The move went like a whirlwind – 6 weeks from the initial apartment visit to actually living in our new place. It was exhasting, in parts frustrating, definitely expensive as moving can be. But the best part is:

I LOVE THE NEW APARTMENT!

I love the light, the warmth, being on one floor instead of 4, having parquet under my feet, the stunning views, being back so close to the city, and having so many public transportation options to choose from.

And of course I am learning to love my new kitchen. It is a slow love, that needs ripening and nurturing. It is based on practicle things such as induction cooking and a steam oven rather than the warmth of gas and the glow of my old copper pots. It is also sometimes a love of convenience like an arranged marriage that needs to settle in and learn to appreciate the good points of such a matching.

It is not just the appliances and cookware that I miss, it is also the space. The kitchen in our old house was approx. 24 square meters large – my kitchen now has 480 cm length but only 175 cm width a total of 8.4 square meters. A closet, a tube, do they even make submarine kitchens this small in width? We bought new cupboards and appliances, and had a cabinet maker do the best possible job. And I brought along my beloved refrigerator. But it is still strange to me that when I bend over the pots drawer, my bottom opens the cabinet behind me. LOL! I take it with humor and just push back.

But that is how it is. You take the good with the not so good and make the very best of it. I am learning new cooking methods and who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

I think I am going to definitely love my steamer oven – it was my biggest wish and I got it and it is a Miele – simply the best!

So to celebrate all this newness here are 2 delicious recipes I cooked in my new kitchen with my new appliances.

Steamed seabass with estragon oil and lemon butter sauce and an adaptation of Gordon Ramsay’s soufflé: goat cheese, spinach and leek soufflé. Lighte and airy with a touch of lemon zest fantastic with the steamed fish and great the next day cold on a bulky roll.

Steamed Seabass with Estragon oil and Estragon Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients:

• 3-4 or more Seabass filets
• Estragon oil – I get mine from the wonderful http://www.frankfurter-senfgalerie.de/
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper
  For the sauce:
• 2 TBSP butter
• juice of one lemon
• 4 sprigs of fresh estragon
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper

Putting it all together:

Wash the filets in very cold water and remove any stray fishbones. Pat them dry with paper towels. Cover the perforated steamer tray with foil and lay them on it. Place the tray over a non-perforated one.
Grind sea salt and pepper over the filets and then use a pastry brush to apply a coating of estragon oil.
Place the fish in the middle of the steamer oven.
Heat the steamer oven to 100° C / 212° F and then steam for 4 minutes. Leave the filets in the turned off steamer for another 2 minutes.
In the meantime, melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the lemon juice (if it is a lot of juice: add 1/2 and then more according to taste), grind in sea salt and pepper. Wash the estragon and using your kitchen scissors snip in the estragon. Do you boil!! Swirl it around to mix and transfer to a sauce warmer.
Serve the filets with the sauce on the side or spooned over the fish.

Goat Cheese, Spinach and Leek Soufflé
adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s “Spinach and Goat Cheese soufflé”
Ingredients:

• 2 cups / 400 grams of pre-cooked, thawed or steamed fresh spinach leaves
• 2 leeks, hard outer leaves removed so that the whites and light greens remain
• 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 1 shallot peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 clove of garlic peeled finely chopped
• zest of 1/2 of a washed organic lemon
• 1 heaping TBSP of flour
• 1 grind of cayenne pepper or 1-2 pinches of cayenne flakes to taste
• 2/3 cup / 160 ml of skin-milk (I used 1.5 % lactose-free)
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml of light cream (I use lactose-free)
• 1 cup / 200 grams of soft goat cheese
• 2 TBSP grated Pecorino with or without peppercorns; you may use Parmesan
• 4 large eggs separated
• softened butter for the ramekins

Putting it all together:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F . Brush 8 ramekins or one large soufflé dish with soft butter. Put them on the baking tray and cool for 15 minutes.

Wash the leeks and finely chop them into thin slices. Place the slices in water so as to remove any sand. Wash several times if necessary. Then drain well.
Squeeze the spinach again well, so as to remove any remaining water and roughly chop.

