Lemon Curd Ice-Cream.

Even though the British weather is doing its usual thing.... Raining! I wanted to indulge in some home-made sunshine. I needed a pick me up.... a 'don't worry, sunshine is on its way' reminder. So, what better than lemon curd ice cream?

Ingredients:

Lemon Curd.

2 eggs and two egg yolks.
165g caster sugar.
80g chilled butter.
Juice and zest of 2 lemons.

Method:

In a saucepan whisk the whole two eggs, the two egg yolks and sugar until smooth and creamy. Place the saucepan over a moderate/low heat. Add the lemon juice, zest and butter and continuously whisk until thick and smooth. Prepare some sterilised jars and sieve the lemon curd into them. You can keep this in a fridge for up to two weeks.

Ice cream:

1 standard tin of sweetened condensed milk.
2 cups of double cream.

In a large bowl whisk the double cream until soft peaks form. In another large bowl pour in the condensed milk. Very carefully, using a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk until it is all smooth and well incorporated.
Next, in a loaf tin, lined with parchment paper, place a quarter of the ice cream mixture. On top, spoon a couple of blobs of lemon curd and using a skewer, swirl the curd around the ice cream. Repeat again with the ice cream and the lemon curd until you fill the loaf tin. Place in a freezer and freeze overnight.

It tastes delicious and creamy and lemony, just right whilst waiting patiently for the summer sun. It shouldn't be too long now..... Right???

Snow White Cake Pops.

Whilst looking through some old photographs the other day, I happened upon these...

And realised that I needed to post this tutorial......

These are the Cake Pops that I made for my Snow White Dessert Table.

Ingredients:

Madeira Cake .... Bought.
Philadelphia Cheese.
Cake Pop Sticks.
White Chocolate. Melted.
Yellow Candy Melts.
Black Fondant Icing.
White Fondant Icing.
Red Food Pen.
Small Red Bows... Embellishment.
Parchment Paper.
Florist Foam.

Method:

First, crumble the Madeira Cake until it resembles breadcrumbs, into a bowl. Then add 3 tablespoons of Philadelphia Cheese and mix well. This should help to combine the crumbs and allow the cake balls to maintain their shape.

Next, take a small amount of the mixture and roll into a ball, to the size you would like. Then pierce with a Cake Pop Stick, making sure that you don't push the stick all the way through. Carry on with this method until you have enough balls for what you want. ( I would make a couple more on case of emergency : -))

Place the balls, upside down onto a tray, put into the fridge to set for up to 1 hour.
During which, melt the white chocolate along with 4 Yellow Candy Melts and mix together thoroughly. This should give a nice colouring for the face. This should be done just before removing the cake balls from the fridge.

Once you have done this, dip each cake ball, on a stick, into the melted chocolate. Making sure you cover the whole ball. Lightly tap any excess off and place upside down onto a piece of baking parchment. Leave for 2 hours, allowing the chocolate to harden.

Once you are satisfied that the cake bls are ready, place one, via the stick end, into a piece of florist foam. This will help keep the cake pop steady and allow you to work with both hands.

I made Snow White's hair first, by shaping some Black Fondant Icing and securing it with a few small dots of ready made White Icing.

Next I rolled a small circle of White Fondant Icing and Black and secured them together for Snow White's eyes. I then placed them onto the cake pop with the ready made White Icing again.

I then used the Red Food Pen to draw on Snow White's mouth and a small smudged amount for her rosy cheeks. I just rubbed it in with my finger.

Finally, I added the red bow to the top of her hair to suggest the hair band that Snow White wears. You must remind people to remove it before eating as it is not edible. It does look lovely as an embellishment.

Home- Made Caramel Sauce.

The Home-Made Caramel Sauce to complement the bourbon, caramel and chocolate cheesecake.

Ingredients:

600g Caster Sugar.
30g Soft Butter.
300ml Double Cream.

Method:

Place the sugar into a saucepan, over a moderate heat and allow to dissolve. Try to do this without stirring too much.

Once the sugar is bubbling and turning golden, stir once or twice and take off the heat to allow the rest of the sugar to melt.

Next, add the melted butter and mix in well.

In another pan heat the double cream and then pour very gently into the sugar mixture. It WILL spit at you, so be careful not to burn yourself!

Keep on mixing until it becomes smooth and silky, this shouldn't take too long.

Allow to cool and then pour into clean, sterilised jars.

A Bourbon, Caramel and Chocolate Cheesecake.

A few months ago, I decided to bake a cheesecake..... Oh how I love to eat a slice or two or three (shhhhhhh ;-)) of cheesecake. This time though I decided to play around with a few different ingredients. The results were WOW!

Ingredients:

300g Bourbon Biscuits.
100g Melted Butter.
300g Philadelphia Cheese.
400g Carnation Cream.
5 Tbsp Lemon Juice.
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence.
3 Large Eggs.
100g Melted Dark Chocolate.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 160 Degrees Celsius.
Line a loose bottomed cake pan with tin foil, all the way up the edge of the pan.

Crush the Bourbon Biscuits until they resemble crumbs and then pour in the melted butter. Next, press the mixture into the base of the pan and up the sides.

In another bowl, mix the Philadelphia Cheese with the Carnation Cream, then add the Lemon Juice, Vanilla Essence and the 3 Eggs. Mix very well until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Melt the Dark Chocolate and add one third to the above mixture and stir well. Next, pour the chocolate mixture onto the biscuit base and then add the remaining two thirds of the plain cheesecake mixture. Making sure to pour carefully, so that they both don't mix.

Finally, put the cheesecake pan into the centre of a roasting dish and boil a kettle of hot water. Pour the boiled water into the roasting tin, around the cheesecake pan. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Allow the cheesecake to cool, then place in the fridge overnight to set. Decorate with fresh berries and mint leaves.

30 Life Lessons Disney's Tangled Has Taught Me.

1. Never give up.

2. Keep your dreams close to your heart.

3. I should always take risks.

4. Do what seems impossible.

5. Inspiration is everywhere.

6. Women are powerful.

7. Love arrives when you are least expecting it.

8. Pursue your passion.

9. Your friends will be forever next to you every step of the way.

10. Be fearless.

11. The world is an enchanting place to be.

12. Not even the tallest tower can stop a dream.

13. That one special person can make a difference.

14. The sky is the limit.

15. Light up your dreams and passions.

16. There is always a time for everything.

17. Keep on dreaming, no matter what.

18. First impressions are not always correct. Give people a chance.

19. Sometimes the small things we take for granted can be special to someone.

20. Sarah, let down your hair!

21. Reaching your dreams isn't the end, it the beginning of a new dream.

22. Fight for your life!

23. Ignore the nay-sayers, you know best.

24. Some dreams may take awhile, but that doesn't mean they won't come true.

25. Climbing the tower is worth it, when there is someone special waiting at the top.

26. There is some measure good in everyone.

27. Life is a fabulous journey, enjoy every minute.

28. All days hold a magical lesson, if you choose to see it.

29. There is always a happy ending.

30. "That's the good part, I guess. You get to find a new dream."