Citrus cheesecakes
Juicy oranges complement this creamy
cheesecake, and supply vitamin C too.
Citrus
cheesecakes
Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus chilling
Serves 6
Easy/Prepare ahead
50g (2oz) butter
200g (7oz) lighter dark chocolate
Digestive biscuits, crushed
350g (12oz) low-fat cream cheese
100g (4oz) ricotta
50g (2oz) caster sugar
Zest 1 Orange, and 50ml (2fl oz) Orange
juice
4 sheets leaf gelatine
For the topping
2tbsp caster sugar
Juice 1 Orange
2tbsp Cointreau or other Orange Liqueur
2 Oranges, Peeled and Segmented
You will need
6 metal rings, placed on a silicon-lined
Baking sheet, or 18cm (7in) springform tin
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the biscuits and stir well. Spoon
into the rings or the base of the tin, press down well and chill while you make
the cheesecake.
2. Place the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar and zest in a bowl and mix
well. Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water until soft. Heat the orange
Juice in a saucepan and, when hot, remove from the heat. Squeeze the excess
water from the gelatine and add to the pan. Swirl around until the gelatin
dissolves. Slowly pour on to the cream cheese mixture, stirring. When combined,
spoon on top of the chilled base, smooth the top and place in the fridge to
chili for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
3. For the topping, place the caster sugar in a small saucepan and
dissolve over a medium heat. Do not stir, just swirl the pan. Increase the heat
and, when the sugar has caramelized, carefully pour in the juice. It is wise to
cover your arm with a tea towel when doing this. Pour in the Cointreau, add the
orange segments and chill.
4. To serve, rub a hot cloth around the outside of each ring or tin to
loosen. Serve with the orange segments.
Per serving: 377 calories, 19g fat (11g saturated), 38g carbohydrate
Rhubarb with orange mascarpone
Research has shown that rhubarb has
anti-carcinogenic properties.
Rhubarb
with orange mascarpone
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
Easy/prepare ahead
500g (1lb 2oz) rhubarb, trimmed and cut
into 5cm (2in) pieces
75g (3oz) golden caster sugar
Finely grated zest and juice 2 large Oranges
2tbsp Grand Marnier (optional)
For the mascarpone
Finely grated zest 1 orange
125g (41/2oz) mascarpone
1. Heat the oven to 170 C, 150 C fan, 325 F, gas 3. Place the rhubarb
in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a large enamel dish. Mix the sugar
with the orange zest, mix well and scatter evenly over the rhubarb. Pour over
the orange juice and 4tbsp water. Cover with foil and bake for 12 to 20
minutes, depending on the thickiness of the rhubarb. To test if the rhubarb is
cooked. Insert a sharp knife - it should give no resistance, but the rhubarb
will still have retained its shape. Remove from the oven, allow to cool. When
the rhubarb is cold, pour over the Grand Marnier, if using.
2. For the mascarpone topping, simply stir in the orange zest. Spoon
the rhubarb into glasses with plenty of the juices and place a spoonful of
mascarpone on top.
Per serving:
228 calories, 13g fat (9g saturated), 22g carbohydrate
Baking
Know-how & suppliers
Even beginners can bake the perfect
cake! The trick is to follow the recipe to the letter, and not be tempted to
improvise; it's also handy to have a few bits and bobs in the kitchen that will
make life a lot easier...
A good electric whisk Cakes rise better the more air they have in them, and a heavy-duty
whisk will make this much easier. We love the Dualit hand mixers, which whisk
meringues in the blink of an eye. Widely available.
Measuring spoons You should use these to ensure accuracy - don't guess!
Non-stick cake tins You should always use the right cake tin for the recipe, and having
a selection of non-stick tins will make your life so much easier.
Disposable piping bags Don't waste time washing messy piping bags out - Lakeland sells
disposable ones that are perfect for piping everything from icing to macaroons.
Available from lakeland.co.uk.
Rubber spatula We can't get by without these in the woman & home kitchen -
there's something so satisfying about scraping every last bit of cake mix from
the bowl!
Oven thermometer Most ovens are slightly inaccurate and it's useful to know what
temperature yours has actually reached. Leave it in your oven so you're
always confident it's at the right level.