Heat 2 TBSPs olive oil in a medium saucepan and add the shallot and garlic. Stir over medium heat for 4 minutes until soft and then add the leeks, the spinach, the cinnamon, the oregano, sea salt and pepper, the cayenne and the lemon zest.  Stir until mixed and warmed through about 4 minutes over medium heat. Remove to a bowl and let cool, set the pan aside. When the mixture is cooler add the egg yolks and mix well.
Return the pan to the heat with the remaining 1 TBSP of oilve oil. Add the flour and stir over low heat 3-4 minutes until smooth and bubbly. Remove from the heat and gently add the milk and cream stirring constantly. Return to the heat and simmer and stir until the mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool somewhat. When cooler add the goat cheese and the Pecorino. Stir well to combine.
Add this sauce to the spinach mixture and combine well. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with an electric mixer until they hold firm peaks, then fold them gently and slowly into the spinach mixture until just combined, don’t overmix and keep it airy. Best done with a fork.

Spoon into the prepared ramekins or soufflé dish and tap gently on the work surface to get rid of any air pockets. Run the tip of a small knife around the edge of each one.

Bake for 16 minutes and then let stand with oven off and without opening the door for another 4 minutes until risen and golden brown on top.

Serve immediately. Soufflés will deflate slightly when removed from the oven.

Eat any leftovers cold on a bulky roll. Or reheat for 8 minutes in amedium oven. Yum and more……

Although we often can get fresh vongole mussels from Italy, real clams are a rare treat. These clams came all the way from New Zealand but were as fresh and delicious as could be.

Clams are easy and quick to make and eating them is pleasing, sloppy and fun. At least in my family.

Their preparation is based on the classic French way with julienned carrots and celery and wine, but I have added a pieces of lard which really brings out the salty sea flavor and make delicious sauce for wiping up with baguette.

So if you see clams in the fish store or market and they are very fresh buy them and a piece of lard, some carrots and celery,  a bottle of white or rose, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, compliment with  a crusty baguette and you will have a quick and scrumptious meal. We had ours for brunch.
Clams in lard, carrots, celery, rosemary and white wineClams in lard, carrots, celery, rosemary and white wine
Ingredients:

• 1-2 kilos of clams
• 50-100 grams of lard or bacon if you can’t get lard – chopped into small pieces
• 2 carrots, washed peeled and grated on the large side
• 1-2 sticks of celery, washed peeled, chopped into small pieces
• 1-2 TBSPs of tomato paste
• 2 cups of wine – white or rose
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 sprigs of rosemary – washed and needle removed and roughly chopped to release their flavor
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt & ground pepper

Putting it all together:

- Wash the clams 2-3 times in lots of fresh water, scrub if sandy, discard clams that won’t close when squeezed.
- Place a large stock pot with a lid on the stove.
- Put the lard in the pot and use medium heat to release the fat without burning it it should not be too brown, add the carrots, celery, rosemary and garlic.
- Stir and cook until the carrots are soft about 4 minutes adding the wine as you go along.
- Add the sea salt,  ground pepper and the tomato paste. Mix well and cover with the lid. Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes without opening the lid bringing everything to a good boil.
- Remove the clams from the water and check again for ones that won’t close, discard them.
- Lift the lid and dump the clams in, stir a few times so the clams are covered in the mixture. Put the lid back on and steam for 4-5 minutes until clams are opened – shking the pot once or twice in between.
- Try a clam one, they should be done and juicy but no longer translucent. Don’t over cook or the will be like rubber.
- Put the pot on the table and ladle into soup bowls with the vegetables and lots of the sauce. Make sure to put a bowl on the table for tossing in the empty shells! And lots of napkins!!

Enjoy the clams and the sauce. yuuummmmm!!

I am happy about this move though. It feels like the most important one to me.

Friends, colleagues and neighbors shake their heads in disbelief that I should want to move from my own rented four storey house with fours bedrooms and 3 baths, a terrace, a garage and a garden into a 4.25 room apartment, into a hideous building next to the highway on the 10^th floor.

But I knew, I knew the minute I walked into that apartment that it was going to save me. Save me from gloom and accusations, the hardships of unemployment and endless responsibilities on my shoulders. It would lead me into peace, voluntary family solitude and light. I am ready, we are ready as a family to make a new start.

We are sorting and tossing and donating. At times with ease and at others with excruciation over each object with love, a story, a memory. For me, my son or my husband.

