Beef with Bourbon & Cola
Women’s Weekly Cooking for Friends Pg 45

Blueberry Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Women’s Weekly Cooking for Friends Pg 125

Hi everyone, I hope you have had a great week and tried out some new recipes from your collection of cookbooks.

This week I used the slow cooker again (always a bonus when you can put dinner on 8 hours in advance).  It called for beef cheeks which I have never used before as well as an unusual combination of Bourbon, beef stock and cola.  How could I resist trying this one!  Now here’s the thing – whilst this meal got 10/10 (and yes, I am happy) I was disappointed in that the meat didn’t fall apart after cooking.  This sauce was absolutely beautiful and it just made you want to dip bread into it and soak it all up, however, I wanted more from the meat.  The highlight for me was the celeriac mash.  This ugly and underrated root vegetable is so full of flavour and I will certainly be using it again and again.  What I did find was that the celeriac was not to be found at the local grocery store and I had to go a little further afield but it was worth it.  Add the simplicity of beans and carrots and the meal is done.  So what will I do differently next time – I am certainly going to try this again because of the wonderful sauce but I am going to use gravy beef which I know will fall apart after 8 hours in the slow cooker.  This one is a must for those of you who just want to come home to a meal already done after a day at work.  Pop it on a timer before you leave and voila!

Until next week,

From my table to yours with love.

Beef with Bourbon & Cola

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1/3 c plain flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 beef cheeks
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 1/2 c bourbon
• 1/2 c beef stock
• 1 c cola
• 1/3 c tomato paste
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, extra
• 1 approx 750g celeriac trimmed, chopped coarsely
• 2 medium potatoes chopped coarsely
• 50 g butter
• 1/2 c pouring cream warmed

Method

 

1. Place flour in a large bowl; season
2. Heat half the oil in 4.5 litre (18 cup) slow cooker on sear (high) setting. Coat beef in flour; shake off excess (reserve excess flour). Cook beef in batches, for 5 minutes each side, or until well browned. Remove from cooker. (This can also be done on the stove top and transferred to the slow cooker)
3. Reduce cooker to sauté (medium) setting. Heat remaining oil in cooker; cook onion, and garlic, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Sprinkle with reserved excess flour; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Gradually stir in bourbon, then stock, cola, paste, honey and thyme; bring to the boil. (This can also be done on the cook top and transferred)
4. Return beef to cooker. Cook, covered on low for 8 hours. Discard thyme; season to taste.
5. Just before serving, make celeriac mash
6. Boil, steam or microwave celeriac and potato until tender; drain. Mash with butter and cream in a medium bowl until smooth; season to taste.
7. Serve celeriac mash topped with beef cheeks and sauce; sprinkle with extra thyme. Serve with steamed trimmed baby carrots and green beans or halved sugar snap peas, if desired.

Blueberry Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 250 g butternut snap biscuits
• 60 g butter melted
• 375 g cream cheese softened
• 3/4 c caster sugar
• 2 teas lemon rind finely grated
• 2 eggs separated
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 250 g mascarpone
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 250 g store bought lemon curd chilled
• 250 g fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp icing sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 1 3/4 c castor sugar

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 150°c (130°c fan forced)
2. Process biscuits until fine; add butter, process until combined. Spoon mixture evenly over base of a 22cm springform pan; press down firmly with a straight-sided glass or bottle. Place the pan on an oven tray; refrigerate until required.
3. Beat the cream cheese, ½ cup of the caster sugar, rind , egg yolks and cornflour in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add mascarpone and juice; beat until just combined.
4. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form . Gradually add the reaming caster sugar, beating until dissolved. Fold the egg white mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the mixture into crust.
5. Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes or until slightly soft in the centre. Cool in the oven with the door ajar.
6. Transfer cheesecake from pan to a cake plate. Spread lemon curd on cheesecake; top with two-thirds of the blueberries.
7. Beat egg whites and the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 8 minutes or until thick and glossy.
8. Spoon one-third of the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain tube. Pipe meringue around cheesecake to cover the side. Squeeze any remaining meringue from piping bag back into the bowl of remaining meringue. Drop spoonfuls of remaining meringue on blueberries. Using a blowtorch, lightly brown the meringue.
9. Top cheesecake with remaining blueberries; dust with sifted icing sugar