SUPER-SIMPLE SUPPER: PORK ESCALOPES WITH PINEAPPLE: quick & easy

Delicious, quick supper after work or school... 

This savoury-sweet substantial dinner will warm heart & soul
as we struggle toward Spring.  

Pork is becoming a more popular meat not just because it's increasingly well-priced.  It is also - when properly cooked - almost as healthy as chicken, and beautifully tender. 

And, being a 'light/pink' meat, it's a good compromise between poultry (which can get boring) and more expensive, less easily digested beef.   

Pork is also one of the few foods that boost Vitamin D. 

67's recipe teams pork shoulder steaks* with fresh pineapple, and serves it with easy-cook rice & vegetables. 

With a little prep the night before, the meal can be done and dusted in 20 minutes.

Cost: per person, £1.50

Feeds: 1-2, recipe multiplies easily

Equipment: air fryer, med pot; small frying pan

Ingreds:

1 pork shoulder steak, bashed with a rolling pin to half its width 

Marinade: 2 tbsp dry sherry or wine or white grape juice; 1 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce, 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder 

scant tablespoon light veg oil: peanut or sunflower

1/4 tsp grated peeled garlic plus

1/4 tsp grated peeled ginger (fresh is great but jars are popular)

drop of sesame oil

thinly sliced whites of 1-2 green onions (sorry, not in photo!) (opt)

1 slice fresh pineapple, hard core removed, fresh or defrosted frozen (or 1 slice tinned)

juice from pineapple

water or stock

1/4 tsp white wine vinegar, Shaoxing Rice vinegar or plain white vinegar

 Pork shoulder steaks & pineapple from the 67 freezer

1/2 cup quick-cook white rice (or 1 generous cup defrosted previously cooked rice, white or brown)

generous handful of two quick-cook veg like mange tout, green beans, frozen peas OR cauliflower, tenderstem broccoli

Garnish: finely sliced green onion (opt)

Method:

BANANA SOOTHIE: healthy, calming

If ever a drink reflected its qualities, Banana Soothie is it...

Banana Soothie - white, creamy and ever so calming 

                             photo 22/7/20

There hasn't been a typographical error -- this truly is a Banana Soothie (even though it might also be considered a smoothie).

A day on this delicious drink (as part of a diet, maybe? Or to soothe a dicky tummy?) will leave you thrilled with how relaxed and happy you feel.  You'll be reminded how delicious bananas whizzed up with milk/yoghurt are.

Bananas are full of tryptophan, which converts to the feel-good hormone serotonin.  With high levels of B vitamins, they also relax and soothe minds, and help unclench muscles.

They are high in fibre and can benefit heart health, diabetes and digestion.  And they're frugal!  

As lockdown eases, it's a perfect drink for keeping a positive attitude.  Simple and easy to make, it will soothe any fractious/gloomy/anxious 

family member, whatever their age. 

Ripe bananas are best for this drink.  

Cost: pennies

Makes: 1 portion

Ingredients:

   1 ripe banana

   1-2 tbsp o-fat yoghurt + 1/2 cup water OR

   generous half cup nut milk (67 used almond) or whole diary milk

    1/3 tsp vanilla essence

   a few ice cubes

   nutmeg, a few grates of fresh or 1/8 tsp dried

Method:

1. Peel banana; remove strips of fibre; cut out any black bits; chop coarsely
2. Add to yoghurt & water or milk, vanilla & ice cubes; process until smooth and frothy
3. Pour into glass; sprinkle with nutmeg

 

Tips:

• for a 1-day fast, have 4 of these smoothies
• for a treat instead of a remedy, replace yoghurt/milk with ice cream.
• too many bananas can be fattening

Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

FABULOUS FRUIT STUFFED HAND-HELD PASTRIES low-sugar Indulgence, Vegetarian

Wallet-friendly ripen-at-home nectarines and a few handfuls of berries make an easy, winning dessert/packed lunch...

Hand pastries with nectarines, blueberries & ginger
(plus cinnamon sticks from leftover pastry)

'The combo of generous fruit, icing & melt-in-the-mouth pastry is wonderful!'  

Hand-held pockets of flaky pastry with a juicy fruit filling -- triangular or in  rectangles -- are a popular kidult lunch-box pleasure.  They also make a great tea-time sweet and, with colourful juices oozing out of shards of pastry, an indulgent  dessert with cream or yoghurt.