It makes me feel good and light. This reducing to the quintessence of the gatherings of my life since June 1977 when I arrived in Germany with 2 suitcases and my father’s expired French passport with my picture as his daughter in it and my own US one. And, as of 1989, of my life with my husband and since 1997 with our son.

I am throwing off the hardships, the depressions and the struggles, the unhappiness and the strenuous moments, the useless stuff bought in frustration, the superfluous or the unwanted are being discarded. Some of it is sold, some goes to the dump and the precious is given to the darling ladies at Caritas in Hoechst near where we live to brighten the lives of others less fortunate than we are.

A new wind is blowing for me, it is calling me to grow once again, to bend and change, to adjust and develop, to listen and to lead, to imagine and inspire.

My biggest sacrifice is in relinquishing my “ballroom-like kitchen” with its gorgeous window and my beloved Italian Modena gas stove and my adored copper tri-ply pots from Caphalon… sniff..

My new – think empty – kitchen is 480 cm long and 176 cm wide – yikes, no, no I don’t want to speak or think about it until it has been installed – the story is long and difficult and I am going to trust my husband to fix the situation and have the kitchen installed just the way I want it – basta!

In the meantime selling off my kitchen has been a really sobering experience. I have learned that *SURPRISE* you can’t influence who is buying your stuff. You have to let go. Even when your beloved things are carried out the door by strangers with very different lives from yours.

So here I am, amid boxes and my son’s red couch with spaces where kitchen units used to be, making my kitchen look like the mouth of missing teeth on a 7 year old.

We are eating out of the freezer, the shrimp and the veal filet, the duck breast and the sea bass, the last pack of snails in the top corner under the ice cubes, and spinach, lots of spinach. Life could be worse.

But this Saturday I went to the open market in the rain and then to the Turkish market store. And between my boxes, and spices on the floor, with my beautiful pots, on my excellent stove I made this salad – for me, for my family, for you. Enjoy it, it is delicious!

P. S. If you want to buy my stove or my pots let me know! They are my beloved and it would be good to know them in skilled hands.

Eggplant, Tomato, Mozzarella Salad with Sesame Cashew Crunch
Ingredients:

• 3 medium-small or 2 medium eggplants
• 250 grams of date-shaped tomatoes – or cherry tomatoes
• 250 grams buffalo mozzarella
• 3 sprigs of fresh cilantro
• 2 sprigs of fresh mint leaves
• 2 TBSP of blueberry cream vinegar
• 1 tsp of pomegranate sour syrup
• 2 TBSP of vegetable oil or mild olive or sunflower oil
• 1 TBSP passion-fruit vinegar or other fruity exotic vinegar
• Juice of ½ fresh lime
• 2 TBSP of cashew nuts plain not salted, roughly chopped
• 1 TBSP of sesame seeds plain or Asian-roasted
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP sugar
• Salt & pepper
• Middle-Eastern spice mixture (containing coriander seeds, garlic, cumin, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, etc.)
• Chili flakes to taste
• Mixed salad greens for serving and crusty bread

Putting it all together:
Preheat the oven to 175° C / 350° C.

Wash the eggplants and dry them, poke them several times all over with a sharp fork and rub them lightly with olive oil. Place them in the preheated oven on parchment paper and bake until wrinkly about 40 minutes.

After the eggplants have been baking about 30 minutes, begin preparing the salad as below:

In a large and pretty salad bowl mix the blueberry vinegar, pomegranate syrup and the lime juice. Add the salt, pepper, several grinds of the Middle-Eastern spice mixture, chili flakes and the oil, beat well with a whisk.

Wash and slice the tomatoes in half, cube the mozzarella, wash and remove the stems from the cilantro and mint and chop it roughly with a sharp knife, add all these things to the bowl with the dressing and mix well.

Remove the eggplants from the oven and let them cool about 5 minutes so that they are cool enough to handle. Chop off the stem and squeeze the eggplant with both hands (opening down) over the sink so as to squeeze out as much of the bitter water as possible.

Transfer the drained eggplant to a cutting board and remove the skin that comes off easily by hand – you can leave some on no problem or all of it if your prefer.

Cube the drained eggplant and add to the salad bowl, mixing as you go along. Continue with the other eggplant. Let rest while you make the crunch.

