BetterHomesAndGardensAustraliaDecember2015_

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boiling salted water over high

heat for 2 minutes. Drain well

then transfer beans to a large

bowl of iced water. Drain again.

4 Arrange cooled beans,

couscous, beetroot and mint

leaves on a serving platter.

Scatter with feta and drizzle

over remaining dressing. Serve.

eserts

Limoncello and summer

berry cheesecake

Preparation time: 20 mins plus

6 hours chilling

Cooking time: nil

Serves 8

350g gingernut biscuits

60g unsalted butter, melted

¹⁄³ cup raspberry cordial

1 Tbsp water

2 tsp gelatine powder

2 x 250g blocks cream

cheese, chopped, softened

Finely grated zest and juice

of 1 lemon

½ cup icing sugar mixture

600ml thickened cream

125g strawberries

125g raspberries

125g blueberries

1 Tbsp caster sugar

2 Tbsp limoncello liqueur

Extra 300ml thickened cream

Extra 1 Tbsp icing sugar

mixture

Mint leaves, to garnish

1 Put biscuits in a zip-lock bag.

Using a rolling pin, crush

to rough crumbs. Transfer to

a bowl and add melted butter,

tossing to coat. Spoon mixture

into base of a 6-cup capacity

trifle bowl. Set aside.

2 Put cordial, water and

gelatine in a small bowl and set

aside for 10 minutes. Microwave

on high for 15 seconds or until

gelatine has dissolved.

3 Put cream cheese in the

bowl of an electric mixer and

beat on high for 5 minutes or

until smooth and fluffy. Add

zest, juice and icing sugar and

beat on low until just combined.

Scrape down sides of bowl. Pour

in cream and beat on medium

until smooth. Add gelatine mix

and beat until smooth.

4 Spoon mixture onto biscuit

base and refrigerate for at least

6 hours (preferably overnight).

5 Combine berries, caster

sugar and limoncello in a

medium bowl. Set aside for 5

minutes to allow fruit to infuse.

6 Meanwhile, put extra cream

and icing sugar in the bowl of

an electric mixer and whisk on

high for 2 minutes or until soft

peaks form. Spoon on top of

chilled creamed cheese mixture,

Top with berry mixture, then

serve garnished with mint.

Meringue-frosted lemon

curd, coconut and

pistachio cake

Preparation time: 25 mins

plus 2 hours chilling

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves 12

5 large lemons

2 cups caster sugar

¼ cup cornflour

4 eggs, separated

200g unsalted butter,

chopped

460g store-bought, unfilled

double sponge cake

¼ cup pistachio kernels,

finely chopped

1 Tbsp water

½ tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp coconut essence

Holly leaves, to decorate

1 To make lemon curd, finely

grate rind of 2 lemons into a

medium saucepan. Squeeze

juice from all lemons into a

measuring jug. If you have less

than 250ml juice, top up with

water. Drain through a fine

sieve. Add liquid to saucepan,

along with cornflour, egg yolks

and ½ of the sugar, whisking

until smooth. Add butter, then

put pan over a medium heat

and cook, stirring constantly

with a flat-bottomed wooden

spoon, for 8 minutes or until

curd is smooth and thickly

coats back of spoon (it will

thicken slightly once cooled).

Transfer to a large bowl and

set aside for 15 minutes,

then refrigerate for at least

2 hours to chill.

2 Using a large serrated

knife, split each cake in half to

create 4 discs. Put one sponge

disc onto a serving plate or

cake stand. Spread with ¹⁄³ cup

of cooled lemon curd and

scatter with ¹⁄³ of pistachios.

Repeat with remaining sponge

discs, lemon curd and

pistachios, finishing with fourth

layer of sponge. Refrigerate.

3 To make meringue, put

eggwhites, water, cream of

tartar and remaining sugar in a

large heatproof bowl. Set over

a saucepan of simmering water

and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes

or until sugar has dissolved.

Add coconut essence and beat

with electric hand beaters for

4 minutes or until thick and

glossy and mixture holds firm

a peak. Remove from heat and

beat for a further 1 minute.

4 Spread meringue over cake.

Using back of a spoon, create a

decorative effect. Use a kitchen

blowtorch (see Cook’s Tips,

left), to lightly brown meringue.

Decorate with holly leaves. Serve.

Vanilla star cookies

Preparation time: 25 mins

plus 30 mins chilling and

30 mins standing

Cooking time: 20 mins

Makes 24

60g unsalted butter,

chopped, softened

Meringue-frosted cake

Vanilla star cookies

Cook’s tips

Limoncello cheesecake

To make this a booze-free

dessert, substitute vanilla

extract for the limoncello.

Meringue-frosted cake

Blowtorches are available

from homeware stores as

well as hardware stores.

Limoncello cheesecake