Bailey's and chocolate cheesecake

Rather indulgent Bailey's and Chocolate cheesecake 

This dessert is a big favourite and always impresses, my wife and I liked it so much we had it as our wedding cake! Bailey's and chocolate are perfect together, any type of chocolate will do (white, dark etc.) and as we're using chocolate it will set the cake so no gelatin or baking is needed. It's quite a simple dessert and can be made in under half an hour, so here goes:

Ingredients:

Serves 4

300g soft cheese

3 digestive biscuits

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

75g good quality chocolate

75ml Bailey's 

15g butter

3 tsp icing sugar

Method:

First melt the butter then put it in a food processor with the digestives, vanilla essence and caster sugar. Blitz until it looks like wet sand. Cover the bottom of the cheesecake tin with grease proof paper and put the mixture onto it and press down with the back of a spoon making sure it all sticks down. Pop it in the freezer to set. 

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (in 20 second bursts) or in a glass bowl over simmering water. When it's melted leave it to cool slightly, mix all the other ingredients in a bowl add the chocolate and mix well. Spoon the mixture on to the base and smooth the top of the cheesecake with the back of a large knife. Leave to set overnight in the fridge. Serve with vanilla ice cream or chocolate dipped strawberries. Enjoy!

Amesbury Carnival and the left over onions

My wife and I selling Wiltshire sausages

My wife (who's 6 months pregnant with our 3rd child) and I recently had a stall at the Amesbury Carnival. Last year we went as customers but this year we thought having a stall selling Wiltshire sausages might be a good idea, we didn't realise what a good idea it was going to turn out to be! I arrived early with our eldest boy and started setting up. From the start it looked like we had a good pitch as we weren't tucked away with the druids and their healing stone but more right it the middle of it all. The other bonus was there was only one other hot food outlet, one of those burger vans selling (in my opinion) over cooked over priced burgers and chips. We got the BBQ lit around 11.30 and my parents turned up to give a hand with the baby sitting/onion chopping/serving sausage baps. It must have been the smell of yummy (technical chef term #1) sausages and frying onions wafting through the air because within minutes we were off! The queue grew and grew and for about 2 hours it was 30+ deep.

The people of Amesbury queuing for quality food!

Keeping up with demand on a charcoal fired BBQ was a bit testing at times but 3 hours later the queue had got into single figures and we had sold some where in the region of 350 Wiltshire sausage baps. We packed away and headed to the best place the celebrate, the pub. Pint of larger for me, orange juice and lemonade for my wonderfully pregnant wife who some how managed to stay on her feet all day working her socks off. We both sat there in a bit of a daze not really knowing what had just happened, but one thing was for sure we totally nailed it!

My wife serving with my mum and I cooking in the back ground

Back home unloading the car I realised we had a fair bit (half a sack) of onions left over. I made French onion soup and various chutneys, but the one dish I hadn't made for a while was onion bhajis. Growing up in Hong Kong there was always a large Indian influence and the curries were second to none. I tried out a few recipes adding different ingredients, but the one I was most happiest with is the one I'm going to share with you, so here goes:  

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 large onions (sliced length ways)

3 tbsp plain flour 

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp crushed toasted cumin and mustard seeds

1 tsp chopped coriander (optional)

1 tbsp good quality mango chutney

Seasoning-slightly more pepper than salt to bring alive the spices

Vegetable oil for frying

Chilli sauce or yoghurt and mint dip

Method

Gently fry the onions in some butter and vegetable oil until they become soft and opaque, leave to cool. Mix all the other ingredients (not the oil!) and onions until it forms a paste. Either using a spoon or your fingers drop golf ball sized balls of the mixture into hot oil and fry until they become golden brown. Set aside on some kitchen paper and repeat until all of the mixture is gone. Serve immediatley, at this point the bhajis will be soft and gooey (technical term #2) which is how I like them, if however you prefer them slightly more crunchy then 5 minutes in the oven should do it.

Enjoy!

Fine dining with The Wiltshire Chef in Sandbanks, Poole

As the Wiltshire Chef I get asked to do a lot of fine dining experiences in peoples homes, they range from birthday parties to anniversaries and pre-wedding dinners. My most recent booking was for a 40th birthday party in Sandbanks, Poole. After a consultation (in secret!) with the birthday girl's husband we decided on a menu of: Cornish crab and lobster salad with julienne of vegetables with a coriander lime and chilli dressing topped with caviar (see the picture above); Rack of Welsh lamb with a goat's cheese and rosemary crust on dauphinoise potatoes with a port and redcurrant jus (see below) 

We finished with a Cinnamon and chocolate souffle with chocolate dipped strawberries.

All ingredients were locally sourced as I work very closely with my suppliers, having previously worked in gastro pubs and restaurants I have come across some incredible suppliers of fine ingredients and kept a close relationship with them. Fine food speaks for it's self and I believe in using the best ingredients possible.

I hope to be cooking for you in the near future.