Addictive Parmesan Cheese & Garlic Rolls

These mouthwatering cheese rolls are so good, I hardly had enough time to photograph them before they all disappeared from the tray without a trace. And to top that, they are easy to make you'll find yourself fighting the urge to make them every week.

While I was making them, a friend was visiting and I really wanted to spoil her a little bit, becoming a new mom and all. So while we were chatting away, the smell of baked goods was spreading around the house. Oh.. the magic begins...

My friend devoured them one by one and by the time she got to the third one said it was the perfect company for a cold glass of bear. So we opened up one and had a fantastic "after noon tea". 

They did go fast, they didn't even have enough time to cool, but I did manage to put a side a couple of these comfort magic balls for my darling husband to munch on when he got home. He said they were like little pizza rolls without the tomato sauce.... mmm... now that's a thought for next time! 

No Yeast! No Raising time! No waiting! Very fast and easy!

Let's bake!

To make the dough mix in a bowl the cottage cheese and yogurt (You can use a mixer if you want to but it's not a must). Sift flour, baking power, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix well. 

Add the flour mixture into the cottage cheese and mix well until a ball of dough forms. Work it a little bit until unified.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a generously floured surface to a 1/2 cm thick rectangle. 

Melt butter and mix with garlic, basil and a pinch of salt. We are going to use this mixture to spread over the dough, brush the baking tin, and brush the rolls once they are out of the oven, so son't use all of it on the dough. Scatter the cheese evenly and roll the dough starting from the wide edge to a long roll.

Trim the edges and cut rolled dough into 2 portions. Then cut each portion into 2 again. So we have 4 rolls. Now cut each roll into 3 portions to end up with 12 rolls.

Brush a muffin tin with some of the butter mixture (saving the last bit for later) and place the rolls, cut-side facing up.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until puffed and golden and the cheese is bubbly. 

Now all is left is to fight off all the little hands coming to see what smells soooooo good in the kitchen.

Cheese & Garlic Rolls

Great for entertaining, superb as a quick breakfast.

Makes 12 prep: 10min cook: 20min

Adapted from "My Sweets" by Chen Shoukroon

For the dough:

250 gr Cottage cheese

200 gr Plain yogurt 

350 gr Plain flour

10 gr Baking powder

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp Salt

For the Filling:

100 gr Butter

100 gr Parmesan cheese (or any other kind you like)

2 tbsp Chopped fresh Basil

4 Cloves of garlic crushed

Pinch of salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200°C. 

Mix in a bowl cottage cheese and yogurt.

Sift flour, baking power, bicarbonate of soda. Add salt and mix well. 

Add the flour mixture into the cottage cheese one and mix well until a ball of dough forms. Work it a little bit until unified.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a generously floured surface to a large rectangle until 1/2 cm thick. 

Melt butter in the microwave, and mix with garlic, basil and a pinch of salt Spread half of the butter mixture onto the dough (Remember, save some for late). 

Coarsely grate cheese and scatter evenly on top of the butter.

Roll the dough into a long roll starting from the wide edge.

Using a sharp knife trim the uneven edges.

Cut the roll into 2 portions. Then cut each portion into 2 again. So we have 4 rolls. Now cut each roll into 3 portions to end up with 12 rolls.

Brush the muffin tin with some of the butter mixture (saving the last bit for later) and place each roll in a hole cut side facing up.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until rolls puffed and golden and the cheese is bubbly. 

Notes:

1. In my old oven the baking process took 20 minutes. Different ovens will have different baking times.

Happy days my friends. Happy days.

Halva and Coffee Cheesecake

One of my favorite holidays is Shavuot. Why? Because this is the time of year to appreciate the fruit of the land and more importantly eat cheese dishes, until you can't cheese no more. Cheese quiches and frittatas, cheese filled pastries, Cheese puffs, Cheese sticks, Feta and goat cheese salads, creamed pastas and potatoes and the highlight of the night, cheesecakes in different colors, shapes, sizes and flavors will be loaded in abundance to the Shavuot dinner table. How can you not love a holiday that encourages you to have as much cheese as you want, and than some more. 