Generous fruity filling
in Michel Roux's pastry

The filling has to be generous for these; cut the top layer of pastry dough longer than the bottom and there'll be enough room for a mound of fruit.  And many satisfied, smiling faces.

In early trials, 67 teamed nectarines with blackberries and cinnamon; the finished product was dusted with icing sugar.  In another version, the blackberries were replaced with blueberries, ginger in syrup was added, and the finished product was dribbled with an icing sugar glaze scattered with flaked almonds.  That version got rave reviews.  

Conscious of busy households at this time of year, 67 made a batch using ready-made all-butter puff pastry*.  They were fine and popular with the tasters. 

But the home-made rough-puff pastry (Michel Roux's recipe) -- cheaper and lower in preservatives --  was amazing.  

Cost: min £3, more for ready-made pastry
Feeds: min 4, with a few cinnamon pastry twists as well

Ingred:
   1 pkt all-butter ready-rolled puff pastry OR 1/2 recipe Michel Roux's rough-puff pastry
   3 fat ripe nectarines, peeled, cut into 16 segments then halved horizontally
   1-2 handfuls blackberries or blueberries
   2-3 globules drained ginger in syrup, finely diced
   1 generous tsp juice from ginger in syrup

   a few teaspoons ground almonds

   1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water

   icing sugar OR icing sugar glaze (3 tbsp icing sugar & 1 generous teaspoon milk) OR melted white chocolate (opt)
   toasted flaked almonds (opt)

Method:

DIETERS' DELIGHT CHICKEN, HAM & HARVEST FRUIT SALAD;

An dish to celebrate summer's end, with the help of supermarket friends...

from the Archive

Crisp juicy harvest fruit teams with succulent meats in a magnificent low-carb salad  'Bliss.  Has everything one could want in a salad.' 
                                                                                                                                                updated aug/19

This salad was first served at a pretty hotel overlooking a ferry terminal in Mallaig, Inverneshire; the guests loved it.  It's adapted from Robert Carrier, one of the first modern tv chefs and a master at translating classic French cuisine into home cooking.  

Rotisserie chicken, a bit of ham, good English harvest fruit & veg creates an  unforgettable main course salad.  The flavours and textures are delightful together, especially the hum of heat in the background.  

There is a bit of chopping but much of the salad can be prepared the night before.  Consider it an opportunity to form bonds over lunch prep.   

The salad isn't frugal but none of the ingredients are expensive and it feeds a lot of people. Make it go further with baked sweet potatoes, bread rolls or Flaky Savoury Biscuits and gorgeously scented vine tomatoes. 

Dessert is an I'm on Holiday Too! Easy-Peasy Chocolate Cake.

Cost: £7'ish
Feeds: 8 with sides

Ingred:
  450g/1 lb cooked chicken, skin removed (supermarket rotisserie is fine) 
  175g/6 oz cooked ham or salt beef
  2 large or 4 small oranges
  1 c/240 ml yoghurt-mayo & zest & juice of a lemon

  4 stalks celery, peeled & thinly sliced
  1 lge green pepper, seeded, cored and finely diced
  4 radishes, in matchsticks 
  2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  4 tsp finely chopped fresh chives or spring onion tops
  2 eating apples 
  8 drops tabasco or 1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes
  generous pinch cinnamon (opt)
  s & p
  soft lettuce leaves, and extra chopped chives & parsley to garnish.

Method:

CHILLED SUMMER FRUITS WITH BLACK SUGAR GLAZE: healthy, frugal opt

Delightful jewel-like dessert crowned with a flowing black-glaze on cool yoghurt...

                                                                                                                                                           first posted 6/8/16  

Black (Molasses) Sugar Fruit Cup, a layered healthful dessert
'This cool dessert is the best treat on a balmy evening' 

Chunks of chilled soft fruit make fabulous, utterly welcome summer desserts.  This one is served in squat drinking glasses* to display their fine contents, topped off with a pillow of yoghurt and sprinkled with molasses sugar. 

It's dessert that is so good for you.  Berries and stoned fruit are the least sweet of fruits and the most nutritionally valuable. 

Black Molasses sugar is the closest of sugars to the natural state of sugar beets and is full of valuable vitamins and minerals.  Left on yoghurt overnight, it melts, leaving a deeply sweet glaze that's ever-so-slightly bitter - but in a good way.  (If black sugar isn't available, use the darkest brown sugar you have. 

