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pecan caramel cheesecake

May 26, 2020May 26, 20205 Comments

I’m not sure whether I have ever met someone who didn’t like cheesecake and I’m not sure whether I want to. What’s not to love, right? I love a no-bake cheesecake, but I do think that a baked cheesecake has the edge that wins for me. It’s a little bit like instant coffee vs going through the whole process of grinding your own beans and making a proper coffee. Most of us by far prefer the flavour and taste of a real coffee and why not. Although I am sure due to convenience you will find a jar of instant coffee in every coffee lover’s kitchen. I think we can be a little like this when it comes to cheesecake no-bake cheesecakes are a great dessert for those experimenting with their first desserts and those short on time. Baked cheesecakes take a bit more work and that’s ok. They are worth it. Honestly, they sound more daunting than they are. Often words like bain Marie can scare people or the cooking steps and stages but it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Firstly, a bain Marie simply means a water bath so all we have to do for this is wrap the cheesecake base in kitchen foil to prevent water from getting into the cheesecake. Place it in a roasting tin and pour water from a recently boiled kettle into the roasting tin around the cheesecake, simple.

The next step that can be off putting is all the warnings in recipes about baked cheesecake tops cracking. Firstly, I say “Big Deal” who cares if the top cracks it’s not the end of the world. It isn’t ruined and often the topping will disguise it even if it does. So fear not. I have found the best way to prevent the top cracking is to allow my cheesecake to sit for an hour after its baked in a switched off oven. The reason I do this is because one of the main reasons for cheesecakes cracking is the extreme temperature changes and living in Ireland my kitchen most of the year isn’t very hot and taking it straight from the oven to the kitchen counter will shock it and create cracks so instead I let it rest for an hour in the oven after baking then transfer to the kitchen counter to cool completely. If it is very cold in my kitchen after the hour I open the oven door fully and let it cool completely in the oven with the door open.

One other important factor to keep in mind when making baked cheesecakes, and one I wish I had known about when I made my first baked cheesecake is that it should still have wobble when shaken after it has been baked.

I hope you enjoy the recipe below as much as I do.

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Easter Chocolate Cheesecake RecipesCupcakes

Happy Easter

April 11, 2020April 11, 20201 Comment

It feels no time since I posted about St.Patrick’s day and the lack of celebrations this year and in the blink of an eye it’s Easter. Again, we will not be celebrating Easter with the usual traditions or customs. This doesn’t mean we have to let the occasion pass without marking it. I will still be indulging in my favourite recipes. I always have lamb at Easter it’s a tradition much like turkey at Christmas. This year though as I will be cooking for a lot less just the two of us it is for this reason I am sharing these two recipes that may be a little more suitable for those unable to celebrate with family this year.

Lamb Ribs

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As you may have seen on my Instagram I have been making Easter chocolate cheesecake cupcakes all week and I plan to make a batch for pudding after my ribs. Check out the recipe below

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Essential Lockdown staple recipes

March 25, 2020March 25, 20201 Comment

Below are a couple of recipes I have put together that may help those in lockdown. Even though these recipes use basic ingredients you would never know that from the from the final products. I think we can eat well if we have some of the essential staples and certainly in my house these recipes are essential. I mean, fresh bread and pasta can open up a world of eating opportunities. Both of these recipes rely on plain flour, instead of using the usual specific flours required for these recipes, which most of us will have in the house already. So I do hope that these recipes will mean that you may be able to make less trips to the shop. Please stay safe and avoid going out as much as possible.

Emergency No-Knead White Bread

This bread has a soft aerated interior and a ciabatta/sourdough like crust. Most no-knead breads need to sit and rest for at least 12 hours to get a full rise, this bread, however doesn’t require as long it can be baked after two hours. The reason I decided to invest time in a bread recipe that was a no-knead bread and pretty quick to make is so that it was more accessible to everyone such as the elderly, who may not be capable of kneading bread or for parents who may not have the time to knead bread. Using hot water in the bread makes then yeast get straight to work and work overtime. The bread rises in a parchment paper lined mixing bowl for two reasons. Number one is that it is a wet sticky dough and it prevents it sticking to the bowl and secondly it means it can be transferred to the cooking vessel without losing all the air bubbles within. The bread is cooked in a very hot oven in a casserole pot or as other may know it a dutch oven with a lid on for the first thirty minutes this lets the bread steam giving you that lovely soft interior. For the remaining fifteen minutes in the oven it gets cooked without the lid allowing the bread to develop that crusty exterior and go golden brown.

