Lorraine Pascales Parmesan Poppy Seed Lollipops Recipes

LORRAINE PASCALE'S PARMESAN & POPPY SEED LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 425°F/ gas mark 7. Line two large baking trays with greased baking paper. Toss the cheese and seeds together in a small bowl. Sit a 9cm ring or cookie cutter on one of the baking trays and sprinkle a small handful of the cheese mixture into it, in a thin layer.
• Carefully lift the ring off to reveal a neat-edged disc of Parmesan and lay a lollipop stick on top, with the tip of the stick touching the middle of the disc. Repeat with the remaining cheese and sticks to make 10 in total (leaving about 3cm spaces between them to allow for any spreading during cooking).
• You should have a little Parmesan left over, so use it to cover up the part of the lollipop stick resting on the disc. Bake in the oven for five minutes, swapping to a different shelf halfway through. The cheese should be lightly golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and slide the paper off the baking trays and onto a rack to help speed up cooling.
• Leave to cool for one to two minutes until the lollipops have become crisp. Very carefully remove each one with a palette knife.Baking Made Easy

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Put the cookies into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until crumbled. Add the butter and pulse until well combined. Scrape the crumbs into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Using the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan, press down very hard all the way around so that the crumbs are flat and even.
• Put the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and mix together gently, this will take only a few turns of the spoon. Melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, or you can do this in the microwave. Pour a quarter of the chocolate into a small bowl, add the oil, set aside and keep warm.
• Now add a large dollop of the cream cheese mixture into the large bowl of chocolate and stir well to combine. Add another dollop of cream cheese mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Keep adding the cream cheese mixture, one dollop at a time, and mixing it like mad until the chocolate mixture begins to look uniform, smooth and silky. At this point, add the remaining cream cheese mixture into the chocolate mixture and mix together until it is completely incorporated.
• Pour the mixture on top of the biscuit base and use the back of a large spoon to smooth the top. Press it down well so there are no gaps. Put the cheesecake in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, or the freezer for 10 minutes, until the chocolate top is beginning to firm up a little. It won't be totally hard, but it will begin to feel a bit tacky.
• Five minutes before the cheesecake is ready, melt the white chocolate and make sure the milk chocolate is nice and runny. You can warm it in a microwave for 20 seconds if it has hardened. Now remove the cheesecake from the fridge and, acting quickly, pour the milk chocolate over the top, spreading it out as you go until the top is completely covered. For a smooth finish, pick up the cheesecake and tilt it back and forth, letting the chocolate run over and cover the cream cheese filling. Now drizzle white chocolate lines across the top about 1/2-inch apart. The neatest way to do this is by putting the chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a very small nozzle. Place the cheesecake so the lines are running towards you, then take a toothpick and drag it from left to right, 1/2-inch apart so you have a grid. Then drag the toothpick from right to left between the lines that you have just made. You will need to do this quite quickly so the chocolate lines are still runny.
• Leave the cheesecake in a cool place to set for about 2 hours.
• When you are ready to serve, run a knife around the inside of the pan and remove the outside of the pan. Serve in wedges with a drizzle of heavy cream.

SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla seeds in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes. (Don't overmix or your cookies will not stay in shape when they bake.) Add the egg and mix just to combine, then add the flour, ginger and cinnamon and mix until it all looks uniform.
• Squidge the mixture into a ball and then pat it down into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, in the fridge for about 20 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Once firm, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick, then cut out your cookies using any cutter you like. You may need to re-roll the dough a couple of times to cut out all your cookies. If the dough gets too soft, put it back in the freezer/fridge to firm up. Put the cut-out cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up before baking, so they don't spread too much in the oven.
• Bake until the cookies are just turning golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating with Royal Icing and your favorite sprinkles.
• Add the egg whites to a bowl and whisk until frothy soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar gradually, mixing until the royal icing is uniform and nice and shiny. Add the lemon juice and whisk a little more to incorporate.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU MADE THAT" CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line the cake pan with parchment paper and brush or spray with oil. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until they begin to go pale. Add half the eggs and the all-purpose flour and mix well. Add the rest of the eggs, cake flour, unsweetened cocoa, salt, and baking powder and beat for a minute or two until the mixture is uniform. Dollop into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan.
• Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Put the butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl and whisk together until the mixture begins to go fluffy. Add the cooled melted chocolate and whisk for a further 2 minutes.
• Once the cake is completely cool, remove from the pan. Carefully cut the top flat with a large serrated knife. (Eat this bit as a chef's perk.) Turn the cake upside down on an 8in (20cm) cake board so that the bottom now becomes a nice flat top. Split the cake horizontally and sandwich the top and bottom together with a 1/2in (1cm) layer of buttercream. Spread half the remaining buttercream all over the top and sides of the cake, making it as smooth as possible. Put it in the refrigerator to set before doing another layer. This makes it much easier to get good squared-off edges.
• Gently push the cigarillos or wafers vertically onto the sides of the cake, positioning them as straight as possible and making sure they touch the bottom. The next step is up to you. I can't tell you the wide-eyed looks you'll get when you walk into the room holding the finished cake. Decorate with fresh flowers for a Christening or wedding, strawberries for a big family gathering, or with figs for a man's birthday. Serve with a self-satisfied grin.