For the photo, 67 used a variety of soft fruits: nectarines, cherries, kiwi fruit, strawberries and blueberries 'cause that's what was in the fridge after a fruit binge.  But a single berry or soft fruit, or even a single or variety of less pricy fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, pears will be perfectly fine.  (If using the less pricy fruits, stir in a generous pinch of cinnamon or ginger before topping with yoghurt.)

This is best made on the night before needed.  

Cost: as little or as much as you like
Feeds: 1 or more  

Ingred:

   whole berries OR
   peeled, cut up fruit OR
   both
   
   2-3 generous tbsp strained 0%-fat plain dairy or plant yoghurt 
   a drop or two of vanilla extract (opt)
   1-1.5 generous teaspoons molasses sugar per serving

Method:

ICED LEMON & BLUEBERRY CAKE, Indulgence

Despite every effort, this sensational cake is almost wholly indulgent...

Classic 'Pound' Cake with a 67 twist or two, slightly healthier than normal
'Really excellent.''Nice & spongy; delicious' ' Light even with wholemeal flour'

This blog is a firm believer in regular indulgences.  Once a week at least; at a minimum, once a month.

But the indulgence has to be worth it -- every mouthful must be so delicious, so delightful, so memorable that it is taken without regret.  Every single calorie ingested, every single pound spent should be cancelled out by the sheer deliriousness of desires gratified.(Which is not to say that portion control goes out the window!) 

This cake fits the bill.

It's based on the classic 'Pound' cake, which originated in England, and contained a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour.  The high ratio of butter and sugar makes it dangerous.

That's it's so easy to put together -- a responsible child could make it -- is a terrific bonus.  It's adapted from Tana Ramsay. 

A few concessions were made for good health: fresh blueberries and fresh lemon juice were added to the batter.  A fifth of the flour was replaced with self-raising whole meal flour* for added fibre.  

But essentially it's one of those mouthwatering cakes that make you stop in your tracks.  

Cost: £4
Makes: about 24 pieces

Ingreds:
   225gm/8oz unsalted butter, very soft
   225gm/8oz caster sugar
   4 eggs
   finely grated zest 1 lemon
   225gm/8oz self-raising flour
       OR 185gm/6.5oz self raising flour + 40gm/1.5oz wholemeal s. raising flour
   1 tsp vanilla

   generous handfuls fresh blueberries
   
Icing
   juice 1.5 lemons
   85 gm/3oz  sugar

Method:

1. Line a 9inchx11inch/23cmx28cm rectangular tin with greaseproof paper
2. Preheat oven to 180c/350f
3. Beat butter and sugar until pale & creamy; it will take a few mins
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one
5. Add lemon zest and vanilla; beat
6. Sift in flour, beat until just mixed
7. Mix in lemon juice
8. Scrape 2/3 of mixture into the tin, scatter blueberries evenly over the top; add the rest of the batter and level top with spatula
9. Bake 45-50mins until a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean
10. Allow to cool, in tin, on a cooling rack
11. As soon as you can, stir together lemon juice and sugar
12. Pour over the warm cake, spreading it out evenly
13. Leave in tin until completely cold
14. Cut into bars for portion control; the cake is very rich 

*Duchy Organic

Comments:

'Really excellent; the sweet blueberry perfectly offsets the lemon.  Very moist, good body, not too sweet.' Campaign Manager
'Nice and spongy, very delicious.' Political intern from Boston University
'Utterly gorgeous with tender crumb; very light even with wholemeal flour.'  Retired writer

Tips:

• it's a good idea to pick over the blueberries from the packet; one or two of them may be 'on the turn'

 More easy baking on NavBar: Recipes 1

Please leave a Comment in the box  below

This recipe has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

STRAWBERRY ALMOND BREAKFAST MUFFINS

Trying to find ways to use all those lovely Strawberries in the shops?  Try these ultra-healthy prepare-ahead breakfast muffins...

Healthy Lower-guilt Strawberry Almond Breakfast Muffins, Prepare Ahead
'Liked the bursts of different fruits' 'expected cake-like texture; liked mix of   favours but maybe too many?' Tasters

photo 4/9/16

Chilly mornings require a warm breakfast and 67's prepare-ahead scrumptious Strawberry Muffins* are just the thing.  Walk out the door -- adult or child -- with these warm health giving beauties and the morning will be off to a great low-guilt start.     

Unlike high-sugar shop muffins 67 Strawberry Muffins are truly health conscious.  Sugar and butter levels are low; heart-friendly fibre is high.  At least two types of fresh fruit plus gut-friendly dairy help strengthen the immune system.  

