Desserts - Retro Food For Modern Times

Category: Desserts

18
Jul
2020

Ye Olde Crusty Cellar Cheesecake

categories: 1970's recipes, Australasia, Cheesecake, Desserts

At the best of times, a cheesecake (or really any item of food) hailing from “Ye Olde Crusty cellar” would not sound tempting. However, these are not the best of times, (these may well be the worse of times) and desperate times call for cheesecake! Have I ever mentioned how much I love cheesecake? Next to ice cream, it is probably my favourite dessert. Also, Fridge, Freezer, Pantry week has come around again and I had half a tub of cream cheese icing I wanted to use up. I did not want to make another cake with cream cheese icing so I thought I could hide it in plain sight as it were by mixing it with more cream cheese, sugar and lemon.

(Don’t ask me what look I was going for with the fruit decoration!)

The recipe for Ye Old Crusty Cellar’s Cheesecake came from the book 100 Fabulous Cheesecakes by Ellen Sinclair of The Australian Woman’s Weekly (1971). It is a real shame about the name because the Ye Olde Crusty Cellar cheesecake itself is delicious!!!

Ye Olde Crusty Cheesecake – The Recipe

I did not copy the recipe for Ye Olde Crusty Cellar Cheesecake exactly though. I changed a few things to suit my personal taste. You can decide if you make this whether to follow the OG version or mine. Here is the original with my notes on the crumb crust.

Here are the instructions on what to do with those ingredients to turn them into a crumb crust:

The two changes I made to this were:

I did not add any additional sugar as I thought an entire can of condensed milk would be sweet enough
I did not add the egg yolks. Largely because I could not understand what they were doing there. I totally understand eggs in a baked cheesecake but not in an unbaked. The only thing I could think that they provided was maybe an additional richness to the mix. Again, for my taste, cream cheese and sour cream are rich enough.

I was a bit worried that leaving them out would somehow mean that the cheesecake would not set. But the mixture firmed up beautifully in the fridge overnight to cream a filling that was both light, luscious and not too sweet!

Ye Olde Crusty Cellar – History

The Ye Olde Crusty Cellar was a wine bar opened at 255 George Street brSydney in 1931 by winemaker Leo Buring.

It was described as having:

“the head of Bacchus…to guide guests in and out’ with ‘shaded lights’ and a feeling of ‘cloistered gloom’.

Hmm, not sure cloistered gloom would be the ambiance I would be seeking were I to open a wine bar. But it worked for Leo! The “Crusty” was a destination venue, attracting crowds of visitors, many of whom would have sampled the cheesecake!

Sadly the “Crusty” closed in 1974 but luckily the recipe for us, it’s signature cheesecake lives on!

Have a great week everyone!

11
May
2020

Quince Blancmange

categories: Desserts, Fruit

I’m fairly sure that Quince Blancmange was invented when someone put the names of the most old fashioned fruit and the most vintage of desserts through a random generator to see what came up. It could have been worse. We could have been eating Medlar Junkets. or Whortleberry Possets. BTW…just in case you are writing an academic history of quince blancmange don’t quote me on that origin story! For everyone else? That’s how it happened. Other people will tell you that blancmange originated in the Middle Ages and used to contain chicken and other meaty treats. That it moved from savoury to sweet in around 1600 and that the name is a portmanteau of the French words for white (blanc) and to eat (manger). And I’m not saying that they are wrong. “Quince” blancmange however? Random name generator. For sure. 100%.

Quince are one of the weirdest fruit around! If you are not familiar with them, they are those bright yellow fruit that look like large misshapen pears that you might see in your greengrocer in autumn. When you cut them open the flesh is white and so, so sour and a little bit bitter. But when you cook them that flesh becomes a glorious deep pink to dark red and sweet.

And blancmange? Is pretty much jelly / jello with cream or milk mixed through it. Who knew!

So, I bought a quince because I didn’t really read the recipe first and made the assumption that quince blancmange would contain quince. I mean stands to reason right?

Hmmm….wrong. The quince blancmange recipe uses the quince jelly you buy to eat with cheese. Now, for some reason we had a shit ton of this in our fridge. Well, one of them was Fig paste but for the purpose of the blancmange, it was all the same. I have no idea why we had so much of this. I suspect they came in hampers or were freebies with something because the only other time I have ever cooked quince was to make my own membrillo which is the proper name of Spanish Quince paste and we have been eating that. Delicious too I might add! If you do make it, a little splash of vanilla essence in the quince mix does not go astray. Trust me on that one.

Quince blancmange is so easy to make.

First, tip your paste into a sauce pan, add water and melt that jelly down. Taste. Add sugar if needed, or if already very sweet a dash of lemon juice. Add a splash of vanilla too. Then, turn off the heat, allow to cool slightly and stir through the cream. This looked so pretty as it made a beautiful marbled pattern. It was very soothing moving the spoon through the swirls of colour…

Then add some gelatine pour into the mould and you are done!

