How to make: Blackberry { bramble } cheesecake!

It's no secret that I have a maaaassive sweet tooth when it comes to cheesecake - I absolutely love it! So, naturally, RE: my last blog post on foraging for blackberries, I decided there would be nothing better to do than make a bramble cheesecake! I've tried making this exact recipe with raspberries, and have always loved the results - so I was keen to try it with my salvaged blackberries. :) 

YOU WILL NEED:

• 150g Digestive Biscuits
• 75g Butter, unsalted
• 500g Cream Cheese
• 1 1/2 tbsp Plain Flour
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs
• 125ml Sour Cream
• 300g Blackberries
• 1 tbsp Icing Sugar

• 7in round pan, preferably silicone
• A baking sheet

First things first! Before you get started doing anything, you need to preheat your oven to around 180°c / 350°f / gas mark 4. Put all of your digestive biscuits into a small plastic bag, seal the end (or at least make sure your biscuits won't fall out) and - this is the fun bit, especially if you need to work out some frustration! - bash them with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs with a nice, even texture. You can do this in a food processor, but that does take away most of the fun!

Pour your biscuit crumbs into a medium-sized bowl, and melt your butter - you can either do this slowly in a saucepan or, as I tend to do, in the microwave in a little pyrex dish. In the microwave the butter only really needs around 10 - 15 seconds before it's properly melted, so just take it out and give it a stir before adding it to the bowl with your biscuit crumbs. Mix thoroughly until both the crumbs and the butter are combined.

Pop your biscuit mix into the bottom of your container and press it firmly downwards with your knuckles. As this will form the base of your cheesecake, you don't want it loose! I have heard other people suggest baking the base for five or so minutes, but I find this makes it a little too crisp for my liking - it's totally at your discretion!

In yet another bowl - a larger one this time - pour in your cream cheese, flour, vanilla extract, eggs and soured cream and use an electric whisk to combine them thoroughly. You can do this by hand, definitely, but it will take time and leave your arms aching!

Separate half of your blackberries and very gently fold them into your mix so as not to squash them. 

After you've mixed the blackberries in, you'll need to pour everything into the container you'll be using to cook the cheesecake, directly on top of your biscuit base. 

Place the container onto your baking sheet and place in the oven to bake for at least 35 minutes before checking it. If it's still not setting around the edges, give it another five minutes. You can see a pair of very helpful bullie butts reflected in the oven here - they love to get under my feet when I'm in the kitchen!

When you take it out of the oven, don't worry if it's still quite wobbly! As long as it is firmly set around the edges, with a softer centre, you'll be fine. Allow it 15 minutes to cool on the side before putting it into the fridge to chill overnight.

If you have fidgety fingers while you wait, wonderful: you can get started making your blackberry coulis! Grab a few of the blackberries leftover from earlier, put them into a small pan with your icing sugar (1 tbsp) and warm them over a low heat so that the fruit starts to weep and the sugar melts slightly. Then, with a wooden spoon, crush the fruit into a sieve over a jug so that the juice is collected beneath. Done! Keep this aside for later so that you can pour a little onto your finished cheesecake. :)

When you come to take your cheesecake out of the fridge again you'll notice how well it's set overnight - this is why it's so important to chill it overnight! Run a pallette knife gently around the edge of the bowl and carefully upend the bowl to remove your cheesecake - then just turn it the right way around and place on your serving plate.

Decorate the top of your cheesecake with whatever blackberries you have left. Don't pour your coulis on just yet though!

Mmmmm, yummy.

Now all that's left to do is to cut a slice and serve! You should manage to get around 8 decently sized pieces from this recipe if divided properly. 

Pop your slice into a bowl or onto a plate... and drizzle some coulis over the top. Voila! It's ready to eat and enjoy. :)

Berries berries berries!

Recently I've become fairly obsessive over going out for long walks with Ruby and foraging for berries (I think, mainly, for the nostalgia it gives me for my childhood) - since my move London is looming, I seem to have been reminiscing an awful lot! Growing up on the outskirts of York in a small village, the highlight of this time of year was going out with my parents and grandparents into the woods with buckets to fill with brambles; I'd come back covered in scratches and muck and blackberry juice stains and all that goodness that comes with being a youngster in the countryside (that unfortunately doesn't seem as prevalent as it was even, say, ten years ago) but with the biggest grin on my face. Sheffield is very different to York, I admit, but it has it's own kind of beauty - and I was bloody well determined to find some brambles somewhere!

I remembered I'd spotted some around on a walk with Nick this time last year, so I knew roughly where to find some, but Nick was definitely not keen on the idea of picking them at the time ("Ew, don't pick those Jess!") - what a townie! Luckily, I've since managed to convince him that my brand of crazy is actually quite fun, so this time around he begrudgingly joined Ruby and I on our quest to fill as many bags as possible with blackberries. Yay!