Almost all the prep can be done the night before; just turn on the oven on as soon as you get up and start the butter melting gently. 

The muffins are not like cupcakes; they have the texture of something healthier but are very tasty.   

If there are any leftovers,  they remain moist and flavourful next day.  They freeze beautifully but should - would be - eaten in a month.  

With nights drawing in, Strawberry Muffins will be a welcome addition to a  cuppa, whatever the time of day. 

Cost: £2.50
Makes: 12 good sized muffins

Ingred:

   75gm/2.5oz plain white flour
   75gm/2.5oz wholemeal flour
   10gm/1/3oz oat or wheat bran or ground almonds 
     1 tsp baking powder
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1/8 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp cinnamon
     75 gm/2.5oz soft brown sugar

     1 large egg
     187ml/6oz buttermilk OR 125 gm yoghurt plus 60 ml milk 
     30gm/1oz unsalted, melted butter
     1/2 tsp orange or vanilla extract

     75gm/2.5oz grated peeled pear, drained 
     90gm/generous 3oz grated carrot
     90gm/generous 3oz strawberries, cut into 8
     zest of an orange

     30gm/1oz  flaked almonds (opt)    

Method:

FRUIT CUP WITH DARK SUGAR GLAZE, vegan opt

Taking advantage of soft fruits at their British best...

Molasses Sugar Fruit Cup, a layered healthful beauty

Layers of soft fruit - now in abundance, at their best and lower in price - topped with yoghurt and sprinkled with dark sugar are gorgeously displayed in drinking glasses*. 

Berries are not only beautiful, they are also tasty and good for you. They are the least sweet of fruits and the most nutritionally valuable.  Black Molasses sugar is the closest of sugars to the natural state of sugar beets and full of vitamins and minerals.  (Billingtons available at most supermarkets, produce unrefined sugars including molasses sugar that is non-gmo, gluten-free and vegan.) 

67 used a variety of soft fruits in the photo: nectarines, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi fruit,  'cause that's what was in the fridge.  But a single berry or soft fruit, or even a single or variety of less pricy fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, pears will be perfectly fine.  (If using the less pricy fruits, best stir in a generous pinch of cinnamon or ginger to the fruit before topping with yoghurt.)

The fruit cups make a simple thrown-together dessert with a dark, smoky layer of sweetness.  For breakfast, top each fruit layer with uber-granola.  

This is best made on the night before or refrigerated at least a couple of hours. 

1st posted 6/8/16 

Cost: as little or as much as you like
Feeds: 1 or more  

Ingred:

   whole berries OR
   peeled, cut up fruit OR
   both
   
   2-3 generous tbsp strained 0%-fat plain yoghurt per serving 
   a drop or two of vanilla extract (opt)
   1 1/2-2 generous teaspoons molasses sugar per serving

Method:

1. In a separate container, mix yoghurt & vanilla
2. Place fruit, layered or in a heap, in see-though glasses or small bowls  
3. Cover with yoghurt
4. Sprinkle with molasses sugar or other brown sugar
5. Refrigerate overnight 

Tips:

• defrosted frozen fruit was also used and worked well; the juices added to the layers of flavour
• if the budget doesn't run to Molasses Sugar (which appears in other 67 recipes) use the darkest brown sugar you have

*Balloon glasses: 4 for £4, Morrisons 

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.  

EASY MAIN: ORANGE GLAZED SALMON.

Flavourful gently exotic dish just sweet enough for the entire family; ever-so-quick & won't break the bank (unless you want it to)

first posted March 2018

Salmon Fillets with a Hoisin Orange Glaze: 'supremely simple yet sensational' 

This is a glorious recipe for salmon fillets, even frozen ones: an unusual (in a good way) smoky, fruity glaze keeps the flesh succulent and tender.  It can be surprisingly wallet-friendly.  

Salmon from big health food stores* and upmarket supermarkets are eye-wateringly expensive but the taste and texture are superb.  As they should be.  If you've deep pockets, these are the ones to go for.

For everyone else, frozen wild salmon is by no means an inferior alternative.  Two small fillets and two good-sized sized tail portions come in at £4.60 at UK's favourite frozen food shop**.  They can be cooked from frozen but 67 finds defrosting, rinsing and drying the fillets gives a better result.

The glaze is simple but appealing: fresh orange & hoisin sauce. The sweet oranges appeal particularly to kids' palates.  If the cupboard doesn't run to Hoisin - an excellent sauce which has appeared in several 67 recipes this year - replace it with easy-peasy home-made sweet chilli sauce.  