Heat a non-stick pan slowly having added the chopped cashews and the sesame seeds. Stir and heat on low about 4 minutes until fragrant. Add the sugar and continue stirring to coat the nuts another 3 minutes, lower the temperature some more and stirring constantly so as not to burn: add the butter, ½ teaspoon of salt and some ground pepper. Continue cooking until well coated and sticky about 3 minutes more. Turn off the heat, let rest for 1 minute and add to the salad.  Mix well. Pour the 1 TBSP of passion-fruit vinegar over the salad, mix and adjust the seasoning.  Serve over salad greens with crusty bread!

I want more

“A bum could rummage through ya bin
And live like a king
On just one crumb o’ya cake
N’ya say ya life needs fulfilling
Some would give anything to live like you
Shame your mind, don’t shine
Like your possessions do.
Whining, complaining all the time,
Don’t see no rain on you
What side your bread is buttered on
If only you knew

What d’ya mean
I want more”
I want less: less possesions, less worries, less frustration

AND

I want more: more happiness with simple things, more time spent in speaking and listening rather than watching, more statisfaction with what I have, more light, lightness, patience, understanding and tolerance.

Faithless rightly says:

“Friend what is it that you seek
What is it that you try to find
Someday I hope you realized
It shined in you all the time.
Hills to climb, sights to see, seas to cross,
Friends to make, hands to shake, the world is yours,
Foods to taste, sounds to hear, love to feel,
Seeds to sew, things to know, fish to reel,
Space to quiz, stones to lift, life’s a gift”

Thank you Faithless, may I follow the path of your wise words and welcome 2012…. bring it on!!!

xoxo K

Dear Readers, Foodies, Followers, Fans… yes all of you,

Thank you for sharing the culinary and discovery world I viewed this year! I hope you had the holidays you expected and are feeling revived.

Now it’s time to blow out this dusty old year and bring on the new.

I’m ready for a change ….

Roll in well my friends, see you next year!

karin@yumandmore

To make our poached eggs special this weekend we dug into our stash of Tuscan culinary souvenirs: the fresh pepper pecorino and the wild boar polpa (cured ham) bought in Pienza. This special poached egg sandwich Tuscany also has a slice of apple lightly fried in butter and honey-mustard.

Fresh-baked Sunday rolls were bought at the bakers, the deep copper frying pan was set on the stove and water brought to a simmer and we were ready to roll.

First we cut paper-thin slices of the fragrant polpa and pepper hot fresh pecorino. Peel and cored the apple, leaving it whole and making about 6 slices of each peeled apple. Heat butter and honey-mustard in a small pan over low heat and let the apple slices soften without falling apart about 5 minutes turning carefully several times. Leave the slices in the pan with the heat off until needed.

The eggs were broken into little bowls each egg in its own bowl. This makes it fun and easy to do with kids, prevents shells in the water or the egg, and makes the whole process easier with less finger-burning and wet sleeves.

So we have the crusty rolls, cut through the middle, on the insides of the rolls we put mustard (everyone has a favorite kind in our house extra-hot, estragon, honey-dijon) you could also put your favorites sauce hot or not, then the wild boar ham (or any other type of ham you enjoy – cured, smoked or baked), and lastly the cheese. In this case pecorino but any delicious cheese that melts well will do.

Have white vinegar (I used estragon), salt and a fresh pepper grinder at the ready.

And now for the highlight – how to poach the eggs.

• Heat water enough to cover the eggs so they don’t stick to the bottom in a deep pan with a lid to a boil.

• Add 1 TBSP of vinegar, lower the heat to a simmer. Do not add salt and do not cook more than 4 eggs at a time.

• Break the eggs individually placing each in its own little bowl or teacup, making sure you don’t break the yolks.

• Then using a wire whisk or a wooden spoon, stir the simmering water so as to create a fast whirl in the water, like water going down the drain. Put down the whisk or spoon and take up the bowls sliding each egg into the water separately while the water is still whirling. This helps the egg wrap around its self.

• Turn off the heat and place the lid on top of the pan. Wait 3 minutes for medium-soft eggs, or more time according to your tastes.

Puuting it all together:

• Take the roll with the mustard, ham and cheese and add a slice of apple on the bottom half of the roll.
• Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon, making sure to drip off as much water as possible into the pan. Place the egg carefully into the roll. Salt and pepper to your taste.

Squish carefully and eat. YUUUUUUMMMMM….. more!!!!!

