Savoury Baked Cheesecake

I’m sure you have all guessed the blog’s theme by now. If you are not that clever it is sweet food, reimagined (and bettered) as savoury. YUM.

This dish is a bridge between the sweet vanilla New York cheesecake, ladened with more than your recommended daily allowance of sugar, and a perfect-meal-finishing cheese board. We know that you’ll love this!

The proof is in the savoury pudding…

 

Ingredients

175g oatcakes

40g butter, melted

40ml extra virgin olive oil

300g soft goats cheese

200g cream cheese

250g ricotta

3 eggs

Salt and pepper

Figs, to serve

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C fan).

Place the oatcakes in a blender and whizz to fine crumbs.

Add in the butter and olive oil and mix well.

Grease a cake tin – we used a springform one!

Put in the oatcake and butter mixture and press down hard. You want this to be the same level all the way across.

Place this in the freezer whilst you make the topping.

Place the goats cheese, cream cheese and ricotta in a bowl and whisk together until well incorporated.

Now add in the eggs and whisk again. Season to taste.

Take the base our of the freezer and pour over the mixture.

Bake this in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. The cheesecake should have a slight wobble in the middle.

Chill the cheesecake completely before taking it out of the cake tin.

Add on deliciously ripe fresh figs.

Perfect for fig season.

Serve cut into wedges.

The cheesecake has a creamy texture that tastes sharp with goats cheese.

And a lovely artistic photo.

Savoury Summer Upside Down Cake

Hello all! It has been a while since the last delectable delight was brought to your screens.

AND NOW introducing the savoury summer upside down cake. Yes, it is a bit seventies. Yes it looks similar to previous recipes, but we think it is one of our greatest yet.

We had difficulty naming this dish. People had differing opinions on what it was. Was it a quiche? Was it a pizza? Was it a FLAN? Was it a cake?

We believed it was a mix of these fabulous things. This ‘cake’ is a celebration of summer. Beautiful ripe home grown red and yellow tomatoes and sweet peppers sitting on top of a savoury cake that is sharp with cheddar and moist from grated courgette.

YUM.

 

Ingredients

For the topping 

Tomatoes, 4 medium and 10 cherry

2 peppers

Handful of olives

Red onion

Herbs – any, fresh or dried

 

For the cake

75g polenta

160g plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 courgette, grated

130g mature cheddar, grated

20g parmesan, grated

3 eggs

130 ml milk

150 ml plain yoghurt

90ml extra virgin olive oil

Herbs – any, fresh or dried

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 C.

First, prepare the vegetables.

Chop the tomatoes in half and the peppers into strips. Arrange these on baking trays and drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cook in the oven for around 15 minutes until soft and slightly charred around the edges.

Chop the red onion into rings and set aside.

Put the polenta, plain four, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and seasoning in a large mixing bowl.

Add the grated courgette, cheeses and some herbs.

Now mix the wet ingredients: oil, eggs, milk and yoghurt. Whisk together well.

Pour this into the dry ingredients. Fold in carefully until thoroughly mixed.

Now arrange the ‘upside down’ bit.

Grease a circular cake tin with butter and line with greaseproof paper.

Lay down the rings of onion.Top with the peppers and tomatoes. Make sure there are no gaps.

Now top with herbs and olives.

Now top with the cake batter.

Bake in the oven for 45 – 55 minutes until a knife inserted into the top comes out clean.

Leave to cool for around 15 minutes before turning out onto a plate and topping with more herbs.

It’s a slice of the seventies and it slices beautifully!

The cake is flavoursome and moist.

We even made an avocado, garlic and herb yoghurt to serve alongside. You could make your own or serve it with pesto.

Simply, DIVINE.

 

Mozzarella Donuts

We were reminiscing the other day about going to the funfair. However, we decided that there was something very unfun about the ‘fun’ fair: the sugared donuts.

We made these mozzarella donuts to override this awful memory.

The savoury batter we’ve made is light and fluffy and flavoured with basil. Instead of jam or cream, which you could find in the traditional terrible donut, there is melted cheese which oozes out when you eat it.

Dare to be different with this different delicious donut!

Ingredients

225g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 nutmeg, grated

Black pepper

1 egg

125ml buttermilk (or milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice added)

2 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp finely chopped basil

100g mozzarella cheese, 1 cm cubed

Oil, for frying

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Place the dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, baking powder, salt, pepper to taste and nutmeg) and stir.

