vegetables more than fruit.... but you get the idea
Last year I was able to freeze blackberries, raspberries, black currants, red currants, rhubarb and and gooseberries. I also grow apples (Bramley and Crab) and Japonica quince (which seem to be edible), and last year I picked a few teeny tiny bunches of grapes - my first harvest! I probably should have left them for longer, but I wanted to get the first crop before any birds found them.
So the Proper Pudding this month was Rhubarb and Ginger "cheese"cake - Rhubarb can be colourful and goes so well with ginger, and on a cold winter's day the combination is quite warming, even on when served chilled. I used a combination of adapted recipes and experimentation. The result was tasty and had good comments from people who tried it.
This is all that was left of it!
Next time I make it I'll use a smaller pan, less polenta base and more rhubarb, so this recipe is what I think it should be, so if you'd like to try this recipe please be aware that this particular experiment continues!
Ingredients
For the base
A cup of polenta (corn meal)
A cup of water
3 teaspoons dried ginger powder
250g tofu block, or silken tofu (usually found in the vegetarian chiller cabinet in the supermarket)
4 pieces of preserved ginger, finely chopped
2 teaspoons of agave nectar
1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
1 to 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder (to give it a bit of colour)
For the topping
6 sticks of rhubarb - the redder the better
4 pieces of preserved ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
1 dessert spoon of cornflour
Method
- Line and grease an 8 inch loose-bottomed spring-sided pan (or use a baking sheet and a flan ring)
- Set the oven to 180C (350F) or about 170C if fan assisted
- In a small saucepan, heat up the polenta and water, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring all the time. You might need to add a bit more water. Or a bit more polenta.
- When it is thick enough to form a soft ball, take it off the heat and leave it to cool.
- Drain the water off the tofu, and mix it with the other "cheese"cake ingredients in a food processor (or with a whizzer)
- Spread the polenta mix evenly over the base of the pan and press it down - about 50mm is probably deep enough
- Spread the "cheese"cake mix evenly over the polenta base
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until it is solid and slightly brown
- While it is baking, make the topping: gently heat up the rhubarb until it is soft. Add the preserved ginger and the ginger powder.
- Mix the cornflour with a little water and gradually stir it into the rhubarb mix, and gently cook for a few minutes to let it thicken.
- When the cheesecake is cooked, take it out and let it cool before spreading the topping evenly over it.
http://vegetarian.lovetoknow.
Hello Diane. When you say a cup of polenta do you mean "it doesn't really matter, but about a cupful and the same amount of water" or do you mean the more precise US cup, whatever that is in grams?
ReplyDeleteI probably won't make this as the recipe, as I loathe tofu, but as a more "proper" cheesecake it sounds lovely. I adore rhubarb. I have a lovely rhubarb and raspberry cake recipe. Not much good for you, with flour in it. But I love it.
Hi
Deleteit's a rough guide - you might find that an American cup isn't enough for the size of pan you are using, or that you need more/less water because each batch of polenta can vary. I get more accurate when I'm making cakes or bread, but other cooking can be a bit more vague and experimental (to the horror of any scientists around me).
I know what you mean about Tofu - it is bland on its own so it really needs a lot of flavour to either marinade in or mix well with. It's nowhere near as nice as real cream cheese, but is an acceptable substitute if this isn't possible. The lemon cheesecake that this is based on isn't too bad.... especially if you use more lemons than it states.