My current obsession

I don’t know about you guys and gals but does anyone ever go through a phrase when you become obsessed with something? It could be a particular colour, an accessory or actually doing something. For me, it’s baking. I am a serial offender…this month I have taken out. At the moment it’s all about the cheesecakes.

I do not know where this obsession has come from but I’m guessing having to drive past ‘the cheesecake factory ‘every Sunday on the way to do my run, coincidence maybe?

The moral of my story is as I thoroughly searched Google last week to find a luscious recipe for my favourite type of cheesecake strawberry (drool) I could not for the life of me find a cold top cheesecake recipe that sounded like it would work, if that makes sense. They were all oven baked recipes which I did not want.

So with too much like hard work, I give up and I ended up going with my own recipe (my first time making this by the way) which turned out delicious. Not just based on my opinion of course that would be a little unfair, Dec would not stop sneaking to the fridge for more and my good friends had some samples also and loved it.

So if you are after a yummy luscious desert…and if you find yourself in my predicament, look no further - Your wish is my command:

Prep Time: 30 minutes plus overnight chilling in the fridge 

Here’s what you need: 

Butter

Honey/syrup

X 15 digestive biscuits

X 2 blocks of Philadelphia cheese

X 1 cup of fresh cream

X 3 Tbls of sugar

Strawberry essence

X 1 block of strawberry jelly

X 1 carton of fresh strawberries

Now what to do with it:

Base:

Crush the digestives completely with a wooden spoon in a clear food bag.

Once this is done, melt around 3 spoon fills of butter in a saucepan and add a little syrup or honey.

Add the mixture to the digestives so it makes it set and appear wet looking. If you feel you haven’t added enough butter, just add some more.

Fill the base of the cheesecake outline with the crushed biscuits and butter mixture and put in the freezer while you make the filling.

Filling:

Boil the kettle and add boiling water to 2 cups of strawberry jelly.

With a bowl, add one cup of cream and cut up the 2 blocks of Philadelphia cheese mix along with the 3 tablespoons of sugar with an electric mixer.

Whip with an electric mixture until smooth and no lumps can be seen; add in the hot jelly and 1 teaspoon of strawberry essence. Mix again until completely mixed through and you feel happy with the thickness and pink colour of the mixture.

Take your base from the freezer and add the mixture on top. Leave in the fridge for 4 hours to set. Once complete, add fresh strawberries. Delish!

Easy and Luscious! 

 Enjoy!

Fabulous news for sweet tooths the world over! March 20th is officially the 'day of the Macaron', which means a whole day has been dedicated in honour of the delectable sugary sweets.

The perfect macaron should have a shiny, domed outer shell which is crispy. Upon breaking this shell you should find a chewy meringue centre and smooth ganache filling.

Serves: 40
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins (plus resting)

Meringues:

• 130g pure icing sugar
• 110g almond meal
• 105g eggwhite (about 2), at room temperature, left out overnight
• 65g caster sugar
• 4-5 drops of rose food colouring

White chocolate and raspberry ganache

• 50ml pouring cream
• 100g white chocolate
• 45g raspberries, coarsely chopped (Note: If fresh raspberries are unavailable, substitute defrosted frozen raspberries)

1. Preheat oven to 140C.
2. Mix icing sugar and almond meal in a food processor until finely ground, triple-sift into a large bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk 90g eggwhite in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (1-2 minutes).
4. Add caster sugar, a tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously until incorporated and mixture is thick and glossy (2-3 minutes), then add food colouring.
5. Stir in almond mixture in batches until incorporated and mixture slowly slides down sides of bowl when bowl is tilted.
6. Add remaining eggwhite to loosen mixture, spoon into a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle, pipe 3cm-diameter rounds of mixture onto heavy baking-paper-lined oven trays, stand until a crust begins to form (4-5 hours).
7. Bake macarons until firm but not coloured, swapping trays halfway through cooking (10-12 minutes), set aside, cool completely on trays.
8. Meanwhile, for white chocolate and raspberry ganache, bring cream just to the boil in a small saucepan.
9. Remove from heat, add chocolate, stand until melted (5 minutes), stir until smooth and glossy.
10. Refrigerate until firm yet still pliable (45 minutes-1 hour) then stir until smooth.
11. Add raspberries, stir to form a ripple effect, then spoon a teaspoon of ganache onto half the macarons. Sandwich with remaining macarons and refrigerate until set.

Macarons will keep for 1-2 days refrigerated in an airtight container.

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Sometimes we all need just five minutes of lusciousness to get our days back on track. I know I do, and when I do, i like to browse my favourite food blogs.

Erin at Cut the Cookie dishes out girly wisdom with just the right amount of cookie dough, with the occasional salad to temper all that cookie-guilt. Those are her chocolate muffins at the right.

Joy at Joy the Baker loves doughnuts, dense chocolate brownies and vintage crockery. Need I say more? She shoots with her iPhone and writes without frills. She just says what she means.

Deb at Smitten Kitchen writes about life in New York in a way that makes me want to live there right now. She also makes a killer tomato soup (see below).

Hot soup on a cold, windy day - is there anything better?

Not really. Not when it's grey and dreary outside and your kitchen is toasty and you're staring down into a pot of piping hot, bright red soup. That you just made yourself. From scratch.

Many thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for making our winter days just a little more luscious.

Roasted tomato soup (a la Luscious)

3 pounds (about a kilo) of Roma tomatoes

4 - 5 smallish cloves of garlic, unpeeled

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

4 cups chicken or vegie stock

Halve the tomatoes lengthways and place them cut side up on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Wrap the garlic cloves in a little parcel of aluminum foil. Add it to the baking tray.

Pop the lot in a moderate (180 degrees Celsius) oven for 45mins-1hour. 

Cool for a little bit. By now your kitchen should be smelling glorious.

Peel garlic cloves. Add garlic, tomato and any juices that may have seeped out while baking to a blender or food processor and pulse until you have a chunky puree. 

Transfer your tomato puree, stock and thyme to a pot big enough to fit it all. Bring it to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 25-35 mins. 

Serve hot. Yum!

This soup is fabulous on its own; or if you're feeling extra luscious you can add a broiled cheddar lid by floating some bread atop your soup, smothering it in vintage cheddar and grilling for 8 - 10mins. 

Did you get the memo? Cupcakes are so last year.

Making them yourself could not be easier and they look like you have gone to much more trouble!

 

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As I writer, I am constantly under criticism for letting the team down by my consumption of tea over coffee, here are some luscious tea facts that I think justify my choice of beverage! 

• The most expensive teabag ever was created for the 75'th anniversary of the PG TIPS tea company. The bag was filled with two hundred and eighty diamonds and expensive limited edition tea leaves.
• To cure puffy eyes lie in a horizontal position and place either a moist teabag or tea compress over both eyes and leave for about 20 minutes. 
• Tea can be used to soothe burns and sunburns. Put wet tea bags onto the affected areas or keep in place with gauze. You can also put tea into your bath water. 
• Recent studies have shown that drinking between one and two cups of tea per day may promote fertility by stopping abnormalities in our chromosomes.
• Tea is the most consumed drink in the world, second only to water. 

We assumed Luscious Lifer, Danielle Emeny, had good taste because she's a been a keen supporter of various Luscious stories on our Facebook page, but now we know she literally has good taste!

She's an artist and cake designer, along with her sister, Renee Emeny. Together, they run Sweetcheeks Cookies and Cakes in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, which provides both traditional and modern cakes, cupcakes and cookies for all occasions, including some very luscious-looking ones such as these Tiffany and black Christian Louboutin pump shoe cakes. 

Learn more from their Sweetcheeks Cookies and Cakes website, follow their news on their Facebook page, or just flick through our Luscious photo gallery for some drooling time.

More pix in our Luscious photo gallery.

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Sunday mornings and housewarmings are the perfect excuse to channel your inner Domestic Goddess and try my Mum’s recipe for scones. Secret ingredient: lemonade!

Makes approximately 24

3 cups self-raising flour
pinch of salt
1 cup of cream
1 cup of lemonade

• Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cream and lemonade.
• Mix with a knife until mixture comes together.
• Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth and malleable.
• Bake in a 220-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.
• Serve with jam and cream.

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Every year February 14 is impossible to ignore, but whether you have a special someone to share it with or not, spoil yourself with this amazing recipe!

Every bite of these sweet little crème brulee will be melting in your mouth and (hopefully) your partner’s heart as well. We all know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so why fight it? Nothing says Valentine’s Day like fresh raspberry desserts!

White chocolate and raspberry crème brûlée
Makes: 6

Ingredients:

• 600ml thickened cream
• ½ cup (125ml) milk
• 180g good-quality white chocolate, chopped
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 6 egg yolks
• ½ cup (100g) caster sugar
• 1 cup (125g) fresh or frozen raspberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees (Celsius). Place six 1-cup (250ml) capacity ramekins in a roasting pan.
2. Combine the cream, milk, chocolate and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture comes to a simmer.  (do not boil)
3. Meanwhile, use a balloon whisk to whisk together the egg yolks and 1/3 cup (70g) of the sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Gradually pour hot cream mixture into egg-yolk mixture while continually whisking.  Remove vanilla beans.
4. Evenly arrange raspberries among ramekins and pour over cream mixture. Pour enough boiling water into the base pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes or until just set. Remove ramekins from pan and set aside for 2 hours to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours to set.
6. To serve, preheat grill on high.  Sprinkle brulees with remaining sugar and cook under the grill for 2-3 minutes or until sugar caramelises.  Alternatively, use a brulee gun to caramelise the sugar and serve them immediately with fresh raspberries. 

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There is definitely something irresistible about cupcakes: dainty, pretty and an individual treat just for you! NZ Cupake Queen, City (Felicity) Down has been sharing her love of the humble but adorable cupcake via her home site for years and now her new site is spreading her cupcake love even further.

Her initiative, The Cupcake Project, invites people from all over the world to send in images, sketches, doodles, collages and drawings of dream cupcakes as a little reminder that everyone has creativity in them.

Take a moment to check out some of the amazing and quirky art that has been submitted and get in touch with the little bit of creativity that is inside us all!

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Foodies, check out Lauren's weekly menu section!

Feeling domestically-inspired? Check out our other Domestic Goddess sections:

Lush and green

What we're watching

Beautiful things

Hostess with the mostest

Yummy mummy, Awesome aunty

Picture: IKEA Trollsta sideboard

Avoiding work and looking for ways to divert yourself? Then have a flick through our luscious photo galleries on our Luscious on Facebook page. Here's a taster...
 

Inside Martha Stewart's houses and offices	Luscious lingerie	Grace Kelly

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Reached the bottom of the page but desperate for more? Then check out all our sections:

• Home
• About Luscious
• Diva Darling
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• Social Butterfly
• Domestic Goddess
• Hip & Healthy

...The Commons (formerley The Pond), run by the clever and hardworking Chris and Gabby Moore, at 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst, Sydney.

It's a venue for food and drinks but also to celebrate sustainable design and practices in a restored 1850s cottage, so please show them your support by checking it out when in Sydney.

Here are some reviews:

• The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry
• Total Venue
• TwoThousand
• BarZine

Or visit their new website: www.thecommons.com.au

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