So with cheesy ideas in mind I went on looking for the perfect cheesecake to bring to the Shavuot table. I love all cheesecakes, the lemony ones, the all berries ones and surely the New York baked cheesecakes. But this time I wanted something really special for the holiday, something full of flavor that will stand out of all the cheesecakes anyone had before. And there it was, I found this recipe in one of my favorite sweet sites  "My sweets" (מתוקים שלי) published by Chen Shoukroon. This wonderful, rich, full flavored cheesecake with halva and coffee was everything I was looking for. And so it was my friends, so it was. I changed a few things to fit the local supermarket but I tried to be as loyal as I can to the original recipe. 

Cheesecakes in general you would make a day ahead of the event and this little beauty can wait in the fridge even 2-3 days before you serve it. So it does take some planing, but when it comes to cheesecakes, it's worth the wait. Don't forget to frost the cake only on the day you plan on serving it, and remember to plan ahead.

O.K. here we go...

All excited and ready to go!



 To make the biscuit base, place biscuits in a food processor and process until resembles breadcrumbs. Add melted butter and process for a few more seconds until combined.



Press the biscuit mixture to the base and sides of the pan using a cup or the back of a spoon.

To make the filling, place cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer. I have an electric beater and it works wonders. So if you don't own an electric mixer don't get discouraged just use what you have.



Beat for a few minutes until combined.

Add the halva and mix well.

Add eggs one at a time and mix after each one until completely incorporated in the mixture.



Add cream and beat until combined.



Add the coffee liquor and mix again until smooth. You can replace the liquor with 2 teaspoons of instant coffee melted in 1/4 cup hot water. Let it cool before adding to the filling.

Pour the mixture gently onto to the prepared pan and shake pan lightly for a smooth surface.

It's time to make the chocolate topping. Make the topping on the day you serve the cake so it wont dry out and crack. Pour hot cream onto the chocolate and stir until completely melted.

Pour chocolate onto chilled cheesecake and swivel around to cover the top evenly.

After chilling in the fridge it's time to decorate the cake with the leftover chocolate.

Warning! This cake is not for the faint of heart.

Once you start there is no turning back!

Halva and Coffee Cheesecake

Decadent rich dessert for a special night. 

Makes 16 prep: 30min cook: 80min 

Ingredients: 

250 gr      Chocolate or plain biscuits
120 gr      Unsalted butter

For the filling:

1 kg         Cream cheese at room temperature
150 gr      Raw sugar or Castor sugar
4              Eggs at room temperature
350 gr      Vanilla Halva
60 ml       Coffee liquor
125 ml     Thick cream

For the frosting:
150 ml     Thick cream
150 gr      Dark Chocolate
1 tbs        Coffee liquor

Preparation: 

Line 24cm spring-form baking pan with baking parchment, bottom and sides.
Melt butter and set aside to cool. Place biscuits in a food processor and process until resembles breadcrumbs. Add melted butter and process for a few more seconds until combined.
Transfer the biscuit mixture to the prepared pan and press to the base and sides using a cup or a spoon. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
In the meantime preheat oven to 160°C (Fan is not recommended).  
Place chilled pan in the oven and bake for 10 min. Cool completely.

To make the filling: Place cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Add the halva and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix after each one until well combined. Add the coffee liquor and cream and mix again until smooth. Use a spatula when needed to scrape the edge of the bowl to make sure you have a unified mixture.
Pour the mixture gently into the prepared pan with the chilled base. Bake for 80 minutes. The cake should be light golden on top and still wobbly. 
Cool in the oven for 10 min with the door ajar. Take out of the oven and cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge overnight.


The next day make the topping: Chop chocolate and place in a heatproof bawl. In a small saucepan heat cream until just reaches boiling point and pour over the chocolate. Put aside for a minute or two and then stir well until smooth. Add the coffee liquor and stir to combine. If too hot let it cool down a little before pouring onto the cold cheesecake. Pour 2/3 of the topping over the chilled cake. Swivel the pan so the chocolate evens out all over the surface. Return to fridge for another hour. Chill the rest of the chocolate in the freezer for an hour or so before transferring into a piping bag.  Use the remaining chocolate mixture to decorate as desired. I used a small round piping nozzle for the edges. For the center of the cake I used the back of  a tea spoon. 

