Someone was looking for a "soft aubergine/eggplant spread with tomatoes" and I knew exactly what they were talking about. There's a dish in Russia, our Eastern neighbour, which is called IKRA or fake caviar. I got this recipe from Russian friend Galina back in Edinburgh sometimes around 2000. Still makes a regular appearance in our kitchen. It's lovely on a slice of toast, or as a condiment or spread on a mezze-table. Russian aubergine spread IKRA 1 large aubergine/eggplant 1 large onion 2 garlic cloves 2 tomatoes 1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper fresh parsley or dill Prick the aubergine with a fork here and there, then place into a preheated 200C/400F oven and bake for about 60 minutes, until fully cooked and slightly charred on the outside. Flip over once or twice during baking. Remove from the oven, let it cool. Then cul half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Place into a cutting b...
Manhattan cheesecake with strawberry, mint and balsamic vinegar salsa
I just realised that I haven't shared my favourite cheesecake recipe with you. This needs to be corrected a.s.a.p., as I've told some of my Edinburgh friends that they'll find the recipe on the blog. The recipe is originally from a decade-old issue of BBC Good Food, but I've tweaked and changed both the ingredients and timings over the years. Lovers of oh-so-sweet cheesecakes out there - beware - this is a rather unsweet cheesecake. Just how I like it. It's also not as high/tall as some of the cheesecakes I saw in the US last summer - but again, I've never been a huge fan of tower-high cakes myself.
What's your favourite cheesecake? Feel free to leave a link to the blog post/recipe in the comments.
Manhattan Cheesecake
(Manhattani toorjuustukook)
Serves 8
Base:
8 Digestive biscuits, crushed (I use LU brand, each cookie weighs ca 14 g)
2 Tbsp sugar
50 g unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
400 g full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
75 g sugar caster
2 large eggs
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
Top layer:
250 g sour cream
2 Tbsp caster sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
Line the base of a 20-23 cm springform tin with a baking paper.
Crush the Digestive biscuits finely, mix with sugar and melted butter. Press the biscuit mixture onto the base of the cake tin. Place into the fridge for 10 minutes.
To make the filling, soften the cream cheese in a bowl, add other ingredients. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon, or blend for a few minutes, using an electric mixer (I like to do the latter, as it results in a lighter and creamier cheesecake filling).
Pour over the biscuit base and bake in the middle of a preheated 350F/180C oven for 25-30 minutes, until the filling is more or less set (it shouldn't wobble too much, when you lightly shake the cake tin).
Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.
Turn the heat up to 230C/450F.
Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract, then gently spoon onto the cooled cake. Return to the oven for 5-7 minutes, to 'dry out' the sour cream layer a little.
Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.
* The cheesecake on the photo is baked in a 20 cm cake tin, and is 3,5 cm high.
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