Hazelnut toffees

These pretty little hazelnut toffees are one of the all time favourites, and perfect Christmas presents. They are very easy to make and I really enjoy pouring the toffee mixture into those small coloured metal cups. These toffees remind me of my childhood, and how toffee was a special treat then. It's nice to make these at Christmas time and memorize the good old days. 

Ingredients:

makes about 40 toffees

2 1/2 dl white sugar

2 dl cream

1 1/2 dl milled hazelnuts (you could use almond too)

25g butter

1. Pour th sugar into a big kettle and let it get a nice light brown colour. Be careful not to fry it too long. Add the cream and let the caramel bubble up. Cook until the caramel thickens and it simmers with big bubbles. The caramel's temperature should be 120°C so that it will harden properly. 

2. Add the butter and the milled nuts, mix well. Pour into small aluminium cups, put in the fridge overnight. Store in the fridge. 

Banoffee Cheesecake

We had planned to spend an evening watching Gossip Girl series with my friends, and of course to eat some delicious food...And I just couldn't resist baking a cake, and it had to be a cheesecake of course, because it's my favourite. For a moment I considered baking a banoffee cake, I've heard so much about it and it's the new trend cake. After a long thinking session and some researching in the net I found recipe for banoffee cheesecake, and TADAA, my problem was solved! I hope the cake is good, I have to wait until the evening for the tasting, but at least it looks very very good, and I'm waiting forward for the evening!!

Banoffee Cheesecake

Crust:

85 g [1/3 cup] butter - melted

200 g digestive biscuits - crushed

Filling:

600 g philadelphia cream cheese

3 large eggs

2 Tbsp cornflour

140 g [heaping 2/3 cup] golden caster sugar

finely grated zest of lemon

1 tsp vanilla

Toffee Sauce:

50 g butter

100 g [1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp] light muscovado sugar

142 ml [1/3 cup + 1/4 cup] double/heavy cream

Toppings:

2 medium bananas - sliced thickly

fresh lemon juice

284 ml [1 cup + 2 Tbsp] whipping or double cream

Preheat oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4.

For the crust:

1. Mix melted butter with the biscuit crumbs and press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 23cm springform pan (preferably non-stick).

For the filling:

1. Beat all the ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer until well combined.

2. Pour into the cake pan set on a baking sheet making sure to level off the top.

3. Bake for 50 minutes until golden brown. The top will be a little wobbly but it will set as it cools. Turn the oven off and leave the oven door open leaving the cheesecake to cool completely inside.

For the toffee sauce:

1. Melt the butter gently with the double cream and sugar in a saucepan while continously stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let it gently boil briefly.

For the topping:

1. Whip the whipping cream to soft peaks.

2. Squeeze some lemon juice onto the sliced bananas.

To assemble:

1. Put the whipped cream on the cooled cheesecake in a swirling fashion.

2. Wedge the banana slices in the cream.

3. Drizzle a little toffee sauce on top and also serve on the side.