Now how to prepare it? The American way with cheese sauce? German style with breadcrumbs and butter? Indian style?

No, something new. Something sweet but spicy, cream but not cheesy. Something to compliment but also excite through it’s unexpectedness.

Et voila: Cauliflower in Caramelized Pink Onion and Mustard Sauce, good hot but equally good the next day with only exotic passion fruit vinegar added.

I hope you enjoy this yum and more creation, we sure did!

Cauliflower in Caramelized Pink Onion and Mustard Sauce

Cauliflower in Caramelized Pink Onion and Mustard Sauce

Ingredients for the hot dish:

• 1 cauliflower

• 2 French pink onions

• 1 TBSP of brown sugar

• ½ tsp olive oil

• juice of 1 pressed orange

• ground pepper

• 200 ml of vegetable-based or other light cream

• 1 tsp of very strong mustard

• ½ tsp salt

• chili flakes to taste

• a handful of chopped Cilantro leaves (optional)

Ingredients for the cold dish:

• 1 TBSP of passion fruit or other vinegar fruit or white vinegar that you like

Putting it all together:

Peel and break down the cauliflower into florets. Wash thoroughly, drain.

Place florets in a steamer with salt water and steam cauliflower 10-15 minutes checking for doneness in between. The Florets should be done but not overly soft or falling apart. Turn off heat and remove lid to stop cooking process.

In the meantime, peel and chop the 2 pink onions into medium-sized cubes.

Warm your caramelizing pan, mine is copper and steel, with the sugar. Brown sugar has a higher melting point but I prefer the taste to white.
When the sugar starts to melt add the onions and stir to coat, reduce the heat and continue to fry be careful not to burn.
Add the olive oil and stir, then add the juice, salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste and simmer on very low heat for another 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, wait for the boiling to stop and add the cream and the mustard stirring vigorously to combine.

Add the florets and stir carefully. Return to heat and bring to almost a boil.

Adjust seasoning, you may want to add more mustard, add the cilantro leaves if using.

Serve in soup plates with crusty bread.

Cold cauliflower salad:

When the cauliflower and sauce are completely cool, add 1 TBSP passion fruit vinegar or any other suitable vinegar. Stir and store in the fridge until needed. If you wait a day it tastes even better.

Enjoy hot or cold…or hot and cold!

What do you write when you have longingly awaited a visit to an area that you have obviously underestimated? When it was better than your dreams? When you can’t find the words to say how inspiring it was and is? When you can’t capture the sounds and smells in a picture to share?

Have you been to Tuscany before? I hadn’t! So many wasted years!

The love of food brought us together for my visit but I fell in love with Tuscany in a different way. The velvety countryside with its swirling fog. The gentleness of the people and their heart-filled warmth for their region, their food, their traditions. Nothing complicated here to disturb the simple pleasures of life: family, friends, beautiful landscapes, a sense of peace and the enjoyment of traditional dishes and beverages that make you groan with pleasure. Everything accompanied by a smile and a good story.

We walked through Florence and Siena, drove up and down the rolling hills and valleys of the southern Tuscan countryside, had sweet breakfast in the delicious Pasticceri Sinatti, bought cheese in Pienza, sipped cappuccino at Robert Cavalli’s Caffé Giacosa in Florence, tasted pecorino, truffle oil and wild boar salami in Pienza, and sighed over the heavenly Panini in the Bar dell’Orso on the way to the fabulous Mercatale de la Val del Sa, the organic farmer’s market held only once a year in Montereggioni. We dipped our feet in the thermal waters of Bagno Vignoni and ate pici , tasted more cheese, sausage, same day pressed olive oil, local wine and beer and…… much, much more.

We awoke to the sounds of the birds chirping at the rising sun and the shots of the hunters chasing pheasants, and threw open the shutters excited at what the new day would bring, picking up our cameras to capture the mist, fog and light over Lano from the bathroom window of “I Tigli” the lovely home from which our hostess Guilia Scarpaleggia from Jul’s Kitchen leads her guests on Tuscan culinary adventures and holds her wonderful cooking classes. Sharing from the heart.

And it is there that we cooked pasta – not homemade as planned but delicious none the less in the traditional Tuscan way: cacio e pepe. With the young Tuscan sheep’s milk cheese Pecorino.

