New York Cheesecake recipe

This is one of my favorite recipes ever. This cheesecake is quite easy to make and it's super delicious. I've made it about 3 times now, using different measurements each time. This time, I feel I've gotten it down to pretty much perfection, so I wanted to share the recipe with you guys.

First of all I need to mention that I bought a new springform pan especially for this cake. I have a regular sized one at home (⌀ 24 cm) and I knew that if I made the cheesecake in that, I would just eat the entire cake myself. I used a smaller one (⌀ 20 cm), which will cut you about 8 normal sized slices instead of 10-12 slices.

First we're going to make the crust of the cheesecake. Melt your butter in the microwave and get your cookies ready. Make sure you blend this all together. Then preheat your oven at 160 degrees Celsius. Cover the bottom of your springform pan and then put it in the oven for about 10 minutes.

This gives us some time to get the filling ready. I have to say that I have tried several combinations and measurements of ingredients and it does not come down to a couple of grams more or less. Start off with throwing all the creamy ingredients into a bowl and mix it all up a little for about 30 seconds. Then add all the other ingredients: sugar, flour, vanilla essence, cinnamon, lemon juice and the egg(s).

This is what it should kind of look like... although this is not a very exciting picture. Moving on!

The crust and the filling are ready now. Just pour it all in... and voilà!

Pop this in the oven for about 50 minutes and it should look something like this:

Mine is slightly on the darker side so I would definitely suggest you check up on your cake after 30 minutes have passed. My cheesecake was still very delicious so it's not a major disaster if it's a bit dark. When it gets out of the oven make sure it cools down inside the oven for a while and then pop it out and leave it to cool down for about an hour and then put it in the fridge for about 4 hours. Then it should be done! Trust me though, it's very difficult to wait.

I topped my cheesecake with some raspberries. Yum, delicious!

Ingredient list

For a springform pan of ⌀ 18-20 cm (relatively small, which is what I used):

- 8 digestive cookies (use 6 for a thin crust, 8-10 for a thicker crust)
- 60 grams of butter
- 2 tubs of cream cheese, 185 grams each (I used philadelphia)
- 1 tub of ricotta (250 grams)
- 1 tub of crème fraîche (125 grams)
- 30 grams of flour
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 large egg

For a springform pan of ⌀ 22-24 cm (regular size):

- 12 digestive cookies
- 100 grams of butter
- 3 tubs of cream cheese, 185 grams each (I used philadelphia)
- 2 tubs of ricotta (250 grams each)
- 1 tub of crème fraîche (125 grams)
- 50 grams of flour
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 large eggs

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Goat's cheese portobello with creamy pasta

I assure you, this might look difficult to make but it's absolutely not. It's not very low-fat but oh so delicious. It's also a dish you can really adjust to your own tastes. Leave some ingredients out if you want, or add some! This dish combines all of my fasvourite ingredients together: tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and goat's cheese. It's easy to make but looks fancy enough to serve to guests as well.

I made this recipe for four people, and they all seemed to really enjoy it. The key ingredient here is the portobello mushroom. Most supermarkets in my country did not seem to sell these. When I finally stumbled upon them after searching for them for months I was in mushroom heaven. They're very delicious and nice to fill up and throw in the oven.

That is also what you need to start with here. Grab your portobello mushroom(s) and make sure all dirt is removed. Do not and I repeat DO NOT rinse these mushrooms with water. They will soak up the water and that's not what we want. Put the mushrooms on a tray. Make sure you boil some water for your pasta and preheat the oven (about 200 C/400 F).

Now we're going to make the mushroom filling. Grab whatever goat's cheese you prefer, I added goat's cheese with honey. Mash it in the bowl a little bit. This could also go well with other soft cheeses such as roquefort or some other nice blue cheese. Then, chop up a small onion (I used a Spanish onion) and throw it into the mix as well. Add a diced tomato and dice up some sundried tomatoes. Add some pine nuts and a chopped up garlic clove. Next, add some olive oil and some parsley. Many people dislike parsley and I'm sure basil could have worked too. Remember to just adjust the recipe to your preferences. Finally, you should add some peper and a few tablespoons of cream to make the mixture a bit more moist and to bind the ingredients together. Not to mention, cream is simply delicious.

Back to the mushrooms. Brush a little bit of olive oil on them and then put the mixture in them with a spoon. Then grill the mushrooms in a preheated oven. They should be ready in about 10-15 minutes depending on the oven. Make sure to check up on them often.

Now it's time to boil some of your favourite pasta. I chose seashells here because I think they look a little bit more exciting than just penne of spaghetti. Make sure to add some salt to the water too.

Now, in a different pan cook up some cream and add a little bit of the leftover goat's cheese. I also added some extra diced tomatoes and some salt and pepper. This mixture should be ready within 4 minutes. When the pasta is ready, stir it through the sauce. You don't need much sauce as the mushrooms have a lot of flavour already.

When your mushrooms are ready, take them out of the oven. Now grab your plates and serve the pasta on each plate with a mushroom on top. I added some extra chives, but that is completely optional. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did!


Ingredient list (serves 4):

- 4 portobello mushrooms
- 200 gram goat's cheese for mushroom filling + 100 gram for the sauce
- about 250 ml of cream (about 70 for the mushroom filling, the rest for the sauce)
- 2 handuls of pine nuts
- 2 large tomatoes
- about 4 sundried tomatoes
- small onion
- 1 garlic clove
- some parsley
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- seashell pasta

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Banana pancakes with fruit

My ideal start of the day goes with a good and not so quick breakfast. On days when I have time to relax, I love taking the time to cook three really good meals. This is one of my favourite breakfasts and it's quite healthy too. The only ingredients you need are some bananas, eggs and olive oil. The rest is completely optional!

Now I can't take complete credit of this recipe since it's been a huge hit on health food blogs. Most recipes say to use about 2 eggs and one banana. I like to switch it up a little since I wanted my pancakes to taste more like banana and less like egg. You can play around with that ratio of course. There is no wrong way of making this, I guarantee this recipe is completely foolproof!

First, grab a small bowl and put your diced banana in it. Grab a fork and turn the bananas into a mash. Then crack one egg into the bowl and stir it through your banana mixture. Now I like the pancakes just as they are but you can also add a bit of sugar, sweetener and cinnamon.

Heat some olive oil in a pan for about a minute. Then cook the pancakes for about 3 minutes on each side or until they look golden. While the pancakes are cooking you have time to dice up some extra fruit to serve with the pancakes. I guarantee that these make a perfect summer breakfast!

Ingredient list (serves 1):

For the pancakes:

- 2 bananas

- 1 egg

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

(makes about three pancakes)

To serve with the pancakes:

- 1 passionfruit

- handful of strawberries

- half a mango

- half a banana

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