It's cooking time!

I love cooking, and the sophisticated way of baking, you know, the kind where you don't get your hands dirty. Just pop stuff into a bowl and mix it up, and into the oven. Et voíla, fabulous baked goods! Christmas is a good time for that.

First of I just want to show you my fabulous marcipan treats, that I'm giving to my parents because I made the mistake of adding fruit flavoured stuff to it, and I simply can't keep it down.



It's just one of the jollies you get around the holidays.

Now on to what's really the matter. In Denmark we celebrate Christmas on the 24th because, we all know that's the correct day. We eat candy and other goodies all day long, watch TV, stress about the duck slowly roasting in the oven and guests start invading your home. The dinner at my parents house was the traditional roast duck, pork roast with cracklings, white potatoes, brown (or candied) potatoes and red cabbage. For dessert we always had ris a la mande or rice pudding with almonds topped with warm cherry sauce on top. Nobody can make that but your own mother. That's what they say, and my mothers is famous far and wide for being the best.

Why tamper with perfection? I won't be getting into that, when I'm celebrating Christmas in my own home this year. My parents are celebrating with evil bro and his spawn of satan this year. I like doing it alone, which is why I started my own traditions. This year I'm making Christmas cheesecake. How about that! There isn't much Christmas about it except it will be consumed at Christmas. This is how you do it - it's fairly easy!



You need what you see above

½ liter of cream (for whipping not beating, because it's eggs you beat)
200 gram of Digestive biscuits
125 gram of butter
200 gram of cream cheese (no added flavours or garlic cheesecake anyone?)
1 deciliter of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar

One



Melt butter, and while that happens you bash the Digestive biscuits. I like to put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin while yelling "why are you home so late?" and "were you out having fun with the guys, I'll give you FUN!". You could also mix it up, or if you don't have a rolling pin, put them in a bag and slam it against the cupboards repeatedly while yelling "go back to that tramp again, you two-timing bastard!". Or you could go diva and scream "No wire hangers EVER!". I like that last one combined with the rolling pin.

Two



Mix the bashed Digestive biscuit into the butter and stir (simply just stir it Una) into the melted butter

Three



Put the bashed Digestive (now with the added glory of the butter) into one of those springform pans (the ones where the sides are detachable) and store in cool place until later

Four



Mix the cream cheese, vanilla sugar and icing sugar in a bowl. Come on everyone, say it with me - Your gravy is lumpy Pam, then simply just stir it Una! No lumps for us.

Five

Whip the cream - where's Indy when you need him! Unlike melting butter, I'm sure you all know how to make whipped cream. You cannot use the crap from the cans.

Six



Mix a bit of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Just whisk away, this is no time to be gentle. I'm from the Nigella style of cooking where we aren't too careful about licking or whipping.

Six - continued



Fold the rest of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, first not so gentle, but then be more and more gentle as you add the rest. We want it to be light and airy. Like my brain when I see tinsel.

Uuuuuh! Tinsel!!

Um, where was I?

Oh yes!

Seven



Bring out the springform pan with the Digestive biscuit crust. It's cooled down a bit now. The task is now to add the cream cheesy whipped cream filling into the pan. Don't be too fussy about the look of it. It's not meant to be all neat. Make it rustic if you like.

Eight



Wrap it up, and put it in the fridge until tomorrow.

Ok, because I know you are curious, this is the rest of my fridge



Tomorrow before you consume it, you can decorate it. In the original recipe it says to add black currant jam and chopped pistachios. I however, have had much success adding French unsweetened black cherry jam on top.

My response to whatever you add?

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. I prefer it the way it was, without all the extras.