollow when tapped at the bottom.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving with butter.

Recipe from Simply Delicious Blog