Urmasice

Super sweet - crumbles away with a walnut crunch in the middle..

Ingredients:

500g plain flour

250g melted butter

2 eggs (whisked)

60g sugar

1/2 sachet baking powder

For the filling:

50g blended walnuts

50g finely chopped walnuts

1 1/2 spoons of sugar

3 drops of vanilla essence

1 vanilla sugar

50ml milk

For the Syrup:

500g sugar

700ml water

Lemon rounds

Method:

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, eggs and baking powder. Add melter butter and mix well until you get a smooth and soft texture. Leave to cool in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, place sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan, add lemon rounds and bring to boil. Leave to simmer for about 15 minutes and then cool.

For the filling, combine walnuts with sugar, vanilla sugar, add vanilla essence to milk in a separate small saucepan and bring to boil. Pour hot milk over walnut mixture and combine. Leave to cool.

Take the dough and divide into small circles, flatten into an oval shape. Spread a small amount of the walnut mixture down the centre with a spoon and then fold one side and then the other and shape. Place in a big baking tray and bake for 30-40 minute on 200C.

Pour the lemon syrup over, they should be floating in the syrup and place in fridge over night. To serve drizzle some extra syrup.

Happy Baking.

Lime Cheesecake topped with Lychee

Beautifully light and zesty - melts in your mouth..

Visit www.tothirtyandbeyond.blogspot.com for an entertaining review on the lime cheesecake and other great blogs!

Ingredients:

3 x 250 g packets cream cheese, softened ( I used two Philadelphia's and one Mascrapone cheese)

220g caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest and juice of 2 limes

3 eggs

125 ml thickened cream

fresh lime and compote lychees (you can find canned compote lychees in Asian groceries)

Cheesecake base

1 x 250g packet Pettit beurre buscuits

2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed

125g unsalted butter, melted

Method:

1. To prepare the cheesecake base, process biscuits and sugar in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add butter and process until combined. Press mixture into a round tin. Smooth the base with a spoon. Cool for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 220°C.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lime zest and juice in a bowl until just smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined. Add egg yolk and beat until just combined. Stir in cream. Pour mixture into tin over crumb base.

4. Bake on lowest shelf for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 150°C and bake a further 25-30 minutes or until mixture is almost set.

5. Cool cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate overnight.


6. Cut into generous slices and serve with lime and lychee.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers/Punjene Paprike

This is a Serbian dish with a punch of flavour. Absolutely love this, one of my all time favourites..

Ingredients:



8 light yellow peppers (medium size)

1kg minced meat (600g beef mince and 400g pork mince)

2 red onions

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon paprika

Pinch of salt and pepper

9 tablespoons of Jasmine rice

1 table spoon freshly chopped parsley

1 tablespoon Vegeta

2 tablespoons flour

100-150ml vegetable oil

1 celery stem and leaves

2-3 table spoons concentrated paprika

2-3 Roma tomatoes

Dollop of sour cream or Greek style yogurt

Method:

In a large bowl place mince meat and combine the two sorts. Add rice, salt and pepper, vegeta, parsley, chopped onion and garlic. Wash the peppers and take out the stem and seeds. Mix all ingredients well.

Fill the peppers with the meat mixture to the top, cut the tomatoes into slices and close off each pepper with the tomato round, so that the meat does not fall out while cooking.

In a large saucepan, add the oil. Mix in the flour until you get a thickened texture. Add the dry paprika and concentrated paprika and mix well. Add water until you get a desired texture of the broth - I usually like the sauce to be soupy. Add the celery stick. Add the stuffed peppers they should be covered in the broth. Add some more salt and Pepper to taste and leave to simmer on high for about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for another 45 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

Enjoy!