Recipe: 10 Minute Nutella Cheesecakes

First off, this isn't strictly a cheesecake. I just needed something creamy and chocolaty with a bit of saltiness and crunch and I wanted it ASAP at 11pm in Ahmedabad.

I had some mascarpone cheese that I had bought on a recent trip to Bombay, so I decided to use that and make a practically instant dessert. It took me less than 10 minutes once I'd made up my mind, to have the finished ramekin in my hands. Honestly, its taken me longer to type up this recipe, than it did to assemble it.

Ingredients:

200gm digestive biscuits (I used McVities, if you don't have access to digestive biscuits, you can use Marie biscuits, but it wont have as much texture)
200gm mascarpone cheese (use a good brand, else it will split and ooze liquid - I use Impero brand)
2 tbsp butter (yellow if you want a bit of saltiness)
2 tbsp nutella (adjust for personal sweetness & chocolate love)
2 tbsp cashewnut bits (optional)
4 ramekins

Method:
Line each ramekin with 1/2 tsp of cashewnut bits if using.
Using a rolling pin, crush the biscuits inside the packet itself by rolling with a bit of pressure, but watch the seams of the packet, so nothing pops out.
Divide the powdered biscuit between the 4 ramekins.

Drop 1/2 tbsp butter in each ramekin and pop the ramekins in the microwave for 30 seconds (or less - untill the butter melts completely).

Gently mix the mascarpone and nutella with a spoon (Since I had a 200gm container of mascarpone, I mixed everything in the same container)

Take the ramekins out of the microwave and gently mix the biscuit, nut, melted butter together.
Split the nutella+mascarpone mixture equally in the 4 ramekins. Don't worry about evening it out, it will automatically flatten out when it starts to melt.
Don't fill the ramekins too high, the mixture will rise a bit when its heated.
Pop the ramekins in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes. The nutella+mascarpone mixture should melt and bubble just a little.
Take the ramekins out of the microwave, let them rest for a minute or two and then eat straight out of the ramekins.

Kim's Note:
The texture will not allow it to be turned upside down, as it won't hold its form. It will still be a bit gooey, so its best served in the ramekin that it is microwaved in.

Recipe: Nutella and Nut Rippled Ice Cream

The ice cream flavours I have swimming in my head, can't be matched by any ice cream chain. Yet its not very easy to churn out ice creams at home, without an ice cream maker (hint hint to the husband)

While its easy to churn out sundaes with store bought ice cream, why not take it to the next step? All you need is imagination and a large bowl.

I always have a brick of vanilla ice cream in the freezer and that's all you need. In Delhi, I prefer to use Mother Dairy's ice cream.

Kim's Tip: I transfer the brick out of its cardboard box into a freezable plastic box, so I can easily cut out a bit whenever I'm in the mood for ice cream without a mess. Also, inside the box, the ice cream doesn't absorb other smells from the freezer, so it lasts much longer.

 I absolutely love Nutella. For me, its truly happiness in a bottle. 1 tsp is a sure mood lifter for me. So I always have a bottle or 2 in my pantry.

This is so easy to assemble, you can either mix an individual bowl for yourself, or refreeze after mixing and serve your own signature ice cream at your next dinner or party.

The pictures are of a bowl I mixed for myself, so its not very "neat", but I thought it was a recipe worth sharing.

Take 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a bowl.
Using a pastry cutter or sharp spoon, roughly cut up the ice cream into uneven bits.
Drizzle 1 tsp of nutella over the ice cream.
Sprinkle 1 tsp of roasted cashewnuts.
Now mix thoroughly and reform into a ball or pack tight into a box (if serving later)
You can refreeze this mixture until ready to serve or dig in immediately.
I also like to sprinkle a crushed amaretto bisuit on top after reforming.

Other options:
You can mix finely chopped fruit (don't refreeze for too long if using fruit), nuts, baby marshmallows, m&m's, bits of chocolates, syrups. Your imagination is the only thing that can limit you, so unleash it and go crazy.
Remember, don't freeze fruit or ingredients that can turn soggy for too long.

Kim's Tip: To roast nuts, just warm a pan and rol the nuts around for awhile till they brown slightly.

Let me know what combinations you try and how it goes :)