Recipe: New York Cheese Cake

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 15 graham crackers, crushed
• 30 g butter, melted
• 896 g cream cheese
• 300 g white sugar
• 180 ml milk
• 4 eggs
• 230 g sour cream
• 15 ml vanilla extract
• 30 g all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chantals-New-York-Cheesecake/Detail.aspx

Recipes: Basic Scones

Ingredients

• plain flour, for dusting
• 3 cups self-raising flour
• 80g butter, cubed
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
• jam and whipped cream, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Sift self-raising flour into a large bowl.
2. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre. Add 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until mixture forms a soft dough, adding more milk if required. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until smooth (don't knead dough too much or scones will be tough).
4. Pat dough into a 2cm-thick round. Using a 5cm (diameter) round cutter, cut out 12 rounds. Press dough together and cut out remaining 4 rounds. Place scones onto prepared baking tray, 1cm apart. Sprinkle tops with a little plain flour. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and well risen. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm with jam and cream.

Source: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/8163/basic+scones

Gordon Ramsay Recipe: Classic Indian Chicken Tikka Masala

Do you want to bring a curry smell in your dining room? Try the classic curry chicken tikka masala recipe from the finest chef Gordon Ramsay.

Ingredients

• Groundnut oil
• 1 large onion, peeled
• 2 fresh green chillies
• 1" piece of ginger, peeled
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 4 boneless chicken breasts (approx 150g each), cubed
• 10 dried curry leaves
• 4-6 tbsp natural yoghurt
• Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

For the steamed rice

• 400g basmati rice, rinsed
• 600ml cold water
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2 star anise

Method: How to make chicken tikka masala

1. Heat two tablespoons of groundnut oil in a pan. Slice the onion and fry in the oil. Meanwhile, deseed and chop the chilli, chop the ginger and add to the hot pan, crush in the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.

2. Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes to the pan and allow them to cook for a further few minutes.

3. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and blend until smooth.

4. Add a tablespoon of fresh groundnut oil into the pan and fry the chicken pieces until lightly coloured. Pour in the blended sauce and add the curry leaves. Simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

5. Place the rice in a saucepan, add the cold water and season with salt and pepper. Lightly crush the cardamom pods with your fingers and add to the pan with the star anise. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to steam for a further 5 minutes. Remove the cardamom and star anise. Fluff up the rice with a fork and set aside.

6. Stir in the yoghurt to the chicken curry along with half the chopped coriander. Serve with the steamed rice and garnish with the remaining coriander.

Ferran Adria Recipe:Toasted Spaghetti with Clams

Ferran Adrià credits the idea for this dish to one of his acolytes, Moreno Cedroni, the hyper-creative Italian chef at La Madonnina del Pescatore in Italy’s Marzocca di Senigallia. The method is very similar to risotto, but spaghetti fills in for the arborio rice: Adrià toasts it in a pan with a little oil, then adds hot clam juice until the pasta is fully cooked and loaded with briny flavor.

Ingredients

1. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 3/4 pound spaghetti, broken into 2-inch lengths
3. 2 garlic cloves, minced
4. Crushed red pepper
5. 3 cups bottled clam broth
6. 1 cup water
7. 3 dozen littleneck clams, rinsed
8. 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. In a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the spaghetti and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and a large pinch of crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the clam broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and cook over moderate heat until the pasta is barely al dente, about 8 minutes. Nestle the clams into the pasta, cover and cook until the pasta is al dente and the clams open, about 7 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if the pasta is too dry. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Source: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/toasted-spaghetti-with-clams