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Pasta

My simple pasta again just like my bread utelizes plain flour as most of us will have this in our homes already. The dough is a soft easy to knead dough. You do not require any fancy equipment to make this, a rolling pin is used to roll out the dough. If you are unable to knead and have a mixer with a dough hook this could be used instead.

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My top 3 Valentines Recipes…

February 14, 2020February 14, 20206 Comments

I think the most important factors for valentines recipes is that they are quick, easy and light on the washing up, not that the washing up should be a factor on Valentine’s Day. It can be taken care of tomorrow.

First recipe up is what I call my date steak. One Steak can feed two generously. A lush juicy steak is given a quick fry then rest in the salad dressing, where it oozes some of it meaty flavor into the dressing whilst also taking on some of the flavors of the dressing. The steak gets sliced finely and then strewn over a messy tangle of salad. Delicious and only moments of work. Steak is always a real treat and even though this recipe takes very little time to make you would never know it. It is a quick feast.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

Again, another quick and easy meal and of course you can have your lady and the tramp moment with this dish. It takes longer to eat than it does to make. By the time your pasta has cooked everything else will be ready to go.

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If you want to get ahead of the cooking then try this Fabulous dessert, strawberries in Prosecco jelly. I make this in champagne saucers and it really just looks like a glass of champagne. It is a gently set jelly, the Prosecco retains the bubbles so the jelly has the most gentle light tingle in your mouth as you eat. To vamp it up even more for your loved one, whip some cream gently, scoop out a passion fruit and fold through the softly whipped cream.Dollop spoonfuls of the cream as you eat your jelly. I laugh at the cheesiness but I call this ‘’Quivering with passion jellies’’ and I think it sums up this day perfectly.

healthy chicken, broccoli and spinach pasta

January – The month of restraint

January 13, 2020January 13, 20201 Comment

A bit late with this but, Happy New Year! I hope everyone thoroughly enjoyed the festive period. I am jubilant to be back fully in the kitchen recipe testing, filming, editing & writing. I have a few exciting new projects in the pipe line for 2020. Details on which will be coming shortly. We are firmly back to reality with what is for most the month of restraint and diet. Although, I do myself eat a little better in January this is mostly not a conscience decision rather it just seems to come natural after all the over indulgence of December. Below I have listed some of my favourite go to recipes when in this mood, that may aid you through January as well as some of my favourite vegan recipes for anyone opting to do Veganuary.

https://danieldiver.net/recipes/easy-quick-and-delicious-salmon/

https://danieldiver.net/recipes/vegstew/

https://danieldiver.net/recipes/chicken-broccoli-spinach-pasta/

I firmly believe that the key to success in any diet is balance and avoiding bad foods. In my opinion there is only one food type that falls into this category of bad food and that is processed foods that lack in nutrients and usually in flavour too. Living with a strict diet that completely restrains you from eating foods that you desire would be an unbearable existence. A balance diet must always have room for cake. The recipe below is one of my favourites that I make so often.

https://danieldiver.net/recipes/chocolate-banana-cake/

What are you favourite January or Veganuary recipes?

Don’t forget to check out RadioX Life Hakx Sunday Evenings, were I will regularly be contributing with recipes and foodie life hakx. You can also catch up with previous episodes by checking out the podcast here.

