Strawberry Fields

I am still recovering from the very, very bad stomach attack so the status update remains unchanged.  I have been subsisting on fish porridge over the weekend and all I can say is that thank God I had the foresight to buy the kuning.

Anyway, today, I felt I had to be a little less useless.  Firstly, because I feel useless, and secondly because there is a box of strawberries that I just know is rotting away in my crisper.  I had to do something about them today or it's S$3.95 down the drain.  Especially since they were rather nice strawberries too.  Why is it the Korean ones always taste so much sweeter than their American counterparts?

I took out a tub of cream cheese to thaw to room temperature and took a slow shampoo and shower in the hopes to garnering enough energy to bake some strawberries cheesecupcakes.

I promise I will include some photos tomorrow but I am just too knackered today.

Let's start talking about the crust first.  I usually use mini Oreos to make my crusts but I had eaten the last one and was too tired and lazy to make a cookie crust.  Instead, I use some spiced, candied walnuts I had made before.

OK, they sound a lit more fabulous than they are.  I got the recipe off the Internet and I really should have known better.  Anytime some Western recipe involving the words "spice", they tend to result in bland, luck-luster disappointments.  I really do not know why I keep giving them a benefit of the doubt.  These were caramelised in honey, nutmeg and cumin but were sad imitations of the fantastic candied walnuts the Chinese produce.  I am going to have to tweak and re-do this again to my satisfaction.

I had saved these candied walnuts for snacks but they were so pathetic I had shoved them to the darkest depths of the fridge so I felt it was time to unearth them and make them useful.

Strawberries Cheesecupcakes with a Candied Walnut Bottom (I made only 6 - just enough for me)
100g cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 small egg, beaten
4 tbsp sour cream (if you don't have this, mix a tsp of vinegar to the 4 tbsp milk and leave to thicken for about 10-15 mins)
Pinch of salt
About 6-7 small strawberries, hulled and sliced
About 1 cup of candied walnuts (or 6 mini Oreos)


1.Preheat your oven to 180 deg Celsius.


2. Cream your cheese with sugar, then add the vanilla and mix well.  It is way easier to cream your cheese (why does that sound kinda wrong?) if you have thawed it to room temperature


3. Drizzle the egg in and mix well with each addition


4. Add the sour cream & salt and mix well


5. I use silicon muffin cups but if you aren't, you might want to try paper muffin cup liners so you can show off the strawberries "field" and the walnut/Oreo base.  Line the bottom of each muffin cup with enough candied walnuts to cover. If using mini Oreos, just plonk one in.


6. Line some of the strawberry slices around the sides of the muffin cups.  I placed 5 each but it's really up to your taste and sense of aesthetics.  


7. Spoon the batter into the cups.  If you are using candied walnuts, you do not need to worry but if you are using the mini Oreos, you might want to weight them down after drowning them.  I use a chopstick and poke it to death in the middle till the Oreo decides to play dead and stay down instead of floating to the middle.


8. Bring some hot water to boil


9. Place your muffin tray in the middle rack of your oven and pour the boiling hot water into a tray before the rack up to an inch's height


10.  Bake for about 10 mins before rotating it around and baking for another 12-15 mins.


11. Let it cook completely before refrigerating it to set for about 4 hours.

This is one of my fail-safe recipes and I make it all the time because it is so easy and lends itself well to variations.  It's also super yummy.

You can use strawberry flavoured Oreos for your base and I tend to use the blueberry flavoured ones when I make my blueberry cheesecupcakes.  Walnuts go wonderfully as base and the smoky bitterness complements and highlights the smooth, salty, sweetness of the cream cheese.

I like making the cheesecupcakes as they are in small portions so I do not feel sick if I eat them and they store easily.  Again, they are great for portion control for those on weight watch.

OK, who am I kidding?  I just like them because they are so small and cute.