Lemon and Lime CheatsCake

On a search through the cupboard (looking for an elusive tin of chickpeas) we spotted a can of condensed milk and wondered what we could make to use it up.  As Sous Chef J is a fan of all things citrus we decided to try to make something similar to a key lime pie.

However, after 'auditing' supplies, we realised there weren't enough limes to make a lime pie... but we had lemons too and, so, lemon and lime was the citrus blend we decided to go with.  On the day we made this, it was quite warm (strangely, for a UK summer!) and we didn't want to have to use the oven to cook it (which some internet recipes require.)  This made us think of alternatives and we decided on a no-cook biscuit base.

With our pudding in mind, we gathered all the ingredients together.  There was a pot of double cream,  200g of gluten free digestives (we used Tesco free from) and 100g of butter to add to the condensed milk and lemons and limes.

The biscuits were crushed (you could whiz them in a food processor) and, whilst this was happening, the butter was melted.  Next the melted butter was added to the biscuit crumb and mixed well.  This was then spread out evenly over the base of a well greased, 20cm spring form tin and placed in the fridge to chill.

The double cream and condensed milk were then whisked together.  After squeezing and zesting the lemons and limes, the juice and zest was added to the cream/milk and mixed well.  This was then spooned over the chilled biscuit base and returned to the fridge to set.

Just prior to serving, the top of the cake was decorated with slices of lemon and lime and the springform tin was (carefully) removed.



Then it was time for the 'will it stay together' and taste test.  Luckily, it DID stay together and it tasted "yummy" too.

Our Lemon and Lime CheatsCake... named because it's not really a cheesecake but has similarities.  Whatever it is, it's tasty and doesn't last long!

Individual Chocolate Cheesecakes

When Sous Chef J saw Cadbury's Philadelphia cream cheese packs in the chiller cabinet at the supermarker he thought he "might like to try it".  So, a pack was bought.  It's been in the fridge a while and, in an attempt to use it up, we decided to make our own mini-cheesecakes.

Gathering together the ingredients didn't take long and in a short time Sous Chef J was ready to get started on the day's mission to create.  We used 10 gluten free digestives, a knob of butter and a pot of aforementioned chocolate cheese.

First of all the butter was melted over a low heat.  Whilst this happened Sous Chef J used a rolling pin to turn the gluten free biscuits into crumbs.

Once the biscuits were crumbs, the melted butter was added to the bowl and everything was mixed together.

Then it was time to add the biscuit mix to the base of the ramekin dishes.  Once divided equally, the mix was pressed down firmly and then the dishes were chilled for about an hour.

When the bases had been cooled, the chocolate cheese was opened up... although to be honest, it's far more chocolate spread-like texture than cheese.  Rather thinner and less 'gloopy' than we were expecting.

Undeterred, we set about dividing the pot's contents between our three ramekins.   The toppings were smoothed to the best (of our rather pathetic) abilities.

This is what we ended up with.  Again, the pots were returned to the fridge and left whilst we went out to burn off some calories...

Finally, we were almost ready for our easy to make cheats' cheesecake... however, there was a pot of double cream calling to us when we opened the fridge door (those of you who follow us on twitter may realise this means that the use by date was upon us/near)  So we poured a little cream into a pot and whipped it BY HAND... and when I say "we" I mean ME... Sous Chef J claimed muscle weakness as his defence and offered, most gallantly, to lick the whisk once I'd whipped the cream!

Once my upper arm was burning, in that "I've done too much" way, the cream was ready to be added to the dishes.  A few chocolate sprinkly/chunklet thingies were liberally added and then we all dived in.

All in all, it was a tasty dessert and was very simple to make.  Easy to 'create' in advance and not too challenging to eat (important for Sous Chef J.)  This is the first time we've had a cheesecake of any type since adopting the Gluten Free lifestyle.  It was pretty filling but we all struggled through and managed to clear our pots!