In a separate bowl, mix the egg, buttermilk, melted butter and basil together until combined.

Pour this into the dry ingredients.

Now, beat together to form a smooth batter.

Grease and flour a muffin tin.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin.

Push 2 or 3 cubes of cheese into the batter. You want this to be in the middle so make sure it does not touch the bottom of the tin and is covered at the top.

Bake the donuts in the oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat a pan with 1 inch of oil over  a medium heat.

As soon as the donuts are out of the oven, fry them in the oil until golden for about 1 minute each side. (This step is completely optional but is key for a true donut taste!)

Drain on a paper towel. They should look like this:

The cheese should be oozy.

So light; so fluffy!

Remember those creepy chocolate dips? What about a pesto dip!

Dip dip delicious!

 

Savoury Tarte Tatin

Those vegan days. We look back at them with such fondness. Which is why we have made this DELIGHT.

A savoury tarte tatin with flaky puff pastry. Instead of boring and sickly caramel apple, our tarts pack a punch: Garlicky pesto, tomato and courgette; Salty tapenade and sweet roasted peppers.

Perfect for a picnic with friends (or alone!) as part of a spread or for a light supper with salad.

Pesto, Tomato and Courgette Tarte Tatin

Ingredients

375g pre rolled puff pastry, halved

1 clove of garlic, minced

Sprig of thyme

Olive Oil

5 baby courgettes, halved lengthways and griddled

1 tomato, sliced

Pesto, homemade or shop bought

Almond milk, for glazing

Chilli, to garnish (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 C.

Use an 8 inch sized cake tin to cut a circle out of the pastry.

Liberally spread the pastry with pesto.

Put the pastry to one side.

Place some baking parchment in the tin.

Drizzle on some olive oil and scatter over the garlic and thyme.

Now arrange the courgette and tomatoes into the cake tin. Remember you will turn the tarte upside down so whatever is on the bottom will become the top so arrange it nicely!

Place the circle of pastry, pesto side down, on top of the vegetables.

Glaze the top with the almond milk.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the pastry in brown.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then carefully turn out the tarte upside down onto a board and peel off the baking paper.

Garnish with some more pesto and chilli if you like.

Tapenade and Roasted Pepper Tarte Tatin

Ingredients

375g pre rolled puff pastry, halved

1 clove of garlic, minced

Sprig of thyme

Olive Oil

Roasted, peeled and deseeded peppers (we did our own but you can buy these in a jar)

Tapenade, homemade or shop bought

Olives, to garnish

Garlic cress, to garnish (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 C.

Use an 8 inch sized cake tin to cut a circle out of the pastry.

Liberally spread the pastry with tapenade.

Put the pastry to one side.

Place some baking parchment in the tin.

Drizzle on some olive oil and scatter over the garlic and thyme.

Now arrange the peppers into the cake tin. Remember you will turn the tarte upside down so whatever is on the bottom will become the top so arrange it nicely – we’ve gone for red and yellow peppers arranged alternatively!

Place the circle of pastry, tapenade side down, on top of the peppers.

Glaze the top with the almond milk.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the pastry in brown.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then carefully turn out the tarte upside down onto a board and peel off the baking paper.

Garnish with olives and garlic chives.

Savoury Pancakes

Day 18 of veganism. We are staying strong amidst a sea of dairy and meat gorgers.

Our journey has been helped by extremely creative and wonderful cooking. Who said vegans are boring. NOT US!

These pancakes are made with chickpea flour, giving them a nutty taste and vibrant colour. We have filled ours with leftover sweet potato and almond curry, tofu ‘hummus’ and creamy spinach & mushrooms.

We have used cups to measure the ingredients for the pancake batter. This means any cup – just make sure you use the same one!

makes 6 pancakes

Chickpea Pancakes

Ingredients  

1 1/2 cups of chickpea flour

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

2 tbsp arrowroot powder

Salt

Oil, for frying

Method

Sieve the flour, arrowroot powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add in the oil and water slowly, whisking all the time.

Whisk the mixture until you have a smooth batter.

Heat the oil in a frying pan.

Add a ladleful of batter and tilt the pan around. You want the pancake to be very thin.

Leave the pancake to cook untouched until the top is set.

