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Tag Archives: Adriano Zumbo

I Can’t Believe it’s Not Cheesecake!

22 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by Joanna in Food, Sweets

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Adriano Zumbo, Cheesecake, Dairy Free, dessert, Fruit Dessert, Gluten Free, Healthy Dessert, Paleo, raw, Sweets, vegetarian

The cheesecake you're having when you're not having cheesecake

TSL’s Cheesecake
The cheesecake you’re having when you’re not having cheesecake!
(Image by TSL)

You know that saying? The one about hoofbeats? It goes something along the lines of,  ‘When you hear hoofbeats behind you, think horses, not zebras.‘ That one. Well, in this case – don’t. Think horses, that is.

I mean in this case it looks like cheesecake, but it’s not. And, while it tastes pretty damn fine, it doesn’t taste a lot like cheesecake, either… Rather, it tastes nutty and creamy, with a wee citrus hit, coupled with raspberries.

LM’s dairy allergy has seriously curtailed his desert habit. Despite divorcing Adriano Zumbo* well over a year ago, he still misses all things cream-y, custard-y, ice cream-y, mousse-y… you get the picture. So, every now and then, I try to surprise him with a treat. Some treats work better than others! Last night, it was this wee number.

And, it ain’t half bad…

You could easily play around with the fruit topping for this – it is just puréed fruit, after all. If mangoes are still in season next time I make this, I reckon that could be the go.

I can't Believe it's Not Cheesecake

  • Servings: 8-12
  • Time: 2.5 Hours (including soaking nuts)
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
The cheesecake you're having when you're not having cheesecake

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

For the Base

3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp coconut oil  (or butter)
5 Medjool dates**

For the Filling

3 cups of cashews (soaked for 1 hour in water) this will soften them so they will make a cheesecake consistency
1/2 cup filtered water
3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice (I used about half & half)
3/4 cup of coconut oil
3/4 cup of raw honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
1/2 teaspoon of salt

For the Topping

2 cups frozen raspberries (defrosted)

Method

For the Base

Lightly grease your cake tin with coconut oil/butter. I used a 22cm springform tin, but anything close to this size will work.

Place the walnuts and hazelnuts into your food processor. Blitz until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the desiccated coconut, coconut oil/butter, tahini, dates and salt. Pulse until it looks like wet sand.

Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the base of your cake tin. Place the tin in the freezer.

For the Filling

Put all ingredients for the filling into your food processor and mix on high until it is a thick cake mix consistency.

Remove the cake tin from the freezer and pour the filling over your base. Tap the pan on your bench a couple of times to ensure there are no air pockets.

Place the tin back into the freezer. 

For the Topping

Place your raspberries into your food processor and blitz on high. Pour over the top of your cake.

Place it back in the freezer for 1 hour.

Remove from the freezer and place n the fridge until ready to serve.

* there were three of us in this relationship. Now, we are back to a more manageable two.

**If you are using the more common smaller dried dates, try increasing to 8 and soaking in water for ten minutes before using.

I Have a Wee Crush on John Derian

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Joanna in Design

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

Adriano Zumbo, Art, Astier de Villatte, Ceramics, craft, Decoupage, East Village, Homewares, John Derian, New York, Paper, Shopping, Tableware, Travel

I wasn’t going to say anything, but it’s true. Don’t get too excited, though. I met him (briefly) last year, expressed my love for his beautiful work, and when it was clear he didn’t feel the same way about me, I picked myself up and under the guise of ‘retail therapy’ proceeded to spend a small fortune in his two, to-die-for shops in the East Village (and then tried to work out how to get my loot home to Sydney). I could have gone back every day of our visit to New York.

Are you getting the picture? I am a h u g e fan of John Derian’s work. HUGE.*

Here’s my favourite John Derian purchase (so far)…

Image of John Derian's Cache Pot 'Frogs'

John Derian’s ‘Frogs’ Cache Pot 
(Image © John Derian)

If you are not yet familiar with John Derian’s work, it is absolutely gorgeous. Truly. John (and his wonderful team) have been making découpage homewares since 1989. His production studio is neatly tucked away on 2nd street in New York’s East Village. He collects 18th century imagery, which he then lovingly transforms into beautiful découpage pieces. When you visit his gorgeous découpage shop, the sheer number of options suggests that this old craft is easy to create. It isn’t. Trust me, I have tried it!

Now that we’ve determined that John Derian is a legend in his own lunch-box, I feel I need to let you know that découpage does have one major down-side. Because it’s a paper-based craft, water is the enemy of any découpaged piece. So, pretty to look at, but at times, not the most practical…

Now I’m learning that John Derian has teamed up with the almost-as-fabulous people at Astier de Villatte, the French company known for their beautifully imperfect white ceramic tableware. Together, they have created a 29-piece range of tableware with illustrations drawn from antique book-plates and ephemera.

Have a look at these (it’s ok to drool. I did)…

Image of John Derian's Knife & Fork Saucer for Astier de Villatte

John Derian ‘Knife & Fork Saucer’ for Astier de Villatte
(Image © Astier de Villatte)

Image of John Derian 'Blue Butterfly' Dinner Plate for Astier de Villatte

John Derian ‘Blue Butterfly’ Dinner Plate for Astier de Villatte
(Image © Astier de Villatte)

Image of John Derian 'Ladybird' Soup Plate for Astier de Villatte

John Derian ‘Ladybird Soup Plate’ for Astier de Villatte
(Image © Astier de Villatte)

Image of John Derian 'Round Chair Platter' for Astier de Villatte

John Derian ‘Round Chair Platter’ for Astier de Villatte
(Image © Astier de Villatte)

Image of John Derian 'Large Flower Plate' for Astier de Villatte

John Derian ‘Large Flower Plate’ for Astier de Villatte
(Image © Astier de Villatte)

Image of John Derian Mug for Astier de Villatte

John Derian Mug for Astier de Villatte
(Image © Astier de Villatte)

I think if I won the lottery tomorrow, I would buy myself a whole dinner set of these. [swoon]

John Derian’s original (découpage & imported goods) shop is located at 6 East Second Street in New York. Bookmark it for next time you visit. It is so gorgeous. Alternatively, check out the beautiful and comprehensive website here. It is frightfully expensive to ship his work to Australia, but it can be done.

Astier de Villatte also have a seriously impressive website here.

*Just in case you’re wondering, LM has a man-crush on Adriano Zumbo. That’s why I get away with having a crush on John Derian. If you don’t know who Adriano Zumbo is, please check him out here before you plan any trips to Sydney!

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