Author Archives: The Cooking spoon

Oreo Cheesecake

This cheesecake is such a show stopper! Creamy like you’ve never tasted before. Filled with Oreo cookies on an Oreo cookie base and the wonderful thing about this recipe is that it’s quite straight forward, for the crust you just crush the Oreo cookies with filling and all, add a little melted butter and done.
The filling is really simple too, so creamy and hands down my favourite cheesecake recipe. Unless you don’t want to bake in which case you’d probably be better off with something like this no-bake white chocolate cheesecake with Raspberry swirl , or if you just need a small cheesecake fix you can make these Berry Cheesecake crumble bars instead.
Either way, this cheesecake is thick, rich and dangerously decadent and a must try!

Prep time : 20 min

Baking time : 45-50 min

INGREDIENTS:

• 250 grs / 9 oz / about 22 cookies for crust
• 8 cookies for filling, quartered or roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp. melted butter
• 850 gr. / 3 ¾ cups cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tbsp. all purpose flour
• 3 large eggs plus 1 yolk at room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 F / 180 C. Place the cookies for the crust in a resealable plastic bag. Flatten bag to remove excess air, then seal bag. Finely crush cookies by rolling a rolling pin across the bag. Alternatively crush cookies in a food processor by pulsing until completely crumbled. Place in a bowl and add the melted butter, mix well. Press firmly onto bottom of 8 inch/ 20 cm. non-stick spring form pan. Place in the freezer while you make your filling.
2. Beat cream cheese, flour, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Quarter the remaining 8 cookies. Gently stir into cream cheese batter. Pour over prepared crust.
3. Place on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake at 350 F/180 C for the first 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 320 F / 160 C. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Turn off the oven and open the door just a tiny bit (I put a large wooden spoon in the opening or a folded tea towel), leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. This will prevent the cheesecake from cracking*. Cool at room temperature until no longer warm to the touch. Then refrigerate for at least four hours but preferably overnight.
4. When ready to serve, decorate with whipped cream and tiny Oreo cookies if desired. I like to remove the cheesecake one hour before consuming so the cheesecake isn’t too cold.

*the trick to a perfect cheesecake is to NOT remove it from the oven straight after baking, and don’t open the oven door during baking either. This will make it crack. If that does happen any way, it’s not the end of the world, just sprinkle with crushed cookies, or decorate with fruit, Gananche or whipped cream.

Enjoy!
Myra XO

Classic Shrimp Cocktail

7 Replies

Shrimp Cocktail has to be one of the most classic starters I can think of. It’s one of those dishes that almost everyone loves, and is perfect for dinner parties since it’s light, fresh, delicious and elegant. Leaving you plenty of room for the main course.

You can make the sauce in advance, cook the shrimp in advance and assemble the Shrimp Cocktail just before serving, which is fairly easy.
The sauce is really delicious and that tiny bit of vanilla takes it to the next level.

Use just a small amount of Tarragon, you want a hint in the background without overpowering the Shrimp.

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Prep time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Serves 4
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INGREDIENTS:

• 110 ml. / 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
• 100 ml. / 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 50 ml. / 1/4 cup crème fraîche
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• A splash of tabasco (optional)
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/4 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1 tsp fresh chopped Tarragon
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• 450 gr. / 1 lb. cooked shelled prawns
• 1 iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• Some lime wedges and pomegranate arils for decorating.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the ketchup, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla and chopped Tarragon
If you’re cooking the shrimp yourself; this is how.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the shrimp all at once, bring back to the boil and lower the heat to a simmer, cook until the shrimp change color to a beautiful coral. Normally for medium sized shrimp this will take about 5 minutes at the most. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Drain and cool. Then peel the shrimp and discard the shells.
Add the shrimp to the sauce and stir to coat, reserving some larger shrimp to decorate and place on top.
Place the shredded lettuce on the bottom of four glasses or glass bowls, followed by the avocado, then a generous spoonful of prawns and sauce.
Decorate with lime wedges and Pomegranate arils.
Serve straight away.