Carefully flip the pancake over and cook for 1 more minute.

 

Tofu ‘Hummus’

Ingredients 

100g silken tofu

4 sundried tomatoes

1 large gerkhin

Lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Parsley, to serve

Method

Simply blend all of the ingredients together.

Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon.

 

Creamy Spinach & Mushrooms

Ingredients 

250g mushrooms (any), sliced

4 frozen spinach pellets, defrosted (or 4 large handfuls of fresh spinach)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp coconut milk

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp tahini

Lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Thyme leaves, to serve

Method

Heat a small frying pan and add the mushrooms.

Fry gently until they are cooked. Add in the spinach and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.

Add in the coconut milk, nutritional yeast and tahini.

Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon.

Fill the pancake with the mix and garnish with thyme.

 

Sweet Potato and Almond Curry 

We filled the pancake with spicy curry and topped it with crunchy red onions and fragrant coriander.

 

Tofu ‘Hummus’ 

Do not be alarmed. This is very tasty and is a different twist on the well known classic. We added more sundried tomatoes and parsley to garnish.

 

Creamy Spinach & Mushroom

This was a great substitute for the real deal! Creamy food is something you really miss as a vegan and this filling filled this void.

 

Congee, a Savoury Rice Pudding

We enjoy a challenge and, whilst we are not religious, we have become vegan for lent. Being vegan has not stopped us on our quest to reinvent sweet dishes as savoury delights.

When we were in Hong Kong, we went to the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world. To the disgust of our less adventurous friend, we ordered a savoury rice pudding called congee. As we were eating it, we unearthed a century egg lurking beneath the surface. This is an egg that has been buried under the ground for 100 years.

Whilst the pudding was delicious, unsurprisingly the century egg was not.

So we have created a better version. We have used coconut milk and asian aromatics to make it creamy and flavoursome while being100% vegan. 

You can get creative with the toppings and we have posted some of our ideas below. Just don’t pick a century egg! LOL!!!!!!

makes 2 small bowls

Ingredients

For the pudding

1 400g tin of coconut milk

80g risotto rice

2 garlic cloves

1 chilli

1 vegetable stock pot

Basil stalks

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings to serve

Chilli

Spring onions

Thai basil

Soy sauce

Sesame oil

Lemon juice

Optional toppings

Roasted courgette

Roasted tenderstem brocoli

Stir fried kale

Crispy tofu

Method

Put the coconut milk in a medium saucepan. Fill up the can with water and add this as well along with the rice.

Stab the garlic and chilli with a sharp knife. Put this and the basil stalks into the pan. Season to taste.

Bring to the boil and turn it to a simmer.

Simmer the mixture for approximately 30 minutes, mixing every now and then.

When the pudding is ready it will look like an oozy risotto. If it looks a bit dry, add more water. If it is too liquidy, simply simmer for longer to reduce.

Meanwhile, prepare the toppings.

Spoon the congee into small bowls.

Drizzle over some lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Scatter over the chilli, thai basil and spring onions.

Add on anything else you like.

We think a fried egg would be nice or even poached chicken but alas we cannot have this at present. Maybe next time. Sigh.

A Duo of Savoury Scones

Regular scones are full of sugar. Sugar in the dough, sugared clotted cream and sweet jam. Sugar, overload.

Our scones only contain natural sugars and are full of flavour from earthy vegetables and salty cheese. They are crumbly, light and extremely delicious.

We love cooking with brightly coloured vegetables. It gives food the sort of vibrancy you could never get from synthetic food colourings. And the contrast of pink and green is great!

Beetroot & Goats Cheese Savoury Scones

makes 10 large scones

Ingredients

250g self raising wholemeal flour (or plain wholemeal flour with 1 tsp of baking powder added)

75g butter, cubed

160g beetroot, pureed

180g goats cheese, cubed

salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

In a large mixing bowl, rub the butter and the flour together with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add in the beetroot puree and goats cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the ingredients together to form a dough. It will be very dry at this stage but it will come together! Do not over work the dough.

Flour the work surface and roll the dough out to a thickness of 2cm.

Cut out the scones in any shape you like! We have gone for circular scones.

Place the scones on a greased baking tray and brush with egg wash.

Bake the scones for 15 minutes. They should still be soft to the touch.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes wrapped in a clean tea towel.