Roast chicken thighs with braised rice and peas

One pan chicken with Braised Rice & Peas

November 5, 2019November 5, 20198 Comments

A simple meal with delicious and cosy flavours. This one pan recipe is a great kitchen de-stresser, it just requires a little work at the beginning then pop it into the oven to do the rest. The rice is easily fluffed up with a fork and the peas and leaks give a mellow sweet flavour. Cooking the chicken on top of the rice allows the steam given off the ability to create a succulent and moist chicken packed with flavour. It is also as important to remove the lid halfway through cooking so that the chicken skin can crisp up, after all who wants damp soggy chicken skin?

If you like to watch recipes, check out my You tube channel and subscribe. Give any recipes you like a thumbs up. Link below recipe.

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Chocolate Banana Cake (Vegan Recipe)

October 31, 2019October 31, 20193 Comments

I came up with this recipe for a vegan friend, I love the cake so much that it replaced the regular version of it I used to make. I think its always good to a few recipes that are universally appealing gluten free, dairy free or vegan. I like to serve everyone the same thing regardless of dietary needs. People can be so sceptical of vegan meals or bakes, automatically thinking they are inferior simply because they are vegan, when this is not the case. I have found that all the vegan cakes I have come up with have had a fantastic light crumb. Everyone loves this cake whether vegan or not.

The cake is light, fluffy and moist and so tender. The frosting is a doddle to make and is very easy to work with it makes icing a cake almost easy. One important thing to note is that the coconut cream or coconut milk must be kept in the fridge until required this will help it separate and the liquid part to sink to the bottom and the firm part stay at the top. I prefer to use coconut cream as you get more solid mass to liquid but either will work. Sometime depending on how much coconut solids I get I may need to add a teaspoon or two of the liquid to make the frosting more spreadable and get that glossy smooth texture.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

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Toad in the Hole with Onion Gravy

October 24, 2019October 24, 20196 Comments

Toad in the hole is among one of my favourite cosy and comforting meals. It’s easy and quick. The oven does most of the work, it is a dish I do when I need cosyness and it is for this reason I came up with the easy simplified onion gravy. When I need the comforting, this dish instils I do not want to be standing over the stove for 20 – 30 minutes making an onion gravy, so since the oven is on anyways I put it to use a caramelise my onions in a pan with beef stock and vermouth meaning that I only have to thicken the gravy on the hob for a few minutes and slip off the onion skin and roughly but finely chop the sweet caramelised onions.

You can of course use red wine in place of the vermouth but, I always have a bottle of vermouth in the kitchen it prevents me needing to open a bottle of wine every time I need some.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for the ultimate comforting experience.

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Guacamole Eggs – One of my favourite breakfasts

October 16, 2019October 16, 2019Leave a comment

I do love breakfast, especially on those mornings where I can take my time not that you will need much time to make this breakfast.

It consists of soft oozy poached egg on a bed of creamy smashed avocado with a confetti of warm chorizo sprinkled over and drizzled with a chilli butter sauce.

There are a few things to keep in mind when poaching eggs. Make sure you use the freshest eggs you can, or they will have lots of stringy fluffy bits (not that, that is the end of the world). Use a fridge cold egg and use either lemon juice or vinegar in the water to help the whites set. It is also a good idea to swirl the water before you slip in the egg which will make the egg while swirl around the yolk giving you a rounder poached egg. Make sure the water doesn’t boil as this can break the egg up and will cook the yolk very quickly and make it hard and, in my opinion, make it a disappointment. Finally, if you are after a perfect poached egg it is worth cracking your egg into a tea strainer and allowing the water part to drip through the strainer. It is this watery part that goes stringy and fluffy.

What are your favourite breakfast recipes? Comment below and let me know.

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Chicken, Broccoli & Spinach Pasta

October 9, 2019October 9, 2019Leave a comment

This is the sort of meal I want after a good gym session. Easy & Quick. It is loosely based on a pesto but contains no fat, instead using the starchy water the pasta has cooked in to combine and blitz into a sauce. I do often sprinkle some toasted pine nuts or flaked almonds on top but have found that the combination of whole-wheat fusilli and the caramelization from the stir-fried broccoli add a nutty flavour to the dish.

By the time the pasta has cooked the chicken and broccoli should have cooked through so its only a matter of making the sauce which takes no time at all.

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