Never overcook fish; these fillets will be ready in 10-12 minutes.  Check by inserting the point of a knife into the thickest part of the fish; the fish should flake nicely.  A bit of pink is fine; the fish will carry on cooking out of the oven.  Cover with foil and rest 10 mins before serving; 

 

Cost: min £5
Feeds: 4

Ingred:
   4 salmon fillets, defrosted or fresh
   2 tbsp Hoisin sauce (Chinatowns and some supermarkets***)
   1 large orange: zested coarsely then peeled and sliced thickly
   pepper & salt

Method:

1. If using frozen fish, defrost fillets overnight; rinse, blot with a paper towel
2. Preheat oven to 180c/350f; place a deep tray or ovenproof glass container filled with 2in/4cm water in the bottom of the oven (to stop the fish from drying out)
3. Season fish lightly with pepper & salt
4. Mix Hoisin & orange zest; brush fillets with hoisin mix; place orange slice on each one 
5. Lay fillets in in a low sided glass dish (or a metal baking tray lined with greaseproof paper)
6. Bake 10-12 mins; brushing once with hoisin and orange after 5 mins
7. Remove from oven; cover with foil, rest 10 mins
8. Serve with extra sauce on the side, unfried rice, steamed rice or boiled baby potatoes plus a salad or quick cooking green veg like tenderstem broccoli, green beans, shredded sprouts cooked in boiling water 3 mins or until done to your liking

Comments:

'So easy to put together and absolutely sensational to eat.  Didn't mind at all that the fish was frozen.'  Retired writer

Tips:

• use easy-cook white supermarket rice for unfried rice, following the packet instructions

*Whole Foods

**Iceland

***Chinese supermarkets: brand Lee Kum Lee

Please make a comment in the box below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission

THE ART OF FREEZING BERRIES

 Stock up on berries now for a taste of summer in winter...

updated 7/23; first posted 2015

Strawberries Prepped for freezing using pizza tray ridges to keep separate 

There's a glut of wonderful soft fruit in the shops, a riot of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and plums -- all marvellously perfumed and vividly coloured.  Fresh and by the handful, baked or poached, buried in puddings, turned into instant jam/fruit compote -- there are as many ways of eating them as there are ways of combining them. 

(See:  Skinny Cherry Pie, Orange & Berry Plate,  Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake, Reducing Food Bills: Fruit, )

When prices drop in times of glut, it will  be time to stock up, freeze and store berries.  When  fresh fruit and the wonderful weather are just a memory - a few short months -  you'll have the means to add a jewelled sparkle to autumn fruit crumbles and stewed fruits.  

Freezing berries is the easiest thing in the world.  Place them on a flat surface, with a bit of distance between them so they don't freeze in clumps.  A ridged pizza pan keeps the berries separated in rows; a griddle pan or a plastic microwave bacon tray will do a similar job. Otherwise, a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper is fine, so long as the berries aren't squashed together.   

Blueberries on a cheap 'n cheerful microwave bacon tray 

Most of the fruit can be frozen whole but strawberries planned for smoothies are better frozen halved or quartered.  The fruit will take a couple of hours to freeze solid.  Then bag them up and label the berries but don't fasten the bags tightly. That way, you can reach in at any time and grab a handful for smoothies or to sprinkle over muffins or hot porridge.  They'll keep up to six months.

It's best to freeze unblemished fruit.  If the fruit is soft or going bad in places, cut them out and use them for instant low-no sugar compote/jam.  The resulting compotes/jam can be frozen in individual jars or air tight freezer bags. 

Some other ideas for frozen berries.  

• Sugar-free Apple and Blackberry pie 
• Pear and Blueberry Crumble
• Strawberry Crumble
• Fruit Compote and Pancakes 

Please leave a comment in the box below

DISCLAIMER: The author accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  Any information not sourced to a second party is the copyright of the blogger.

SUNSHINE SALAD, LOW-CAL, low-fat, budget-conscious

Juicy fruits accompany succulent & salty meats for a magnificent carb-free salad

from the Archive

This salad was first served by the blogger at a pretty hotel overlooking a ferry terminal in Mallaig, Inverneshire; the guests loved it.  It's adapted from Robert Carrier, one of the first modern tv chefs, who was a master at translating classic French cuisine for the home cook.

