Hectic Host: Half Term Holiday Cooking With Kids

If you were planning a day trip with the children today but have been put off by the rain this article which appears in the May issues of the SE Magazines group of publications may come in handy.

Finding things to keep the children happy during half term is always a challenge, living in this wonderful part of London there is always plenty to do all within striking distance, but inevitably there will be the odd afternoon when you struggle to keep them occupied. One solution would be a trip to the new SewEastDulwich on Lordship Lane. Kids love to learn to knit and they can see the results of their creativity immediately. Or, so long as you have a pantry packed with the necessary items, nothing is more fun than an impromptu baking session, and theoretically you should end up with something yummy for tea too. But baking is not my forte, so where to start? I caught up with local pastry chef extraordinaire and maker of cakes to the stars, Mark Hammerton, in his kitchen in leafy Underhill Road. Mark promised to keep it simple for a novice baker such as me and he succeeded with this delightfully simple cheese cake and frozen yoghurt lollies recipes that kids will love.

Individual Oreo Cheesecake

You can make 6 medium ramekins from this recipe. It’s easy to make and no melted butter is needed for the base as the moisture is provided by the cookies’ cream filling. Mark even gave me a quick chocolate sauce recipe to serve with them.

You Will Need

1 tough bag

A rolling pin for bashing

6 medium ramekins

An oven pre-heated to 150c

Cheesecake Ingredients

250g cream cheese 

150ml double cream

150g caster sugar

1 large egg

2 packets of regular Oreo cookies

½ a tablespoon of corn flour

2 tsp of vanilla essence or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod

Chocolate Sauce Ingredients

150g dark chocolate

200ml single cream

1 heaped tsp of unsalted butter

Method

Now this is where the fun starts, kids will love this, whilst adults can use it a a bit of therapy. Place cookies in bag, reserving 5 or six for garnishing, then crush with rolling pin. Divide some of the crushed cookies between your ramekins, completely covering the base. In a bowl with a whisk, combine the cheese, sugar & cream & add the egg & vanilla. Add the corn flour and whisk in. Fold in the rest of the crushed cookies. Divide the mix between the ramekins, covering the base. Bake in your pre-heated oven at 150c for at least 30 minutes. Check the cakes are done, place a clean knife in the middle & it should be clean when taken out.

Make the sauce, heat the cream with the chocolate over a low heat with the butter until all melted together to give a shiny sauce. Serve with a blob of cream, pour over the sauce with a cookie on the side. 

Strawberry Yoghurt Lollies

This frozen treat is easy as you like, it’s just shop bought frozen yogurt and chopped strawberries, you can use low fat/sugar yoghurt if you like to make it super healthy…great for the kids. You can buy the Ice lolly moulds from A. J. Farmers on Lordship Lane.

You Will Need

An ice lolly mould set

Room in your freezer 

Ingredients

1 tub of strawberry yoghurt 

Some fresh strawberries

Method

Fill the moulds half way with the yoghurt, chop up the strawberries and place on top, fill to the top with more yoghurt, place lid on and insert sticks and freeze for a good 12 hours at least.

See more of Mark’s recipes at www.thecakeshaker.com or follow him on Twitter @M_HammertonChef