Fondant Gum Paste Strawberry Tutorial

       I used MMF fondant for making these Strawberries, but you can use gum paste or any modelling dough.

    Colour your fondant with red food colour, I used the wilton no taste christmas red. It will take a lot of colour for the amount of fondant as the size of your fist. So I suggest the best way is to colour the fondant when you are making the receipe if it is a huge batch needed. Also you will need some green coloured fondant for making the tops of the strawberries.

Materials needed:

Red & Green food colour
Small Star shaped cookie cutter
Tooth pick or any pointed tool
Brush
Cornstarch
Rolling pin

  Step 1
Roll the green fondant and using a star cookie cutter that is smallest about an inch or so, cut a star shape. Smooth the edges wih your fingers and keep aside.

Step 2
Now take the red coloured fondant as much as the size you want the strawberry to look. Roll it in the palm of your hands so that you have a smooth finish with no crack lines on the fondant ball. If the cracks are still visible then grease your hands with crisco or any shortening that you are using and roll the ball with your palm.



 



Step 3
     Now try to slowly get a tapered end to the ball, retaining one end to still look like a ball
  

                                  

 

Step 4
Now make small dent inside the rounded edge so we can fix the calyx . You can a use a clean end of a paint brush if you dont have a round edged tool.

Step 5
Take a pointed item like a tooth pick and apply cornstarch to it, now prick holes so you can give the look of the seeds

Step 6
Take a tiny piece of fondant and make a little stem head

  


















Step 7
Brush a little water at the dent hole on the strawberry and fix the star shape and the tiny stem head

wow ! you have your strawberry!

Triple Berry Cheesecake

   




Triple Berry Cheesecake



      To mark the start of this blog I had to revive the pastry chef within me.  So what can I do - maybe  bake a layered cake and decorate it with fondant!  

Nah!

Then what?

Something rich n classy with all the soberness  n warmth.

Big task to find one and do one such thing.

Always a classic dessert is the cheesecake.

But I wanted to try a different kind.

Finally found one n only " The Peggy Porschen classic Triple Berry Cheesecake ", that got the wow!

She is simply superb. I love her style. Simple n Elegant! The picture speaks it all. It's a perfect Mothers Day treat or just to mark the beginning of spring n summer.

These cakes were 16 individual cakes made in cake rings of 5 inches .

Well I don't have the dessert rings , nor can I find one in my place.

Now how could I resist myself ?

Well go on, try in the spring form pan then.

Now the recipe needed crème fraîche.

OK , but what is this  crème fraîche ?

I never have come across this in the dairy aisle anywhere.

No worries it's easy peasy lemon squesy....

Grab the full cream about 30% fat or whatever is available ( low fat is always good for your waist), yogurt or buttermilk ,  give sometime - a day in advance and the crème fraîche is ready. Sometimes you can even substitute the crème fraîche with sour cream. Of course taste does alter a bit, but for people like me with a die or do attitude things work u c.

I altered the recipe according to my ingredients list, but the assembling and the cheesecake is solely from Peggy Porschen

        I just love the colors in this cake. It portrays all that love and warmth a mother showers upon.

And the taste of the three berries just makes it a mouth watering delicacy.

The cake turned out a hit and I was happy I was able to showcase the different colours perfectly, since I was a little skeptical about how it would turnout in a 9 inch round pan.

Recipe for Crème Fraîche

Ingredients:

1 Cup Whipping cream or full fat cream 35% fat 

1 Tbsp Plain Yogurt

Method:

Whisk both together with a spoon till well mixed and cover loosely with a lid or plastic wrap.

Leave for 12-24 hours at room temp.

(I left it in the oven near to the light bulb, and put the light on.

So the fermentation is fast.)

Recipe for Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry Purée

Ingredients:

1 Cup of fruit ( frozen or fresh)

Method:

If using frozen fruits, thaw them. 

Blend the fruits individually and pass the pulp through a sieve by pressing with a spoon so you get almost all the juice.

Recipe for the Crust

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 Cups Graham cracker Crumbs or crushed digestive biscuits

1/2 Cup melted butter

Method:

First line the base and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan with a foil

Pat the mixture at the base of the pan either with your palm or use a measuring cup to do this.

(I like the base at least about 1/2 cm thick.)

Preheat the oven at 300 F for black metal pan and 325 F for shiny metal pan. Bake for 10 - 12 min.

Let the crust cool completely, so bake it well in advance, an hour or two.

You could also make a frozen crust, by skipping the baking part. Just pop into the freezer for 15 - 20 mins.

Recipe for the Cheesecake

Ingredients:                          

100 ml Strawberry Puree
100 ml Raspberry Puree
100 ml Blueberry Puree
3 Tsp Gelatin
620 Gm Philly Cream Cheese
1 Cup Castor Sugar
1 Cup Crème Fraîche
2 and 1/4 Cup Whipped Cream

Method:

Warm the Puree in separate bowls and when it is still hot dissolve 1 tsp of gelatin in each of the puree. And let the mixture cool completely.

Beat the whipping cream until you have soft peaks. Divide the whipped cream into three equal parts.

In a bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar and crème fraîche until well mixed.

Divide into 3 equal parts.

Now you have to do things quickly or else the gelatin will start to set

( A tip is to do with one layer at time and then continue the process with the next. this will give u a little more time to do the job neatly )

To each of this now add the cooled puree, so you have a strawberry cream cheese mix, raspberry  cream cheese mix, and blueberry  cream cheese mix.

Whisk 1 part of the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture and pour over the crust in the cake pan.

Now whisk the 2 part of whipped cream into the raspberry mixture and pour over the strawberry mix.

Now repeat the process with blueberry.

Let it stay into the fridge for at least 4 - 5 hours.

To remove it from the cake pan, hold a knife in hot water and dry it, and run around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake.

open the spring form pan and the cake is ready for serving.

Garnish with fruits before serving....