Beetroot Cheesecake

If someone told me fifteen years ago that I'd develop a recipe including beets, I would probably have called them crazy. I didn't like this vegetable at all, and every time my mother told me to try it at least once, I refused categorically. Only when I left home for the South of France, and a friend cooked a beet soup (because I liked the pink color so much) I started appreciating its flavour. I think this is mostly due because it weren't the store bought cooked ones, but she roasted the fresh beets before blending them into soup. Anyways, from that moment on, I started to test several recipes ranging from roasted beetroot fries to beetroot curry or bourguignon. The latest favourite beet thing is the juice. Mixed with ginger and apples it gives you such a great boost.

When travelling over the last few years, I also discovered savoury cheesecakes. Most of them included goat cheese, which I don't like so much. And that's when I thought that I should make my own recipe. The first one I made was a salmon cheesecake, which was not bad but still needs some fine-tuning. Then I thought about a juicier one, and that's when the base of this very cheesecake was build. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do. 

For one cheesecake you need:

100g butter

200g crackers

3cm fresh ginger

3gelatine sheets

200g cooked beets

450g cream cheese

150ml liquid cream 

pink radish sprouts

salt & pepper

First soften the gelatine sheets in a little cold water. 

To prepare the base, melt the butter in a saucepan. Put the crackers into your food processor and blitz into chunky crumbs. In a bowl, combine the butter and crackers, then grate 1cm of fresh peeled ginger into it. 

Line a 22cm springform with baking paper, then put the cracker crumbs into it and press to form an even base. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can start preparing the topping. Grate the remaining 2cm of fresh ginger and blend the cooked beetroot. In a large bowl whisk together the beets, ginger and cream cheese until well combined. 

Bring the liquid cream to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in the gelatine. Before adding the gelatine, make sure to squeeze out all the water. Pour the cream on the cream cheese and mix again. 

Now remove the base from the refrigerator and top the cracker crumbs with the beetroot cream cheese. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. 

Before serving the cake, remove from the springform and put onto a serving plate. I chose to place pink radish sprouts onto the cake, to give it a little extra fresh kick. 

Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?

Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)

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Gromperekichelcher

Luxemburgers love Gromperekichelcher! It's somehow in our DNA. The Swiss have their Rösti and we have our Gromperekichelcher. This very simple Luxembourg classic is the highlight at every funfair. Back in the days, our grandmas used to prepare them for family gatherings. My grandma used to serve the potato fritters with our traditional vegetable soup. 

Even though everyone loves Gromperekichelcher over here, I only like them homemade. At the funfairs or other public events, I find them way too greasy and too bland. Making them at home is always nice because you can juggle with spices and herbs. 

For 25 Gromperekichelcher you need:

10 medium potatoes

2 eggs

a bunch of parsley

1 garlic clove

2 shallots

25g butter

110 ml sunflower oil

salt

pepper

nutmeg

Apple compote

First wash the potatoes. Peel the three vegetables and grate them (one by one) either manually or with a food processor. Now put the potatoes in a cloth and press all the moisture out. Put the above mentioned ingredients into a bowl, chop the parsley and add to the potato mixture as well. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Heat butter and oil into a frying pan until they start bubbling.

Drop a heaped tablespoon of the potato mix into the pan, flatten and fry on each side for about 2 minutes. Then take out of the pan and lay on a plate lined with kitchen paper in order to absorb part of the grease. Repeat.

We usually serve the Gromperekichelcher with apple compote. 

Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?

Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)

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Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Guess who's back, back again? Almost one year of silence on the blog or how I like to call it: creative break. It's not that I was not motivated creating new recipes, but I felt like I had to think this whole blogging situation through and find out where I really want to head to with the blog and the brand. The many positive messages from my followers and the kind words from my friends made me rethink about retiring as a blogger. I did a lot of recipe testing tough, and I promise you won't be disappointed about the results. 

To celebrate the end of a long break, I decided to spoil you with coconut chocolate chip cookies! Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, they definitely lighten up rainy autumn days. I chose to add grated coconut, to give the ordinary chocolate chip cookie a little twist. After having a few throughout the weekend, I came to a promising conclusion: these delights should be on everybody's table at a tea party, but be careful - they are addictive. 

For around 40 cookies you need:

380g flour

350g sugar

190g grated coconut

250g butter

350g chocolate chips

1 egg

1 pinch of sea salt

1 large pinch of vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 150°

In a large bowl whisk together the butter and the sugar until well combined. Add the egg and mix again.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients: flour, vanilla, salt, baking powder, grated coconut and chocolate chips.

Fold in the dry ingredients to the liquid ones and mix until everything is well combined.

Finally put one tablespoon of cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Slightly flatten the dough with your fingers. Be careful to leave enough space between the cookies, as they will spread while baking. 

Bake the cookies 15 to 20 minutes. 

The cookies will be a bit soft when you take them out of the oven, that's why you should leave them cooling down on the baking tray for several minutes before placing them on a wire rack and leave to cool completely. 

Enjoy!!!

Are you planning on making this recipe? Or have you already tried it?

Then show me your creations on Instagram: @passionmeetscreativity  I'm looking forward to your comments & suggestions :)

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