The Salad's a carb-free mix of chicken, ham or salt beef, apples & oranges, and it's one of those easy-peasy holiday dishes.  Get yourself a rotisserie chicken; visit a deli and greengrocer; use up a few salad ingredients and herbs.  In minutes, you'll have an unforgettable main course.

The way the flavours and textures combine makes this a delight; in the background there's a hum of heat. 

Much of the salad can be prepared the night before.  

It's not frugal but none of the ingredients are particularly expensive and it feeds a lot of people. Make it go further with baked sweet potatoes (skins scrubbed, sprayed with olive oil and seasoned), fresh bread/rolls or soft store-bought buns, and beautifully scented baby vine tomatoes.  The perfect dessert is the I'm on Holiday Too! Easy-Peasy Chocolate Cake.

Cost: £10'ish (July 24)
Feeds: a crowd, with sides

Ingred:
  450g/1 lb cooked chicken, skin removed (a supermarket rotisserie bird is fine) 
  175g/ 6 oz cooked ham or salt beef
  2 large or 4 small oranges
  1 c/240 ml yoghurt-mayo & zest & juice of a lemon

  4 stalks celery, peeled & thinly sliced
  1 lge green pepper, seeded, cored and finely diced
  3-4 radishes, in matchsticks 
  2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  4 tsp finely chopped fresh chives or spring onion tops
  2 eating apples 
  8 drops tabasco or 1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes
  generous pinch cinnamon (opt)
  s & p
  soft lettuce leaves, and extra chopped chives & parsley to garnish.

Method:

1. Cut chicken and ham in 1in/2 cm cubes.
2. Remove segments from oranges (see below); halve
3. Mix yoghurt-mayo with lemon zest & juice, Tabasco or chilli flakes, cinnamon, if using, and s&p.
4. 1-3 can be made the night before, covered and refrigerated
5. When ready to serve, combine meat & oranges in large bowl with celery, pepper, radish and herbs
6. Cut apples in 1/2 inch/1 cm dice and add to yog-mayo mix, coating apples so they do not brown.
7. Remove apples from yog-mayo; add to rest of salad; gradually add more dressing until the mix is moist but not wet.  Mix well.  Refrigerate a couple of hours.
8. Serve on bed of lettuce, garnished with chives and parsley.

3. Carefully push down, up & out

Segmenting an Orange:

1. Slice off top, bottom & sides.

2. Slide knife between segments

See NavBar:RecipesII/Salads

Please leave a comment in the box below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.   

BLACKBERRY, WHISKEY & GINGER NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE,

Seriously creamy with a delicate layer of alcohol, this indulgent cheesecake looks good and tastes lovely...

Light quick simple dishes below...

Blackberry, Whiskey & Candied Ginger Cheesecake
'Lovely & summery & creamy'  'Tastes delicious but is a bit floppy' Tasters

This cheesecake is a delightfully complex flavour bomb - loose rather than firm - but simple to make, no-bake and can be made ahead. 

The basic cheesecake filling is a favourite 67 recipe which never fails when a  special dessert is needed.  Dress it up or make it plain and simple -- it won't let you down.

In this version, blackberries are the main focus.  High in vitamin C and fibre, they are also a good source of Vitamin K (for healthy blood).  Go frugal and pick your own, free, from blackberry bushes which grow abundantly along UK railway lines.  They make great jams and compotes.
  

For 67's cheesecake,  blackberries are teamed with whiskey & candied ginger; the kids get a 'cleaner' version (below) layered in jars.   

For the health conscious, there are lower-fat options.

The cheesecake is an indulgence but serves 12 easily.  The layers are deliberately thin for portion control but if you prefer more height, make 1 1/2 times the filling recipe.  

Cost: £6'ish, depending on where you get your berries
Serves: 12

Ingred: 

13-15 digestive biscuits, bashed with a rolling pin in a heavy plastic bag, or whizzed coarsely in a food processor until crumbly -- don't process too finely

90 g unsalted butter, melted

Half recipe makes 7in/19cm cheesecake

300g full-fat cream cheese at room temperature (80% fat reduced will also work; as will supermarket own brand so long as it is not watery*)

1 pint/500ml double cream 

100g/3.5 oz white baking chocolate 

225gm/8oz blackberries 
2-3 tbsp whiskey
2 tbsp juice from jar of bulb ginger in syrup 
2 large bulbs candied ginger, finely chopped

Topping: 
approx 150 gms whipping cream (lower fat) or double cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (opt)

garnish: 1 bulb ginger, in finely shreds            

Method: