Sweet nothings

Mixed berry cheese cake

Ingredients

For the crust:

• Cracker crumbs 1 1/2 cups
• sugar 1 tbsp
• unsalted butter, melted 6 tbsp

For the filling:

• Cream cheese, at room temperature 1 kg
• sugar 1-1/2 cups
• Eggs 5 nos
• Egg yolks 2 nos
• Sour cream 1/4 cup
• grated lemon zest (2 lemons) 1 tbsp
• pure vanilla 1-1/2 tsp

For the topping:

• Red jelly or jam 1 cup
• Fresh strawberries 1/2 cup
• Cherry 1/2 cup (canned)
• Blueberries 1/2 cup (canned)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
• To make crust, combine crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. Press crumbs into the bottom. Bake for eight minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• Raise oven temperature to 220 degrees C. Cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Reduce the speed, add eggs and egg yolks, two at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another hour and 15 minutes. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door
• open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe courtesy Chef Rana Dominic Gomes, executive chef of Hotel Royal Orchid.

Cupid strawberry pancake

Ingredients        

• Self-Rising flour 2 cups
• Granulated white sugar 1/2 cup
• Vegetable oil 1/3 cup l Milk 1/4 cup
• Eggs 3 Red food dye 2 tbsp
• Puree Strawberry Extract 2 tbsp
• Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
• Strawberries, rinsed and sliced 1 pint
• Strawberry whipped cream 2 tbsp
• Rose petals 5-6 nos
• Mint Sprigs 5-6 nos

Method

• Mix the flour and sugar together. Whisk in oil, milk and eggs. Add food dye and extracts and mix well. Add milk for consistency. The batter should be like cupcake batter.
• Heat a griddle to 300 degrees F. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto griddle. When bubbles begin to appear on top of the pancakes, add 1 to 2 strawberry slices to the top of each pancake, then flip. Cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute and then remove, placing pancakes strawberry-side up on wax paper to cool. Stack them this way (upside down!) to display the fresh strawberries
• Garnish the pancakes with whipped cream, a sprinkle of pink sugar sprinkles and honey. Top with rose petals and mint sprig.

Recipe courtesy Chef Sachin Talwar, executive chef My Fortune Bengaluru