Ruby, nose to the ground, hunting down those berries! Or, rather, having a gentle stroll while I skipped around in hedge-bottoms; she's a very, very patient dog. Also: random greenery, simply because it was so lovely to see in such a built-up area.

Nick found this little egg shell on the ground near some bramble bushes- I think it's a pigeon, since it was fairly large. I used to go searching for eggshells in my nana's garden when I was younger, and collected them in a jar so that I could look up what bird they might have brought into the world. Nick and I were looking for the other half for a good few minutes before we gave up - it really brought back memories!
On the right is an intrepid Ruby chasing after her dad through the field where we found most of our blackberries - the good ones at least!

A cute scarecrow made by the village school. He was a bit higgledy-piggledy, but I think that rather suited him. And what a difference a year makes: Nick picking blackberries all on his own! Ruby is observing, of course.

Blackberries and elderberries! It's only early in the season for them, so there weren't all that many decently sized ones - but we got what we could, which turned out to be quite a lot! I also couldn't resist grabbing some elderberries, as with all the problems with swelling in my ribcage recently, I figured the anti-inflammatory properties of these berries might come in handy. :)

I'm not even going to attempt to explain what a massive pain in the arse it was to pick all the elderberries individually from the stems - it took me hours. Nick did help me a little but it was so incredibly monotonous that he gave up and left me to it eventually! In any case, after they were all picked, I soaked them for half an hour before running them through a sieve a couple of times to make sure they were properly cleaned - same for the blackberries. The kitchen smelled so good after! 

They're now all set in the fridge and waiting to be made into some gloriously yummy goodies. I'm so excited to get making things with them! It's been so fun going out and picking them, and it really did make me quite sad that I didn't see any evidence of other people going out and doing the same. It really was one of the funnest activities for me as a child during this time of year - and when they're right on your back door, why not? It costs £2.50 for 200g of blackberries at tesco - I picked 1.2kg! 

I feel genuinely sorry for the health-and-safety obsessed people out there that won't even consider going out and making the most of nature - you're really missing out.

Fresh Mint Tea!

Eeek, I really do need to start updating this poor blog more - it's getting so neglected! In all honesty, I've not had much motivation to post recently, despite the fact that so much has happened since my last entry. I keep meaning to--  but then stuff happens, and then more stuff happens.. and I just totally forget.

This past couple of weeks I've had a really nasty cold that unfortunately developed into a full-blown chest infection and ended up setting off my chronic Tietze syndrome - which was a massive pain in the arse (and, well, the chest.) To try and pick myself up, I made some fresh tea from the abundance of mint taking over the garden. I love mint tea but have been finding the dried stuff a bit too scratchy on my poorly throat, so I wondered if fresh was any better. It really was!

A good handful of fresh mint - not just the leaves but the stems too - cut about 4 inches down from the top of each stem. Make sure to rinse it all thoroughly if it's from the garden! It wouldn't harm to wash if you're buying fresh either. :)

Pour in your boiling water. I didn't measure how much I put in - just filled the cup as I would an ordinary tea. You do want the majority to be submerged, though. Leave it to brew for around five minutes so that the flavour is absorbed, and also so that it cools - I didn't have the patience on this part and managed to burn my tongue, which was a bit of a downer!

After five minutes... drink up and enjoy! As you can see in the picture above, it goes the most incredibly vibrant green colour -- and the smell! Yum. It's naturally a sweeter tea than most, but if you like your drinks super-sweet, a teaspoon of sugar (or half, I find is enough for me) or honey goes down very nicely. I'm also keen on trying this with a slice of lemon - I imagine it would taste lovely!

A Week of Small Adventures and Big News: The Tate Modern, V&A Museum... And University!

Just got back from another week in the big smoke- this time for trip with college. I ended up staying for a wee bit longer though, as the return journey meant we'd be back in at Sheffield station around 11 so I wouldn't be able to get home. Well, that's my excuse anyway! 

This time around, the college itinerary meant we had to do the museum circuit - starting with the Tate Modern. I know this is going to sound awful and yes, I'm an art student, blah blah blah, but I really was not looking forward to it. Some years ago, I visited the Tate in St. Ives, Cornwall -- and was hugely disappointed. I don't know if it's because of my upbringing, or a lack of 'taste', or the fact that my pursuits are focused on illustration.. but I just found the whole thing bloody ridiculous. It all seemed rather pretentious to stand around talking about the deep, resonating emotion of a wall painted red: I didn't (and still don't) get it.

I'm not going to lie: there were wall-painted-red moments at the Tate Modern, and I did laugh awkwardly at some points. However, all things considered... I did quite enjoy it! Wandering around and taking photos make the whole experience a lot more interactive, in a way. I don't think I'd have liked it quite as much if I didn't have my camera with me!

