Stilton Baby Blue Cheesecakes Rose's Alpha Bakers

stilton baby blue cheesecakes 

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"It's feeling a lot like Christmas" ... Well that is when I usually have blue cheese, instead it's just me alone with the baby blue cheesecakes today, I've been stomped on by a flu virus for the past eight days.

Now, not that my family and friends want me to have the flu, but I kind of think a least a couple were relieved they weren't partaking in blue cheese cheesecakes taste testing this week.  Sheeeesh, more for me then... I love blue cheese, and these little cheesecakes were just what the doctor ordered ha ha.... I'm allowed a bad joke quota due to slight flu delirium!!  

stilton cheese

Savoury desserts have been a foodie trend for the last couple of years and these 'Stilton baby blue cheescakes' fit the bill perfectly, with a touch of sugar combined with the umami of stilton cheese.

Started the cheesecakes in the same way as last weeks 'Double Chocolate Oriolos' by oven toasting walnuts and then rubbing the warmed nuts in a clean tea towel to remove the skins.

Silicone cupcake pans or a metal muffin pan were suggested, but since I have a mini cheescake pan I thought I'd use that following the pan preparation method in 'The Baking Bible' for the metal cupcake pan. making parchment circles for the bottom on my pan

Seven grams of finely chopped walnuts were pressed into the base of each hole. 

Cream cheese was beaten with cornflour, sugar and pinch of salt until soft and creamy. Sour cream, stilton cheese and eggs were added before the mix was ready for baking. You do have the choice at this stage on how much stilton you add, depending on how savoury you want to go.  

15 minutes in a low oven, turn and another 15 result in super creamy (and rather rich) small baked cheesecakes. 

I topped mine with roasted walnuts, pear slice (love the green skin/ripe pear flesh of packham pears) and drizzled rosemary infused honey to keep playing with the savoury/sweet theme.  Consider plum, pear, fresh fig, rhubarb (poached or compote), red grapes, celery, walnuts or honey as toppings. 

Would I bake again?  Yes

Would I make any changes? I'd probably use a locally produced blue cheese rather than the imported Stilton but other than that no. I think just the sheer volume of toppings that compliment the stilton baby blue cheesecakes will keep this recipe "fresh" and in my repertoire. 

How it works now I've joined the fabulous existing alpha bakers, once a week I will post about what I have baked from Rose Levy Beranbaum's 'The Baking Bible'. This won't include the recipe due to copyright and publisher restrictions however, I will be posting how it went and photos of making/baking the gorgeous baked goods.

The Baking Bible

Feel like making an Albert ??

Game of Thrones Cookies and Bee Mead

Game of Thrones honey spiced cookies

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Dang!!! You know I love a geek shop, and Warpzone Prints is a geeky cookie cutter paradise. The store sells a plethora of cutters including Harry Potter, Dr. Who, retro movie monsters, Bill Nye the science guy and today's Game of Thrones cutters. If your looking for something to wash down today's cookies, scroll right down to Bee Mead :) 

Making stamped cookies; I've adapted my cookies from a Martha Stewart recipe for sugar cookies, but you could use your favourite sugar cookie recipe and reduce or even omit the baking powder. 

Stamped Honey and Spice Sugar Cookies

Makes about about 30

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted plain flour (all-purpose) flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice or ground cardamom  
• 2 tablespoons of *honey 
• 1/2 cup butter (well softened)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Extras: 

An extra bowl of flour to flour rolling pin, bench and cookie cutters. 

A soft new toothbrush or other small cleaning brush to clean cutters. 

Enough room in your freezer to slide in cookie trays to chill dough cut outs. 

Method

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, spices and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg & honey beat until smooth, 1 minute.

3. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

4. Position two racks in oven; preheat oven to 160 Celsius (325 degrees). Line two baking trays with baking paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.

5. On a well-floured work surface, roll out chilled dough to 0.3 cm (1/8 inch) thick (you can roll between two sheets of non stick paper if you prefer). Stamp out cookies with your floured cookie cutters. With a metal spatula, transfer whole cookies to the prepared baking trays. Brush off excess flour with a small brush. the center details of the cutters are weaker, stamp your cookies with gentle but even pressure.