Enjoy!
Myra XO

Earl Grey Duck Legs

7 Replies

Three and a half weeks ’till Christmas!!!! Are you as excited as I am?

This recipe is a life saver for the Holidays, because you can’t mess it up. It works, always. Duck legs are very forgiving. You can even make it a day in advance and heat it up the next day if that were more convenient for you.
You can easily double the recipe, also any leftovers heat up great, or eat wrapped in a tortilla with spring onions, cucumber sticks and Hoisin Sauce. Absolute Heaven!!!!
But I’m getting off track here. Make it for Christmas or any other night of the year, it’s sure to please at any moment.
It’s put together fairly easy, just put the marinade in a zip lock bag, marinade, bake and you’re done.

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⏰ Prep time : 15 minutes
🍴 Serves : 4
🍗 Cooking time : 2 hours
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INGREDIENTS:
• Four Duck legs
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups of Earl Grey tea, cooled
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• 1 bouillon tub or 1 tbsp paste *see Note
• black pepper
• 1/2 orange in slices
• 1/2 orange, juiced
• 1 sliced red onion
• handful of cranberries
• 2 bay leafs
• 2 tbsp. honey * see Note
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
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• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup orange jam
• 1 tbsp. honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the marinade in a zip lock bag and add the duck legs.
Refrigerator, turning over the meat once about halfway through.
Pre heat the oven to 160° C / 320° F
Take the duck legs out of the marinade and pat dry on kitchen paper.
Sieve the marinade.
Place the solids in the roasting tin and put the duck legs on top.
Cover loosely with aluminium foil and bake for one hour.
After one hour, remove the foil and pour off the fat.
In a sauce pan , over medium heat. Mix the wine, orange jam and honey, until the jam is melted. Pour over the duck legs and return to the oven, without the foil.
Roast for another hour.
Serve straight away, with the sauce.

Enjoy!
Myra XO

NOTE 1 : When I make the earl grey tea, I add the bouillon cube and the honey so it melts and mixes in as the tea cools.
NOTE 2 : I like to put on little aluminium foil “socks” on the legs during cooking to prevent burning.

Tuscan Meatballs au Gratin

9 Replies

These have to be our favourite meatballs. They have everything we love. Good quality beef, cheese and mediterranean flavours.

This dish is actually lighter than you might think. The trick is to remove any fat after cooking the meatballs by draining them in a colander. The lemon zest lifts the whole thing up, and the fresh herbs add freshness. A great dish for all year round. Serve over pasta, with french bread or in a sandwich, or make small ones and serve as an appetizer. Also make a double batch and put one in the freezer for an other day (without the cheese).

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 14-oz cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 glass dry white wine
a tiny grating of lemon zest, about 1/4 teaspoon
a pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cream, I use half-and-half
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon minced basil
1 tablespoon fresh oregano

Meatballs:

1-1/4 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

Topping:

6 oz. fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh oregano

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large skillet melt the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook about 3 minutes . Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds until it starts to soften, Add the tomato paste. Stir in the sugar. Add the wine. Add the lemon zest.
Add the canned tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Add the herbs. Reduce heat to a simmer and let it cook while you prep the meatballs.
In a food processor, pulse the onion until it is finely diced. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined. Roll the mixture into meatballs about the size of golf balls.
Preheat the oven to 220° C / 425° F.
Heat a large non stick frying pan and add the meatballs to the pan with no extra oil. The meatballs will start to release some fat as they cook. Cook for 15 minutes – it’s okay if they aren’t cooked all the way through since they are also going into the oven. Remove from heat and drain off all the fat in a colander.
Place the meatballs in an oven proof dish.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs, add the cream. Stir.
Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Place in the oven to bake until the cheese on top is bubbling , about 20 minutes.
Garnish with the fresh oregano.

Enjoy!

Myra XO