Quince Blancmange

Print Recipe

A fruity dessert that tastes better than it looks!

Yield: 6 1x
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale

200 grams Quince Jelly
100 grams water (Plus moe for gelatime)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
4 Gelatine leaves
Sugar, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
250 ml Cream
Berries to serve (Optionaal)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Add the quince jelly to the water in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the jelly melts.
Add the vanilla.
Taste and add sugar and / or lemon juice to taste.
Remove from heat. Stir through the cream.
Soften the gelatine leaves in a little cool water, then removeand squeeze out the excess water. Stir the gelatine into the warm cream andquince mixture.
Pour into a mould and chill until set.
To serve, invert the mould and garnish with the berries.

If I did not now know this was quince flavoured I would not have guessed that was it was. And I don’t think that was because of the figs because it did not taste overly figgy either. It tasted generically fruity sweet. The Quince Blancmange was much nicer to eat than it was to look at. Because it looked revolting. Really bad. It reminded me of being back in school and seeing a picture of some lungs with all the arteries and veins running through it.

Spot the Difference

So, not fail but not a total win. I probably will not make this exact recipe again but I am definitely going to experiment with blancmange a bit more to try to bring out the actual flavour of the fruit. I wonder if it would have been different if I had used fresh quince instead of the jelly?

Have a great week friends and stay safe!

21
Apr
2020

Peach Melba – Dining with The Dame 2

categories: Desserts, Dining With The Dame, Peaches

Welcome to the second chapter of Dining with the Dame which is all about cooking the food found in the novels of Agatha Christie. Today we are delving into Agatha’s second novel The Secret Adversary which features the classic Peach Melba. I was planning to make Peach Melba for a “Name Plates” post down the track but The Secret Adversary pipped it at the post!

The Secret Adversary

The Secret Adversary is Dame Christie’s second published novel (1922). It introduces “The Young Adventurers” Tommy and Tuppence to the reading world. I have a real soft spot for Tommy and Tuppence. They are both a little displaced, not to mention broke after the WW1 where they worked as soldier and nurse respectively. Seeking excitement and cold hard cash they place an advertisement in the paper offering their services “No unreasonable offer refused”.

This leads to a tale of hijinks involving fake names, American millionaires, missing cousins and state secrets, and of course a criminal mastermind evil genius! It all ends happily and with the sound of wedding bells in the distance for Tommy and Tuppence!

If you do not fancy reading the book there is a made for tv adaptation from 1983 which, at the time of writing is available on Daily Motion.

There is also a more modern version set in the 1950’s starring David Walliams as Tommy and Jessica Raine as Tuppence. I have only been able to see the trailers for this on You Tube as I could not find it to buy / rent anywhere. It looks good but I think moving it to the 1950’s will change some of the dynamic of the book. One of the most moving images in the book was that returned soldiers unable to find work after the war would go from door to door selling poems!

The Covers

I find it odd that not many of the old style covers feature Tommy and Tuppence. My favourite here is the pulp fictionesque cover on the top right. I also like the red, black and white one bottom left and the middle bottom one that references the sinking of the Lusitania.

My least favourites are middle left where the secret adversary seems to be an overgrown fly. Who let Jeff Goldblum in? I also think that the mask in the bottom right one looks a little bit like Vincent Price.

The Recipe

“On second thoughts I prefer The Picadilly. It’s nearer”

…

“Is this a new brand of humour? Or is your brain really unhinged?” inquired Tommy.

“Your last supposition is the correct one. I have come into money and the shock has been too much for me. For that particular form of mental trouble an eminent physician recommends unlimited hors-d’œuvre, Lobster a l’américane, Chicken Newberg, and Pêche Melba”

Peach Melba combines peaches, fresh raspberries and raspberry coulis with vanilla icecream. So simple! So delicious!

Peach season was pretty much over when I made this so I used tinned peaches. Fresh poached peaches would be amazing!!!! I also added in some almonds for a bit of crunch but essentially I used Nigella Lawson’s Peach Melba recipe.

Other Food Mentioned in The Secret Adversary

Have you read The Secret Adversary? What did you think of it? Which is your favourite cover? I am really enjoying these old style mystery stories whilst in iso. Book 3 is back to Poirot for a murder mystery set in France. Ooh la la!

Have a great week. Stay home, stay safe!

11
Apr
2020

Sighs of a Nun

categories: Desserts, Pastry Desserts, Spain

Hello, people of the internet! I hope you are all keeping safe and staying indoors! And whilst you’re indoors, why not make these little Spanish treats called Suspiros de Monja aka Sighs of a Nun.