Flouring your cutters and cookie spatula will make working the dough that much easier.

Brush off excess flour with a small artists brush

.

6. Transfer baking tray to the *freezer, and chill until cookie dough is firm, about 15 minutes. Place the baking tray in the oven, and bake cookies for 6 to 10 minutes. 

7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes, and then use a metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

* left your cookie cutouts too long in the freezer and they are frozen? Don't worry, just bake them a few minutes longer. 

*I used honey in these cookies, when you are baking with honey you will  notice your baked goods will brown more quickly... keep an eye on them, particularly if your stamped cookie has small protruding parts like wolves ears. 

Hand wash your cutters in warm soapy water, using a soft toothbrush/small cleaning brush to clean dough still left in details.

Friends and family took the opportunity to partake in a Bee Mead tasting last week. Pure Australian Clover Honey is combined with New Zealand Manuka honey to produce this light and refreshing take on mead. "Refreshing" was the word coined by everyone that tried it. If you are a mead connoisseur Bee Mead probably isn't going to hit the spot with you, but for the rest of us I can't think of a better "Games of Thrones"  season returns beverage. Bee Mead is a clear lightly sparkling, ciderish and meadish (my blog I can make up words!!) with final note of honey tasting drink. My stepson Dan thought it was highly drinkable, with not too much sweetness. My friend Jacinta thought it was surprising (in a good way), light and refreshing.  Bee Mead is available in honey, honey ginger and lime/lemon.... we tried the honey. Serve well chilled or over ice.... in your Game of Thrones goblet of course.   Pop over to the Bee Mead website for more information.  Dan Murphy's is selling it in Australia. 

Happy Baking :) 

In the mood for honey? Honey Joy cupcakes here

Toblerone dessert in 30 minutes!!

                               

                                Toblerone dessert in 30 minutes

A super quick and easy "emergency" dessert today for the holiday season. It's creamy, it's chocolaty, it's yummy and it's ready in only 30 minutes!

Makes 8 small or 6 medium or 4 "husband Mark" sized serves.

Ingredients

200 gram (7oz)  Milk or Dark Toblerone (melted)

500g (17.5 oz) *softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)

1 tsp vanilla 

Optional... 2 tablespoons of chocolate, or honey, or almond liqueur

Decorations

200 gram (7oz) Milk or Dark Toblerone 

thick cream

honey to drizzle

flaked, chopped or silvered toasted almonds

Method

Beat softened cream cheese with caster sugar until smooth. Add melted Toblerone, sour cream, vanilla and liqueur if using and beat until combined.

                          beaten cream cheese

 melt toblerone in a metal or glass bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until just melted.

 beaten Toblerone mixture still contains the pieces of honey nougat from the chocolate bar

Spoon into small serving glasses, bowls or ramekins. 

Top with a spoonful of thick cream, toasted almonds, Toblerone pieces and a drizzle of honey... that's it, ready to serve! 

If you do want to make ahead of time, spoon the Toblerone mixture into glasses, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required. Just before serving add the toppings. 

*to soften your cream cheese roughly chop and place in a microwave safe bowl, zap on low in 30 second increments  until soft. 

Notes: reduce the fat in the dessert by substituting light sour cream and light Philly cheese for the full fat varieties. 

You might also like:

Mini Chocolate Cake Puddings

   Ode to Bounty Bar Cupcakes

Stamped Sugar Cookies

camomile & honey cupcake, honey frosting, fondant flowers & stamped honey cookie winnie the pooh topper.

I'm still playing with my "new toys" from yesterdays post. The first batch of stamped cookies I made last week weren't successful; I "lost" the faces, they slowly faded away on baking. Now I have that problem sorted out by reducing the baking powder and by chilling the stamped cookies in the freezer before baking.

Making stamped cookies; I've adapted my cookies from a Martha Stewart recipe for sugar cookies, but you could use your favourite sugar cookie recipe and reduce or even omit the baking powder. 

Stamped Honey Sugar Cookies

Makes about 40

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted plain flour (all-purpose) flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon of *honey 

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg & honey beat until smooth, 1 minute.

3. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

4. Position two racks in oven; preheat oven to 160 celsius (325 degrees). Line two baking trays with baking paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.