Notes:
1. For the filling I recommend 500 gr full cream cheese and 500 gr light or even super light cream cheese.Otherwise the end result might be too rich.  
2. In my old oven it took 80 min to golden. The baking time might change with your oven, check the cake after 70 minutes and see if it's going well.
3. Usually cheesecakes are made one day ahead, they just get better the more the stay in the fridge.
4. Wait with the frosting step until the day you plan on serving it.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you. 

Feta Cheese & Sour Cream Boorekas

These scrumptious feta cheese filled puff triangles, are a traditional street food in Israel, my home country. The best ones will be sold out of a cart or a tiny bakery and will be accompanied by a boiled egg and pickles. Also they are a big part of any celebration and are consumed over the weekend by the kilos. They come in many shapes and fillings like potato, mushroom, and even eggplant, but the most popular ones are the feta cheese or feta cheese & spinach. They are also recognizable with other nationalities such as Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans. 

What I love about them, is that they are very quick and easy to make, suits any occasion and are versatile. I made them yesterday for a light weekend lunch accompanied with fresh vegetables and herbs. 

When it comes to pastry I'm more of a "make it yourself" kind of person, there is nothing like a home made fresh pastry. But when it's puff pastry we are talking about, it's a laborious way to make something very simple. Sure you can't argue with the beautiful crisp outcome of a thousand layers of heaven, but it can be challenging making it work and creating those gorges layers of buttered pastry. So I use good quality store bought puff pastry sheets with butter and take them out of the freezer to defrost 5 minutes before I start.

  

Cut every sheet into 4 equal squares with a sharp knife. Cut into 9 squares if you fancy, for even smaller party snacks. You will get a mountain of them.

 Mix the Feta cheese with the sour cream and black paper. Make sure the mixture is not too runny or it will be impossible to seal the triangles. Also not too dry or it won't be as pleasant to eat.

 Place a table spoon of the filling in the center of each pastry square.

Fold each square to create a triangle and press edges with fingertips to seal it properly. If the triangles are not sealed well the filling will ooze out of the pastry during baking time.

Press the edges with a fork to create a nice pattern. It's not a must but it looks nice, it take no time and it help making sure the triangles are sealed properly.

Place triangles on the prepared tray lined with parchment paper. You can place them close to each other but not touching because they do tend to stick to one another. Placing them in a square shape will save some room on the tray for baking more at a time.

Beat together egg yolk and milk for a nice wash.

Brush triangles with the egg yolk mixture.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds, and pop into the preheated oven.

These are best straight out of the oven.

Warning! Do not blink or turn your back on them, they will be gone within seconds.

Feta & Sour Cream Boorekas

Wonderful option for a light meal or entertainment.

Makes 16 prep: 20min cook: 15min 

Ingredients: 

4 sheet       Puff pastry defrosted
1                Egg yolk
1 tbs          Milk
2 tbs          Poppy seeds or sesame seeds

For the filling:

200 gr        Feta cheese (Greek or danish style)

1/2 cup      Sour cream
A sprinkle of black pepper


Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced. Line a baking try with baking parchment.
Cut pastry sheets with a sharp knife into 4 equal squares.  

In a medium size bawl break the feta cheese and mash it with a fork. Mix in the sour cream and a sprinkle of black paper. 

Place a table spoon of the filling in the center of each pastry square.

Fold each square to create a triangle and press edges with fingertips to seal it properly.

Press the edges with a fork to create a nice pattern and place on the prepared tray (you might be able to fit 4 -6 at a time depending on the size of your baking tray).

Make the egg wash by beating the egg yolk and milk in a small bawl.

Brush triangles with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Pop into the oven and bake in batches for 15-20 minutes or until golden. 

When golden I like to turn them to the other side and bake for 5 more minuets to crisp them up even more.  

As I said before once they are out of the oven keep an eye on them...

Notes:
1. You can try and play a little with filling, try Ricotta instead of cream cheese or make mash potato's and use that for a filling. 
2. In my old oven it took about 15 min to bake. The baking time might change with your oven.
3. Unfortunately like any other puff pastry products its not the same the next day. 
4. Freezing in not recommended.


I would love to know what you think about my new blog, what you would love to see here and if you bake any of the recipes I put up here please share your experience with me. Looking forward to hearing from you.