Cooking on holiday is the new trend? does that make me trendy? Kilzers Cookery School and cherry cheesecake

Hello there foodies,
I've been a bit quiet lately, been on holiday, and just had lots to do, most of it cooking, so thought I'd save lots of information and post it all at once.

My husband Mark and I have just returned from a 2 week holiday in south africa - its my third time and his 6th, his parents emigrated there a little over a year ago, after much time spent in the country, so it was nice to visit semi-locals, and get to see a bit more of the country. They live in Knysna, on the garden route (southern part) - absolutely beautiful countryside. You may wonder why I'm rambling on about my holiday though. Well one week before we left for south africa, I was reading BBC delicious magazine and noticed a brief article on a cookery school in Knysna, Kilzer's Kitchen Basics (www.kkbcooking.co.za). Went on holiday and didn't think any more of it - but when I awoke in Knysna on my birthday, found out that I was to attend a cookery day school at Kilzer's, along with a bunch of south africans, who had been enjoying cooking (and much drinking) during their stay at Kilzer's. The school is excellent, a beautiful location, excellent accommodation, and a marriage of two culinary characters that can only be described as explosive. Albin Kilzer is Austrian and used to run a seafood restaurant in Capetown, and Jenny is south african. Between them they have two very different styles of cooking, but do you know what.. it works.

So I spent a day and learning more about butchering a lamb, local fish species, a fabulous pickled cabbage recipe and a few other bits and bobs - unfortunately, before I knew it, my day was over and armed with a bottle of Stellenbosch olive oil and a pinny (yep, another one) I left to experience the 35 degree heat of outside. Jenny and Albin kindly invited me to join them in their kitchen during the week and get involved in some other dishes, but I had a tan to chase, so didn't go back.

That event sparked off a bit of a culinary element to the holiday, and luckily staying with relatives we were able to show our gratitute for their hospitality by cooking the odd dinner - and had an excuse to mooch around bookshops for some more cookery books, palestinian, japanese and south african. Whilst on holiday we read an article that cultural and culinary holidays are now the new trend - so I guess for the first time in my life, I may be a little bit trendy.

I did try a lovely recipe for baked cherry cheesecake that I found in a south african magazine, so thought I'd share it with you - I've made a tiny tweak to the base as choc chip biccies were a little bit too sweet, but other than that its pretty much as the recipe, and I've tried it twice and its delicious.

Cherry Cheesecake
1 packet ginger nuts - crushed
half packet digestive biscuits
60g butter
qyr/hlf tsp ground ginger (optional)

250g cream cheese
60ml single cream
2 eggs
qtr tsp almond essence
4 tbsp caster sugar
Can of cherries

Heat the oven to 180oc, you will need a 19cm loose-bottomed cake tin

Crush the biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs, melt the butter in a pan or microwave and stir in the biscuit crumbs. You should have a damp mixture that doesn't clump together. If it does and your mixture is too wet, add some more crumbs. Optional, stir in half teaspoon ground ginger.

Push the crumb mixture in the cake tin and smooth with a spoon - bake for 10 minutes. Remove the base and reduce the oven temperature to 165oc.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and cream together until the mixture is smooth (the odd lump of cream cheese is ok, as it disappears during cooking). Stir in the eggs and add the almond essence. Finally, drain the cherries and stir in gently (you may get a raspberry ripple effect, but don't worry).

Pour the filling into the cake tin and bake for approximately 40-50 minutes. Take the cheesecake out when the top is golden brown and there is the tiniest wobble in the centre - it will finish cooking out of the oven.

Ideally allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly, and chill for minimum of 12 hours before eating, as it tastes far better if left.

If you fancy a tangle difference to the cheesecake, stir in a couple of tablespoons of lemon or grapefruit yoghurt to boost the citrus taste and omit the cherries for the zest of one lemon. Its a subtle citrus flavour but works well with the ginger biscuit base.

TTFN

Cath