5. On a well-floured work surface, roll out chilled dough to 0.3 cm (1/8 inch) thick. If using a 2 piece cutters like mine, cut out the outline shape. With a metal spatula, transfer whole cookies to the prepared baking trays. Stamp each cookie, with enough pressure to create a fairly deep imprint. If using a one piece stamp/cutter, press and cut your shapes and transfer cookies to prepared baking trays.

6. Transfer baking tray to the freezer, and chill until cookie dough is firm, about 15 minutes. Place the baking tray in the oven, and bake cookies for 6 to 8 minutes. 

7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes, and then use a metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

* If using your cookies as cupcake toppers, frost your cupcakes as per usual and just before serving add your cookie toppers. 

*I used honey in these cookies, when you are baking with honey you will  notice your baked goods will brown more quickly... keep an eye on them, particularly if your stamped cookie has small protruding parts like ears. 

Happy Baking :) 

P.S Thank you Angela!!! I love these cutters!

Liquid Sweeteners & Syrups

                                                          Golden Syrup

Liquid sweeteners and syrups are often used in your baking and candy making, today a quick look at the most popular.

                             a selection of liquid sweeteners

                                      Treacle

Treacle is a twice boiled syrup made from a by-product produced in the process of refining sugar cane.

Treacle is called Molasses in the US. However, black strap molasses (the same syrup boiled a third time during processing) is called Black Strap Molasses in the US, UK & Oz. 

If you love Harry Potter, you will know 'Treacle Tart' is his favourite dessert, but treacle tart is not made from treacle... it's made from Golden Syrup (see below).

Availability in Australia: Common, most supermarkets carry treacle. Black Strap Molasses is available in health food stores. 

                             Golden Syrup

Golden syrup is the syrup produced in the process of refining sugar cane. The first boiling in production produces the light coloured syrup, which is a variety of treacle.

The essential ingredient for Treacle Tart in the UK and in Australia for our national biscuit (cookie) the ANZAC.

Golden Syrup can be replaced by honey in recipes, though this will alter the flavour. Golden Syrup has a distinct "lightly burnt sugar" taste. 

Availability in Australia: Common, all supermarkets carry Golden Syrup

                                Glucose Syrup

Glucose Syrup is a clear thick sugar syrup and a purer form of corn syrup (see below). Glucose syrup is derived from honey, fruits (usually grapes) and some vegetables.

Used in your confectionary work to help prevent crystallisation of sugar.

In most cases you can substitute light corn syrup. 

Availability in Australia: Common, most supermarkets carry glucose syrup.

                            Corn Syrup

Corn syrup is a glucose syrup derived from corn with some additives. Karo Light Corn Syrup is the most popular brand and has according to the manufacturer 'is a mixture of corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup , flavored with salt and vanilla'. Also available as Dark Syrup. 

There has been some bad press coming out of the US about corn syrup, it seems to be focused around obesity and the use of corn syrup in processed food. Any of liquid sweeteners mentioned today will cause obesity if over consumed. For anyone following a healthy diet & limiting processed foods the occasional consumption of corn syrup isn't a problem. 

Corn syrup is used to help prevent the crystallisation of sugar in candy/sugar work, in frostings & some desserts.

Availability in Australia: Difficult, some supermarkets do carry it, otherwise you will have to hunt it out at delicatessens & speciality grocers. Consider substituting for glucose syrup if unobtainable.

                                 Honey

Honey a sweet syrup food produced most commonly by Honey Bees. Most honey in Australia is mixed honey, however do try single varieties of honey in your baking for a flavour treat. Clover leaf honey is the best mild tasting honey for baking.

With the same relative sweetness as sugar, honey adds a distinct flavour to your baking. Cakes containing honey brown more quickly.

Availability in Australia: Common for mixed honey, single variety honeys are available in some supermarkets, speciality food stores & farmers markets will often have varieties such as lavender honey.

                           Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup is a thin sweetener syrup made from the sap of maple trees. Most commonly used on pancakes, waffles & in desserts.

Availability in Australia: Limited to good, pure maple syrup is in some supermarkets... it's usually always CAMP brand. Avoid the less expensive artificial syrups, the flavour is not comparable.