Foggy Mountain

So excited that finally I will have opportunity to get away for a holiday on the mountain this weekend. Have been waiting to breathe in fresh mountain air and indulge in the glorious mountain scenery for a long time. Sometimes I feel very blessed staying in this country that owns so many exciting holiday destinations, either mountain or sea. We can just pick from a long list of beautiful destinations and go shortly on weekend. Or else if we fancy a longer stay we might need to wait until the next public holiday or take a few days off at work.



T’s colleague takes care of the itinerary, and we will be going in a group of 6, an adequate number of people to interact and have fun with. Our destination is Khao Koh National Park which is famous for its beautiful scenery. It is going to be an enjoyable trip because it will involve camping on the cliff overseeing the biggest cabbage farm in Thailand. I imagine the air would be so cold and that vegetable scent will be all over in the air. I can’t remember the last time sleeping in the tent and admiring the sound and serenity of nature, or looking out to the night sky full of stars.



And our mind just go wild knowing that most of us are game to cook and prepare our own meals right outside our tents. We agree we should be cooking something simple of which ingredients could be easily retrieved from the nearby market or even Seven-Eleven.



And before I forget, I should definitely mention about the fog. It is anticipated that we will be seeing lots of fogs in the morning and even the daytime. The view is guaranteed to be extremely remarkable. 4 from 6 in the group have prepared to bring cameras, and guess what, we all are fans of Canon :-)



Want to see the pictures? Well, you just need until we are back…. And I promise to take many pictures for the next post, okay? Allright, I hope you have a great weekend too, like I and all of us will. Cheers and enjoy this fabulous Lemon Cheese Cake topped with Caramelized Cumquats!!



LEMON CHEESE CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED CUMQUATS
Makes one 20cm round cake



1.Base
Prepare: one 20 cm cake ring, covered bottom and side with aluminium foil.

Ingredients:
- Chocolate biscuits > 250 grams
- Melted butter > 100 grams



Method:
- Ground biscuit until fine. Add melted butter and mix well.
- Press to the base of cake ring. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.



2. Filling

Ingredients:
- Gelatine > 1 tablespoon
- Hot water > 2 tablespoons
- Cream cheese > 250 grams
- Lemon rind> 2 teaspoons
- Condensed milk > 370 grams
- Lemon juice> 50 ml (approx. 1 big lemon)
- Lime juice > 20 ml (approx. 2 limes)



Method:
- Prepare hot water in a bowl. Sprinkle with gelatine and stir until totally dissolved. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Whip cream cheese and lemon rind until smooth. Fold in lemon and lime juice and condensed milk. Beat until even. Immediately fold in gelatine and stir well.
- Pour filling into cake ring on top of cookie base. Refrigerate overnight.



3. Caramelized Cumquats

Ingredients:
- Cumquats > 250 grams
- Caster sugar > 175 grams



Method:
- Wash cumquats and prick the skins with a skewer.
- Boil water in a saucepan. Fold in cumquats and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain cumquats and keep 250 ml of the liquid.
- Pour this liquid back into saucepan. Set heat to medium and add in sugar. Stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Increase heat and boil for 10 minutes more.
- Fold in cumquats and simmer for 20 minutes. By then, cumquat skins will be soft.
- Remove from heat and cool.
- Spoon cumquats and sauce onto cheese cake and serve.