I love food with kooky names so as soon as I saw these I knew they would someday make their way to here. I know they are not chocolate but consider them my Easter treat to you!

When I heard the name, Sighs of a Nun, I assumed it would refer to sighs of ecstasy over how delicious these are. Not so. They are delicious but the sighs are definitely not what I thought they would be!

The literal translation is Nun’s Farts as the sound of a dollop of uncooked pastry hitting the hot oil makes a sound identical to a nun letting off!!!!

I have noticed that my Sighs of a Nun are flatter than the ones I can see on the internet. I think that is because I pan-fried mine instead of deep-frying them. Either way, they were delicious! I was dubious about how much use the lemon would be in this but there was a distinct lemon flavour which I liked against the creamy interior and the crispy outside.

One of the best things about them, in these COVID times, is that you only pantry staples to make them. And, eaten while still warm? They are comfort food on crack!!! Like warm, creamy, lemony doughnuts! Albeit slightly flattened doughnuts in my case!

There is a recipe for Sighs of a Nun in the Goodhousekeeping World Cookery book which is where I first found out about them. They say Sighs of a Nun originate in Portugal and I have also seen recipes that say they came from France. I ended up using this recipe from The Spruce Eats so we are going with Spain!

Sighs of a Nun are fairly rich so just one or two will be enough…okay maybe three. Four will be fine. Hey, we’re at home. Who cares how many you eat?

Signs Of a Nun?

BTW, if you ever try to Google this recipe, Google has a bad habit (😃) of thinking you want to know about the signs of a nun…

If you were inadvertently directed here because you are trying to decide if you want to be a Bride of Christ…I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep the blasphemy and general debauchery down to a minimum. Sorry about the fart talk above. Given we are living in plague times, now more than ever I do not need the wrath of anyone’s God smiting me down.

Having said that, potential novitiates block your ears.

I can’t remember if I told this story at the time (it seems so long ago, for being less than a month!!!!), But when we were in the Uber on the way home from seeing New Order my friend Claire and I got an absolute earful from the driver who was a total God botherer. He kept saying to us “You people put your faith in science. What is science doing to stop this disease?”

Ummm….well…I don’t know EXACTLY. But I’ll put my money on science coming through with a cure before any type of divine intervention! And whilst we’re on that subject? When that cure comes, I certainly hope all those anti-vaxxers are going to politely wait at the back of a social isolation distance correct line while the rest of us get the jab and can give each other a big old hug!!!!

Happy Easter everyone!!!

27
Jan
2020

Millionaire’s Ice Cream

categories: Cornwall, Icecream, Original Recipes, Travel

Hello, people of the internet, welcome and hear me out. Because today I am making a bold statement. If you ever have to make the choice of cooking just one recipe from this blog, then, this Millionaire’s Ice Cream is the one! It’s seriously THAT good!!!! And so easy to make as well!

I first tasted Millionaire’s Ice Cream in Cornwall on holiday last year. At the time, I commented on Instagram that I had just eaten the best ice cream I had ever tasted. Of course, the setting helped. It was the gorgeous coastal town of Port Isaac.

If you are a fan of British TV shows about irascible doctors, Port Isaac may look familiar to you. The TV series Doc Martin is filmed here. The town is renamed Port Wenn in the series.

I have circled the Doc’s house in the above photo. And right down the road from the Doc’s house is Mrs Titchell’s pharmacy, which, in real life is the local sweet shop, Harbor Treats. I first tasted the delight that is Millionaire’s Ice Cream At Harbor Treats. Right away, I knew I wanted to make my own version of Millionaire’s ice cream when I got home! And here’s the thing, for something that tastes so luscious and decadent, Millonaire’s Ice Cream is one of the easiest things you can ever make.

That’s Bert Large, one of the locals of Port Wenn. But, back to the ice cream. Sure, you can make it more difficult by making all the components from scratch and I have added in links to each component to allow you to do just that if you so desire. The only thing I made from scratch was the chocolate ganache. And, to my mind, mine was as delicious as the one from Port Isaac.

So let’s get started.

Start with a layer of crumbled shortbread biscuits. Keep these a little bit chunky, you don’t want them to be as fine as if you were making a crumb crust.

Then a layer of vanilla ice cream.

Then a layer of salted caramel sauce. I used Bonne Maman but you can find a recipe here. Just splodge it on, it does not have to be perfect.

Then, repeat each of these layers. At any time during this process, if the icecream starts getting too runny, you can pop it into the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow it to firm up.

Finally, a layer of chocolate ganache over the top. This is the ganache recipe I followed. Then back into the freezer to allow everything to set. A little smattering of sea salt flakes over that ganache will not go astray either!

Get ready for YUM!!!!

This ice cream will make you feel like a million dollars!

And don’t worry, in case you get too excited by the ice cream, the good Doc is on hand to keep things in check

Have a great week!