Don’t play with snakes

This dog tried to catch a copperhead snake in Australia and bit off more than he could chew. The snake wrapped itself around the dogs snout and wouldn’t let go.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1244221/Labradors-bite-worse-bark-bringing-home-deadly-snake.html

Sour Cream Cheesecake with Fresh Redcurrants

This recipe comes from South Africa, but it sure looks and sounds good! I doubt it would be easy to find these berries here in California, but you never know!

Until a week or so ago, when I saw a little box of them at my local Woolworths. I made a lunge for them, blanched at the price and then, after a brief wrestle with my conscience, crossly put them back on the grounds that its not very greeny-beany to buy stuff that's been flown in from Europe.

But I now discover that these are locally grown redcurrants, which are in season in South Africa for the next six weeks. This intelligence came from my mate Trevor, blueberry grower and fruit-packer, and his wife Cindy, number one fan of this blog. Just a week after showering me with blueberries, she, bless her cotton socks, gave me two boxes of redcurrants. (Cindy saw on Facebook that I was on my way to see my uncle in Franschhoek on Sunday and, as she was having lunch nearby, got into her car and waylaid me on the road homewards to press upon me the fresh fruit. (Reminds me of Monty Python's Self-Defence Against Fresh Fruit sketch: 'Fresh fruit not good enough for you, eh? Well let me tell you something lad! When you're walking home tonight and some great homicidal maniac comes after YOU with a bunch of loganberries, don't come cryin' to me!')



Can there be a more beautiful breed of berry? I was tempted to bake them into the filling of this cheesecake, and then thought of making a glowing red jelly to top the cake, but honestly I think they are so luscious on their own that all you need do is drape them on top of the cake, and pop them onto your tongue between mouthfuls of cheesecake.



Here is my mum's old recipe for Sour Cream Cheesecake. I used low-fat Woolies cream cheese in this recipe, but go ahead and use full-fat if that's what your heart desires. I have reduced the amount of sugar in this recipe from a cup to three-quarters of a cup; use the full amount if you have a sweet tooth. The original recipe calls for a teaspoon of lemon juice and the finely grated zest of a lemon, but as the redcurrants are tart enough on their own, I've flavoured mine with vanilla and just a whisper of cinnamon.



Sour Cream Cheesecake with Fresh Redcurrants



For the biscuit base:

1 packet (200 g) plain sweet biscuits (Marie biscuits, or digestives)

½ cup (125 ml/125 g) very soft butter



For the filling:

500 g (2 tubs) low-fat cream cheese

1 cup (250 ml) sour cream

3 large eggs

1 T (45 ml) cake flour

a pinch of salt

3/4 cup (190 ml) white sugar

1 t (5 ml) vanilla extract

½ t (2.5 ml) cinnamon



Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Crush the biscuits to a coarse powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or place them in a plastic bag and pulverise them with a rolling pin. Put the crumbs in a mixing bowl, add the soft butter and mix well. Press the mixture lightly into the base of a 22-cm, greased springform cake pan. Set aside.



Tip the cream cheese and sour cream into a mixing bowl and whisk in one of the eggs, to slacken the mixture. Now add the remaining eggs and continue whisking until you have smooth, lump-free mixture. Add the flour, salt, sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture over the prepared crumb base. Tap the sides of the pan sharply with the back of a knife to pop any air bubbles.



Put the tin on a baking sheet and place in the middle of the oven. Bake at 160ºC for an hour to an hour and a quarter (this will depend on the efficiency of your oven. It is done when it is slightly risen, developing small cracks at the edges, lightly freckled with brown, and still wobbles reluctantly when you give it a shake). Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool completely in the oven.



Remove from the tin, place on a plate, and drape artistically with redcurrants.



Makes 1 22-cm cake.

Raw Cheese cake and Deep pan pizza

Classic chicken, leek and fennel pot pie

Classic chicken, leek and fennel pot pieTotal time: About 1 1/2 hours


Servings: 8 to 10; this makes 1 (9-inch) pie.

5 cups chicken broth
1 cup diced carrot
2 1/2 pounds chicken breasts and thighs (skin on, bone-in)
1/4 pound diced bacon
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 2/3 cup)
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, rinsed and sliced into thin rounds (about 2 cups)
1 onion, diced
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice, more to taste
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

1 recipe basic savory pie dough (No. 1 or 2), chilled

1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add the carrots and reduce the heat to a simmer, cooking until the carrots are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and continue to simmer until the chicken is just cooked through (it will be firm and opaque), about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the chicken and carrots from the liquid (discard or save the liquid for another use). When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones and chop the meat roughly into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

3. Heat the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until it has browned and rendered its fat, stirring frequently, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Add the fennel, leeks and onion, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and slightly translucent. Stir in the chopped chicken and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 more minutes to marry the flavors.

4. While the vegetables are cooking, in a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until thoroughly combined to form a roux, then whisk in the milk. Increase the heat and stir constantly just until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and stir to incorporate. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, reserved bacon, rosemary and parsley. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper, or to taste, and add additional lemon juice if desired. Remove from heat.

6. Separate the chilled dough into two equal-sized balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into rounds approximately 13 inches in diameter. Line a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with 1 round, and fill with the chicken mixture. Cover with second round of dough, trim the edges and crimp to seal.

7. Brush the top of the pie gently with the lightly beaten egg and cut a few small steam vents in the top. Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake until golden and fragrant, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.


Analyzed using basic savory pie dough No. 1. Each of 10 servings: 576 calories; 24 grams protein; 37 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 37 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 131 mg. cholesterol; 5 grams sugar; 648 mg. sodium

Strawberry-Orange Muffins

We love the combination of strawberry and orange in this sweet breakfast muffin with a streusel topping. For a less conventional (but equally delicious) twist, try the basil variation. The hint of basil complements the fruity berries wonderfully.


READER'S COMMENT:

"The Muffins turned out soft! The orange zest made all the difference and the strussel toppin makes this muffins "the star". I served them as dessert. No one could guess its made with whole wheat pastry flour and no butter. I used the tip...

1 dozen muffins

Ingredients


3 tablespoons almonds

2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided

3 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest, divided (see Variation)

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup canola oil, divided

1 cup white whole-wheat flour , or whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup nonfat or low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup orange juice

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (not thawed) strawberries , (about 8 ounces)
Preparation


1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

2.Process almonds, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and stir to combine.

3.Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons orange zest and 1/4 cup oil in a medium bowl with buttermilk, orange juice, egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add strawberries; stir just to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the almond topping, gently pressing into the batter.

4.Bake the muffins until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes more before serving. Variation: For Strawberry-Basil Muffins, omit orange zest and use 1/4 cup additional buttermilk in place of orange juice. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil with the berries in Step 3.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Store, individually wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic wrap, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30-45 seconds.

Note: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat. Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Find it in the baking section of the supermarket or online at bobsredmill.com and kingarthurflour.com. Store in the freezer.

Nutrition

Per muffin: 203 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 314 mg sodium; 88 mg potassium.



Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (25% daily value).



2 Carbohydrate Serving



Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 carbohydrate (other), 2 fat