Cheesecake Cups with Raspberry Sauce

I love cheesecake, and I guess who doesn’t? And when it comes in this size, it’s so lovely (oh, I mean who can resist it, and small size is welcomed every where). I got the cheesecake recipe from............................but I can’t find the sour cherry, so I turn to one of my favorite berry “Raspberry”, I love the tangy flavor of this berry and the color of it is great. The combination turns out well, the sauce thicken a little bit from cornstarch but still running when you take the paper out. So, imagine the lightly sweet taste from the cheese with the crunchy bit from the cracker crumb and yes, the tangy taste from the sauce, I think you may fall in love with this cheesecake like me.

Cheesecake Cups with Raspberry Sauce

Makes12 standard muffin size cups

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUSTS
1 cup (120g)	Digestive cracker crumbs
1 tbsp (12g)	Granulated sugar
4 tbsp (57g)	salted butter, melted
CHEESECAKE FILLING
12 oz (340g)	cream cheese, softened
¾ cup (150g)	Granulated sugar
1 tsp	vanilla extract
½ tsp	finely grated lemon zest
⅛ tsp	salt
2	large eggs
1	large egg yolk
½ cup (121g)	sour cream
RASPBERRY SAUCE
300 g	Frozen raspberry
60-70 g	Granulated sugar
¾ tsp	cornstarch
1 tsp	Cold water

MAKE THE CRUSTS

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar until blended. Stir in the melted butter.

Divide the mixture among the muffin cups and, using your fingers, pat it into an even layer in the bottom of each cup.

3. Bake the crusts for 5 to 7 minutes, until very lightly browned and fragrant. Cool the crusts on a wire rack while you make the filling.

MAKE THE FILLING

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment (I use hand mixer), beat the cream cheese at low speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt.

Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary and mixing until well blended. Add the sour cream and mix until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir the filling a few times by hand to make sure it is smooth and well blended.

5. Ladle the filling into the muffin cups, filling them to the top. Bake the cheesecake cups for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops begin to crack and the centers are set. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool completely (the cheesecake cups will sink slightly in the center as they are cool).

MAKE THE TOPPING

1. Thaw frozen raspberry in a bowl. Do not strain the juice.

2. Put the raspberry in the blender and blend until smooth and strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl (you will get about 200g of the puree).

3. Place the raspberry puree in a small saucepan, add the sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (add more or less sugar according to your taste but stay on a tangy side).

4. In a small cup, stir together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the raspberry mixture and return it to medium-high heat. Heat, whisking constantly, until it comes to a boil. Boil, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the topping cool for about 20 minutes

5. Remove the cheesecake cup from the muffin pan, and spoon the topping over each cheese cake cup. Refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least 1 hour before serving

Soft Raisin Bread: My Childhood Favorite

I ate a lot of raisin bread when I was a child; my aunt always bought a loaf for us (me, my sisters and brother), a snack that we won’t say no. The texture of the bread is so soft or I think it a bit collapsed (but for a children it’s so good, maybe I start love soft food from that time ^ ^). But this time it’s not my call, my friend want to make raisin bread and ask me about it. I made this recipe many time before, sometimes with rum sometimes not, I love them both ways. The bread is a basic and easy to make recipe but because the raisin had been soaked so the moisture from it make the bread moist and soft. If you like you can put a few drop of vanilla extract with water to pump up the raisin; the bread will smell great too.

Raisin Bread

Makes 8 x 20 cm loaf

200 g	Bread Flour
1 tsp	Instant dried yeast
2 tbsp	Sugar
½ tsp	Salt
25 g	Unsalted butter (soft)
140 ml	whole milk
100 g	Raisin
2 tbsp	Dark rum (if you don’t like the smell or taste of the rum, use 2 tbsp of water instead)
	Egg wash
	1 egg + 1tbsp water

Soak the raisin in rum (or water) for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Butter the loaf pan or place the baking paper inside.

Put the flour and yeast in a bowl, whisk to combine, add the sugar and salt whisk again. Pour the milk into the bowl, use large spoon to mix everything together into a soft mess.

Take the dough out of the bowl rub in the butter; knead until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic about 10 minutes

Roll the dough into square and sprinkle the raisin (drained) on the dough. Knead lightly to incorporate the raisin into the dough.

Put the dough into a light buttered bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Take the dough out of the bowl. Gently press down the dough and a rolling pin to roll the dough to press the dough into a circle, about 18 cm. Roll into a cylinder and cut the dough in half. Roll both half into a ball and place in the loaf pan.

Cover the dough; let rise until almost doubled in volume, to 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash before baking.

Bake for 15-18 minutes (or until golden brown).

Bread recipe from: みかさんの手づくりパンのある楽しい食卓

Fusilli with tuna, capers and parsley

Ok, I’m a bit tried lately, maybe I had too much of dessert, haha. So, I really long for the real meal, real dish that will brighten me up and doesn’t weight me down. In fact my family likes to eat pasta but the hearty dish is too much for me, I want a light and low fat version of my pasta. This dish is like the answer, with a bit spicy and tangy taste. The best point is the ingredients are simple; you don’t have to travel far away than your cupboard and a refrigerator to get them. After that all you have the ingredients next thing you do is mixing them, what a good dish to make when you don’t want to do anything.

Fusilli with tuna, capers and parsley

Sevres 4

425 g (15 oz)	tinned tuna in springwater, drained
2 tablespoons	olive oil
2	garlic cloves, finely chopped
2	small red chillies, finely chopped
3 tablespoons	capers, rinsed and squeezed dry
15 g (3/4 oz)	chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
3 tablespoons	lemon juice
375 g (13 oz)	fusilli
125 ml (4 fl/½ oz cup)	chicken stock

Put the tuna in a bowl and flake lightly with a fork. Combine the oil, garlic, chilli, capers, parsley and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the tuna and mix. Season.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well and return to the pan to keep warm.

Toss the tuna mixture through the pasta, adding enough of the hot chicken stock to make it moist.

Serves warm.