Sunday 2 November 2014

Birthday Celebrations

Today is Brian's birthday so we had our usual birthday tea with all the family with the obligatory birthday cakes.


We had also celebrated with friends yesterday evening. Amongst other puddings I made an Elderflower  Cheesecake. This is a family favourite and very simple to make.


This recipe comes from a small cookbook that I see from inside the cover I have had for 24 years!  It is called "More Recipes from the Moon". The Moon was a bistro type restaurant in Kendal, Cumbria which I regularly visited when I was in Kendal. I believe that it is now called The New Moon. Elderflower Cordial has become a lot more popular since that time. I see that they suggest that it can be obtained from whole food shops whereas now it is available in most super markets. I frequently make my own with elderflower heads from around the hedgerows.
This is the recipe with the adaptations I usually make.

Ingredients
Biscuit Base
4oz butter
8oz crushed digestive biscuits 
(The book has 2oz/4oz but I use more in a larger dish)
Cheesecake
1/3 pint double cream
10oz low fat soft cheese
2oz caster sugar
4 fl oz elderflower cordial
1 desert spoon lemon juice

The book suggests an 8in loose bottom shallow cake tin. I use a 10 - 12 in lighlty greased flan dish which creates a thinner slice.

1. Melt the butter and stir in the biscuit crumbs.
2. Press the mixture evenly into the base of the dish and leave to cool.
3. Using a hand mixer beat together all the ingredients until smooth and thick.
4. Spread over the biscuit base.
5. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

I then decorate with fresh fruit although the original recipe has a tinned raspberry and arrowroot topping added to each slice.

1 comment:

  1. Hope Brian had a lovely birthday - cakes and cheesecake look good so he should have been happy! X

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