Based on Gulia’s recipe which she taught us, I have added my personal touch and recreated this pasta with the ingredients I brought home from what will surely only be my first visit to this enchanting region.
Thank you Guilia and buon appetito to all!

 Pasta Cacio e Pepe
Ingredient for 2 hungry people:
150 grams young Pecorino Toscano (soft and moist, ripened approximately 2 weeks – max 2 months)
250 grams of pasta
1 TBSP salt
Water for boiling pasta
½ tsp freshly grated lemon rind from a washed organic lemon
3-4 drops of white truffle oil preferably from Pienza
Fresh ground black pepper

Putting it all together:

Bring water in a large pot to boiling add the salt, boil 1 futher minute. Add the pasta, bring to a new boil and reduce the heat and cook the pasta without a lid until somewhat softer than al dente.

In the meantime roughly grate half of the pecorino directly into a large non-stick pan or pot.

Melt the cheese in the pan/pot using medium heat and stirring gently, as soon as the cheese starts to melt add about ½ a ladle of the noodle water and stir to further melt the cheese and smoothen the sauce. Add more noodle water as needed, take care that the sauce doesn’t become runny and avoid boiling so as not to curdle the cheese.

Cut the rest of the cheese into the sauce, stirring to combine. Grind fresh pepper into the sauce and add the lemon rind. Simmer very low stirring often. Turn off the heat and cover the sauce if necessary to keep it warm.

Taste the noodles for doneness.

Pour off the noodles into a sieve than either transfer them with half the sauce back into the pot adding more sauce and noodles as you go along. Work quickly.

Add 3-4 drops of the white truffle oil from Pienza.

Serve in pasta plates and eat while hot, adding more fresh pepper to your taste.

But then, this weekend I got unbelievably lucky!

We all battle our weight in my little family but we also adore eating (could there be a connection, dahhh??) and in a weak moment several weeks ago, I broke one of the golden rules and bought a glass of Nutella.

And, after having scratched the itch by dousing my favorite baguette with it shortly after my purchase (like 10 minutes), it has been sitting accusatorily on the counter in the kitchen daring me!

And what better way to dispose of it then to turn it into a decadent dessert and not just any decadent dessert cake no, no not for yum and more, no I had to combine it with cheesecake. If your going to do it, go the whole hog!
So I looked up and read, and googled and browsed, and then I found 2 recipes I liked:

http://themoonlightbaker.com/2011/03/04/nutella-cheesecake-layer-bars/

and

http://www.bigcitylittlekitchen.com/2008/01/29/nutella-swirl-cheesecake/

then I mixed, changed and combined their ingredients and instructions with love and determination to create in my own oven these:

Scrumptious Nutella Cheesecake Bites

This makes a large rectangular pan of Nutella cheesecake that cuts into about 30 scrumptious bites
Ingredients:
Crust:

• 100 grams of melted butter
• 200 grams of whole wheat biscuits/cookies, roughly crumbled
• 50 grams of whole hazelnuts
• 2 TBSPs of fat and sugar free cocoa powder
  Cheesecake:

• 600 grams / 3 packages cream cheese (normal, low-fat, lactose-free or your choice)
• 3 M-L eggs
• 60 ml/¼ cup whipping/heavy cream plus 2 TBSPs extra
• ½ cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp of chili flakes (optional)
• 200 grams / 2/3 cup of Nutella

Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F

Butter rectangular cake pan. Place parchment paper in the pan making sure in has smooth corners.

Place biscuits/cookies and hazelnuts in the food processor and pulse until refined but not powder. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times to mix.

Pour crumbs into parchment lined pan and spread out and into corners to make an even layer. Place into the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and place aside to cool.

In the meantime, clean the food processor, or use a large mixing bowl and a electric beater or whisk; add the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, chili flakes and cream. Mix thoroughly.

Pour 2/3 of the dough carefully over the baked crust. Smooth out evenly trying not to disturb the crumb crust.

Now add the Nutella and the 2 TBSPs of cream. Mix until entirely combined.

Pour the Nutella batter over the previous cheesecake batter, making swirls as you go along.

Bake for 35 minutes, then turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cake rest an additional 5-10 minutes – testing after 5 minutes whether the top is set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting. Use the parchment to remove it from the pan. Could into bite size pieces or chunks of a size you prefer.

Keep leftover bites on a cookie tin in the fridge if you haven any left.

P.S. These share great too!