Baked Cheesecake

If there is one thing the Americans know how to do, it’s how to make great cheesecakes. The mixture here is like a sweetened quiche filling, which is slightly denser and less fluffy than the classic British cheesecake. But because it has no biscuit base, the result is less sweet and heavy.

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing

550g cream cheese, at room temperature

160g caster sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp plain flour

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

200g raspberries

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Butter a 23cm springform cake pan.

2. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the beaten eggs bit by bit until combined. Add the flour and lemon zest, then fold through the raspberries.

3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan, tapping it against the work surface to remove any bubbles and help the raspberries rise up from the bottom. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until set on the edges but wobbling slightly in the middle.

4. Once cooled, remove from the tin, running a kitchen knife around the edges to loosen if necessary, and serve.

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Coconut Pancakes With Mango Slices And Lime Syrup

This makes the most brilliant breakfast or brunch, and rings the changes if you are in a rut of making the same old plain crêpes with lemon or maple syrup. It’s important to leave the batter to relax for 15 minutes as it will thicken slightly, making for fuller, fluffier pancakes.

Ingredients:

100g unsweetened desiccated coconut

100g plain flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 egg, beaten

250ml coconut milk (shake the tin before measuring to distribute the solids evenly)

1 tbsp runny honey

Oil, for frying

1 ripe mango

For The Lime Syrup:

150g caster sugar

Juice of 4 limes, finely grated zest of 1

Procedure:

1. To make the pancake batter, put the coconut into a blender and blitz for 1 minute or until it becomes finely chopped. Add the flour and baking powder and pulse for a couple of seconds to combine. Pour into a mixing bowl.

2. Make a well in the flour and add the egg. Stir into the flour, then add the coconut milk and honey, mixing until a smooth batter forms. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the lime syrup. Put the sugar, 150ml water, the lime juice and zest into a small saucepan or frying pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly and developed a syrupy consistency. Taste and add a little more lime zest if necessary. Leave to cool until just warm.

4. To cook the pancakes, heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan, swirling it around to cover the bottom. Place heaped tablespoons of batter in the pan (you will probably have to do this in batches) and cook over a medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes until golden. Turn over with a palette knife and repeat on the other side until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside in a warm place while you cook the remaining batter.

5. Peel the mango and cut the flesh into thin slices. Serve the pancakes with slices of mango and a drizzle of lime syrup on top.

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Apple Crumble

Who does not love crumble? By combining both fruit purée and chunks, and sweet, chewy dried cranberries, I’m creating layers of texture and interest beneath a beautiful crunchy granola topping. Don’t worry about peeling the fruit. Whether it’s apples, pears or peaches, the flavour is all in the skin.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp caster sugar

Pinch of ground cinnamon

1 vanilla pod, seeds only

6 apples, cored but not peeled, 3 of them grated, 3 cut into chunks

3 tbsp dried cranberries

Zest of 1 lemon, juice of ½

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING

100g plain flour

2 tbsp demerara sugar

50g butter, chilled and cubed

Pinch of ground cinnamon

4 tbsp nutty granola or muesli

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

2. Heat a small hob-proof baking dish, add the caster sugar and heat for about 5 minutes until it caramelises. Add the cinnamon, vanilla seeds and grated apples and cook for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the apple chunks, then mix in the cranberries, lemon zest and juice. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. To make the topping, place the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the granola and mix until fully incorporated.

4. Scatter the crumble topping over the fruit and heat the dish again on the hob. Once the apple mixture is bubbling, transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 12–14 minutes until the topping is a deep golden colour. Remove and serve warm.

Note:

To make a crunchy crumble, demerara sugar works best in a crumble mixture because it stops the butter melting into the flour, and adding one-third muesli or granola to two-thirds crumble opens out the texture to give a crunchier result. Finally, only ever sprinkle your topping over the fruit. Don’t push it down or it will go soggy.

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Chicken and Autumn Vegetables Pie

I’ve always loved serving individual pies. It instantly elevates a casual family dish into something a bit smarter, but without really increasing the work. The twist here is that the lids are cooked separately from the pie filling. If serving more than two or three people, simply double the quantities for the filling, but the amount of pastry required depends on the size of your dish(es). Use the meat from the chicken thigh and leg as it is less likely to dry out than the breast.

Ingredients:

50g pancetta, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 leek, trimmed and sliced

200g celeriac, peeled and cut into small cubes

200g butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes

Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves only

50ml dry sherry

200ml chicken stock

100ml crème fraîche

200g puff pastry

Plain flour, for rolling

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water

250g cooked chicken, cut into chunks

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Fry the pancetta in a hot, dry pan for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden. Tip onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Wipe out the pan.

2. Heat the oil in the pan and sauté the vegetables with the thyme and some seasoning for about 7 minutes until softened. Pour in the sherry and bubble for 5 minutes until well reduced. Return the pancetta to the pan and pour in the stock.

3. Return the liquid to the boil and cook for 10–15 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in the crème fraîche and cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about a third. Check for seasoning, then remove from the heat and set aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a quarter coin. Cut out 2 or 3 rounds, using a small saucer as a template. Carefully place the pastry rounds on a large, non-stick baking sheet and score the surface in a diamond pattern, using the tip of a small sharp knife.

5. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk glaze and bake for about 10 minutes until risen and golden. Bake for a further 2 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar, to help crisp the pastry. Remove from the oven and slide onto a wire rack.

6. Meanwhile, add the chicken to the sauce and reheat until the meat is warmed through. Check the seasoning and divide the chicken mixture between your warmed serving plates. Top each pile with a pastry round and serve.

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Slow Cooked Spicy Lamb

I love cooking with lamb shanks because the longer you leave them, the better they taste. Three hours may seem a long time, but trust me, once you see the way the meat falls off the bone, you’ll understand. Marinate the lamb in the spice mix overnight if you can as it will really improve the flavour. Serve with couscous or mashed potato.

Ingredients:

4 lamb shanks

Olive oil, for frying

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced

2 bay leaves

1 × 750ml bottle red wine

500ml chicken stock

Small handful of mint leaves, to garnish

For The Marinade:

1–2 green chillies, deseeded and sliced, to taste

1–2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced, to taste

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cinnamon sticks, snapped in half

3 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped and crushed

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. First prepare the marinade. Mix the chillies (use only one of each if you don’t like hot dishes), smoked paprika, oregano, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and seasoning together. Rub the mixture into the lamb so that it is well flavoured. You can cook the lamb straight away, but if you have time, cover and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, or even overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas 3.

3. Heat a large casserole dish on the hob and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the lamb in it for about 6 minutes until coloured on all sides, then add the chillies and cinnamon from the marinade.

4. Add the carrots, onion and bay leaves to the casserole and brown for a minute or two. Lift the lamb so that it is resting on top of the onions and carrots. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom, then bring to the boil and cook for 7–8 minutes to reduce the liquid by half. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then transfer, uncovered, to the preheated oven. Cook for 3 hours until the meat is really tender and the sauce reduced. (If the tops of the shanks look like they might be drying out, just baste and occasionally turn them.)

5. Remove the cooked meat from the oven and serve garnished with torn mint leaves and the cooking juices spooned on top.

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