Got quite an audience for this!

Might have bought a book..  It's absolutely fascinating and I couldn't resist! I fully maintain that it wanted to come home with me. Also, silly bathroom selfies with the boyfriend were completely necessary.

Next up on my mini-adventure: the V&A Museum. I've been in before (after visiting the British Museum a while back) though not explored to any great extent. Honestly, the first time around I didn't get much further than the gift shop (which is fiendishly expensive and both intimidated me and made me roll my eyes in despair at the poor sods willing to pay out of their arses for things they could probably find at a more reasonable price elsewhere). This experience was much more productive, I feel, as although we didn't manage to get around the whole museum, we managed a fair chunk! Kind of gutted it closed before Nick and I could sample the tea and scones in the café though - another time maybe!

Aaaand after all that museuming (spellchecker hasn't bothered correcting that so I'm going to take it and roll with it actually being a verb) was done, we headed home (or, well, Leytonstone) - and I turned into a vegetable for a solid two days thanks to the flu I picked up somewhere along the line. Was feeling fairly sorry for myself, I'll admit! I don't think I've ever had more lemsips than I did in those few days. By the time thursday rolled around, I was about ready to full-on snort Olbas Oil in a desperate measure to clear my sinuses - and so was definitely not ready for the UCAS email when it buzzed onto my phone.

Now, you first have to understand that the previous university I applied to rejected me despite telling me to my face that my work was strong and the interview was extremely positive (we think due to the mention of my history of agoraphobia). I'm not naming names (because it's over and done with - and an experience I'd like to put behind me) though it's safe to say it really did knock my confidence. Knowing how competitive the illustration courses are at UAL, when I saw the notification that something had been changed on my UCAS, I was fully prepared for another blow.

BOOM!

So.. yep: I do believe that as of next year I'll be an illustration student at Camberwell, of which I've talked about here. It was the place I did originally want to go, though never expected to get into. I'm ecstatic! 

Oops!

So, the past few months have been fairly up and down - as most are! It took me the better part of my absence from updating this blog to remember the mindfulness course I took last year - and let me tell you, I was absolutely gutted when I realised I'd pretty much lapsed back into my old negative thought patterns. I did remember, though, the incredible passion I had for mindful meditation and compassionate thinking - and the powerful effect it had on my everyday life. I'd really like to do another course at some point (perhaps when I have a little more time on my hands so I can drag Nick with me) so will have to look into where I can find them in Sheffield. I know there's a buddhist meditation centre which practices the same principles as mindfulness: think I may have to give it a go!

On a totally different note, about a month or so ago I went to Kew Gardens for the first time to see their Orchid Festival. There are probably hundreds of different words I could use to describe how utterly wonderful the whole experience was - but now I'm here, thinking about it all over again, I can't think of a single one! Honestly? It was incredible, and I won't be forgetting about it any time soon. Thanks to my mum and her window-ledge orchid rescue-turned-mini-rainforest, I do rather like these finicky plants (despite my gardening abilities being more suited to cacti) so to see all the rare varieties in what was made to look like a wholly natural environment was absolutely stunning. Nick and I spent so long in the Princess Of Wales Conservatory that we only had about half an hour to dash around as much of the gardens that we left as we could afterwards! I reaaaally want to go back in the summer when the weather is a wee bit nicer. :')
Here are some of my favourite snaps (because of course I took my camera!):

Ah, so gorgeous! Not going to lie, I kind of wanted to find a quiet little spot to stick a tent and just, y'know, live there. Forever.

I've also been trying to produce more sketches, give my inspiration/motivation a bit of a kick up the arse. It sort of worked, I suppose - I've certainly been playing with different mediums a lot more! Still faithful to my watercolours, though. :')

Left: sketchy sketch of some hands. I hate hands - but quite like these.
Right: Little doodle of Daisy Buchannon from The Great Gatsby, mainly 

because I was watching it at the time.

Scribbly watercolour for a friend. I love this little piggy's lovely white eyelashes!

PS. I ran out of peppermint tea. I think I may die.

Newfound obsession with flavoured teas..

So, it's been a while since I updated this thing - and with good reason! Life has been pretty hectic in the past month or so: I've been trying to sort out my portfolio for uni interviews to the point where I'm actually happy with it (hasn't yet been achieved but I believe I'm getting there steadily) and working with my current college briefs - a rethinking of an advertising campaign for the national trust, and illustrating a young adult fantasy novel in my own style. Bit crazy to say the least!

I've also discovered a great love of flavoured teas after popping into Holland and Barrett for some Aloe Vera gel and instead finding a two for £2 offer on Heath & Heather infusions. Nick and I bought the peppermint, the green rooibos and honey, and the nettle infusion - and so far they're yummy! Mmm. I'm loving the tang of the peppermint after you take a sip - it's great as an after-dinner mint!