Kale & Feta Savoury Scones

makes 10 large scones

Ingredients

250g self raising wholemeal flour (or plain wholemeal flour with 1 tsp of baking powder added)

75g butter, cubed

180g feta, cubed

250g frozen kale, defrosted and drained/squeezed of all water

160ml milk

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

In a large mixing bowl, rub the butter and the flour together with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

In a jug, blend together the kale and milk. We simply used a stick blender for this.

Pour the spinach and milk mixture into the mixing bowl. Add in the feta cheese and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the ingredients together to form a dough. It will be very dry at this stage but it will come together! Do not over work the dough.

Flour the work surface and roll the dough out to a thickness of 2cm.

Cut out the scones in any shape you like! This time we went for square scones.

Place the scones on a greased baking tray and brush with egg wash.

Bake the scones for 15 minutes. They should still be soft to the touch.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes wrapped in a clean tea towel.

You can eat these scones however you like. They are lovely warm from the oven with a little butter. They are equally good cold on the go.

Or you can be more creative with your toppings.

We’ve topped the beetroot & goats cheese scones with mashed avocado and soft goats cheese.

And the kale & feta scones with cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta and herbs.

Stilton, Apple & Walnut Cake

Imagine you’re at a birthday party. The ‘Happy Birthday’ is about to be sung. And then the cake arrives. The dry, sweet, sickly cake with lashings of horrible buttercream and fondant icing. You are cut a huge slice which is placed unceremoniously in front of you.

Luckily this doesn’t have to happen anymore.

Introducing the Savoury Cake.

Popular in France (soon to be here), this is great at any time of the day, not just a birthday party. Particularly good with soup for lunch, at a picnic or for afternoon tea.

Ingredients

250g wholemeal flour

1 tbsp baking powder

150g apple, cut into large chunks

200g stilton, cut into large chunks

100g walnut halves

50g plain yoghurt

100ml milk

150ml extra virgin olive oil

4 eggs

1 tsp salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and butter and/or line a loaf tin.

In a big mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.

Add the cheese, apple and walnut and stir carefully.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together until pale and fluffy. Add in the oil, yoghurt and milk and whisk again.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold these ingredients carefully together until just combined. You do not want to over mix it!

Pour the batter into the loaf tin and put in the oven.

Bake your cake for 30-40 minutes. We checked ours after 30 minutes by putting a skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is ready.

Leave to cool in the tin (if you can).

Slice and serve!

You can even top this cake with more delicious cheese and apple-y goodness!

Cheese & Marmite Porridge

A big bowl of porridge is one of life’s simple joys: It’s warming and satisfying for the stomach & soul. Oats have numerous health benefits. They lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol and are jam packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. What is not to love?!

There is, however, one common problem. The sickly, sweet, gloop like toppings that arrive spooned thickly on top of all bowls of porridge. Golden syrup, jam, chocolate sauce, fruit compote are some of the main perpetrators. People add sugar, fruit, honey; even sprinkles, chocolate chips and cream!

Our dislike of sugary food motivated us to think of a solution. How could we enjoy a bowl of porridge without any of these sweet ‘treats’ (nightmares)?

We needed a savoury bowl of porridge that had massive flavour. We needed cheese and we needed marmite. We needed cheese and marmite porridge.

Ingredients

40g rolled porridge oats

150 ml milk

1 tsp marmite (or to taste)

30g strong cheddar cheese (or to taste)

Method

Put your porridge oats into a pan over a medium heat and carefully add the milk. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Make sure you stir it frequently.

Meanwhile grate the cheese and get your marmite ready!

After the 5 minutes of simmering is up, check your porridge consistency. Too runny? Simmer it for a bit longer. Too thick? Add a splash of milk.

Take the pan off the heat and add the cheese and the marmite. Mix it well so all that delicious marmite is incorporated and the cheese is melted.   

We love eating this at any time of the day. At breakfast, lunch or even as a late night snack whilst we peruse the cooking channels. If you want to be lazy like us, you can even use a quick-cook oats sachet. Simply make the porridge according to the pack instructions and add your cheese and marmite just before eating.

This porridge is great on its own, but you can elevate the flavour by adding anything you desire. The porridge is your oyster. Here are some of our creations:

Oozy fried egg:

Sliced avocado and chilli:

Roasted herby cherry tomatoes:

OR EVERYTHING:

So, delicious!