Raspberry Cheesecake

Sunday lunch is now getting popular at Skylark Farm so it is important to produce some delicious homemade sweets for our customers.

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Cheesecake is always a popular dessert in my opinion so once again i took a trip round google to find the best recipe. I finally found this one on the BBC Good Food website by Gordon Ramsay for a chocolate swirl cheesecake and adapted it to include fruit rather than chocolate.

You will need:
For the base
8 digestive biscuits (crushed)
25g butter

For the topping
175g caster sugar
450g soft cream cheese
2tsp vanilla essence
75ml lemon juice
175g crème fraîche
475ml double cream (stiffly whisked)
2 small punnets of raspberries

METHOD

1. Melt the butter and stir into the crushed biscuits. Press into the base of your tin, I use a standard flan dish for mine, and chill.
2. Blend together the sugar,cream cheese,vanilla,lemon and crème fraîche. Mix in the cream. Put half the raspberries in the mixture and give it a whisk. Give it a good stir so the pink colour is even throughout your mix. Using half of the 2nd punnet, cut the raspberries in half and stir into your mix. Spread evenly over your chilled biscuit base and return to the fridge.

Serve chilled with cream or ice cream

Delish!

Perfect Poached Eggs

I have never quite mastered the art of poached eggs and for the past 4 months on the farm have pulled my hair out quite often when an order has come on with the dreaded words "poached egg on toast"

It isnt just me either, both of the chefs that work with me pull their hair out too!

To help out, Sam bought a plastic device from Lakeland to cook the eggs in a microwave but, altho they cooked fine, personally i found it a bit of a pain keep checking the microwave and also that they looked quite "plastic".

So i googled results for perfect poached eggs and hey presto i found the solution!


To a pan of water i add a small amount of vinegar. Not masses else your eggs can have a sour taste.

Bring the water to just before boiling point. I crack each egg into a cup first then slide it into the water. Turn off your heat and add a lid to the saucepan, then set your timer for 4 minutes.

Remove the lid and serve - nothing could be easier!
And there you have it,

Skylark Farm's Perfect Poached Eggs!

Pecan Pie

BRITISH PIE WEEK is March 5th to 11th and at Skylark we are promoting homemade pies this week. Yesterday i gave you a savoury recipe and on todays menu is something a little sweeter!

I have never made PECAN PIE but it is a favourite dessert of mine and when i saw a recipe in "THE ULTIMATE DESSERTS COOKBOOK" i was keen to give it a try.


INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
115g/40z plain flour
50g/2oz butter, cubed
25g/1oz caster sugar
1 egg yolk

For The Filling
175g/6oz golden syrup
50g/20z dark muscovado sugar
50g/2oz butter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2.5ml/1/2tsp vanilla essence
150g/5oz pecan nuts

METHOD
1. Place the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter cubes with your fingertips til it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar,egg yolk and about 30ml/2tbsp cold water. Mix to a dough and knead lightly on a floured surface til smooth.
2. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 20cm/8 ins loose based flan tin. Prick the base , then line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Chill for 30 mins and preheat the oven to 200degs C/ 400degs F /gas 6.
3.Bake the pastry case for 10 mins, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 mins.
Reduce the temperature to 180degC/350degF/gas 4.
4.Heat the syrup,sugar,and butter in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla essence and stir in the pecans.
5. Pour in the pastry case and bake for 35-40 mins until the filling is set.
Serve with cream or ice cream

Not sure the photo does it justice but i can assure you it tastes devine!

ENJOY!

British Pie Week

It's British Pie Week this week.
You can find more info on the JUS-ROL website along with lots of pie ideas.
At Skylark we have "pie of the day" on our menu so this week we are embracing British Pie Week with lots of different flavoured pies.
We began our week with CHICKEN, MUSHROOM, WHITE WINE AND STILTON pie, followed by BEEF IN RED WINE pie.
Today i chose something a little different from "THE HAIRY BIKERS PERFECT PIES book that i got for christmas. This is a brilliant book and i would definately recommend it. HAM AND LEEK POTATO TOPPED PIE.

All you need is shortcrust pastry, potatoes,leeks,ham, double cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg

Roll out your pastry and line your pie tin.

Peel and slice the potatoes then arrange a layer on the base of the pie case.

Top the potatoes with some chopped ham and cooked leeks. Add another layer of sliced potatoes.

Season your cream with salt, pepper and nutmeg and pour into your pie.

Place on a baking tray.
Bake in the oven 180 deg/160 deg fan oven/gas mark 5
for approx 45 mins until golden brown and cooked through.

Leave to stand for 10 mins to allow the cream to set more.

ENJOY!!