Cheese and fruit...... my idea of a perfect birthday cake, Recipe Cheese and fruit...... my idea of a perfect birthday cake

Cheese and fruit...... my idea of a perfect birthday cake

Posted the 09/09/2008 09:00:00 By my-easy-cooking (Visit website)

I missed my Blogiversary, I missed my 100th post, so I'll be damned if I miss another opportunity to celebrate. This is my 200th post and boy, what a journey this has been so far!!! I started blogging on 27 July 2007, in fact it was my husband who got me started by creating this blog for me. I remember those first posts....... small photos, limited writing skills and no comments. I received my first comment from Taste Memory for a Strawberry and Nasturtium Salad that I made. Slowly but surely I learned about Photobucket and Google Readers(still haven't figured that one out completely) and Feedburner and all sorts of things. As with everything else there has been "highs" and "lows". I try and learn from my mistakes and rejoice in my victories so I was ecstatic when my best post so far, Beer-battered Fish got 1886 hits in one day!! Like all of you, I would like to push my readership even higher, but I have no doubt that it will happen...soon! This site has now grown into something that I am extremely proud of and I find great pleasure in adding to this site regularly. I get up every morning at 4.20, make myself some coffee/tea and at 5.00 I start posting or browsing or just following up on comments.

My goals:
- I would like to publish my own book(I am busy, ok!!)
- generate some form of income from my site (so that I can justify eating lobster in the middle of the week, he-he!!!!!)
-write a food column for a magazine or newspaper.

What I have noticed over the last few months, is that my hits increased, but my comments decreased. Does it mean that my site is boring, un-informative or not interesting enough??? I would really appreciate your input in this regard.

I trust that you will keep coming to this site and that I will still share many more recipes with you in future. I appreciate every visit, comment, contribution(to my gardening project) and special mention that I have received so far. I cannot imagine my days without all of you. So to all of you dedicated bloggers........Thank You, Thank You, Thank you!!!!

If I was near Tartlette or My sweet and Saucy, I would have asked them to bake me a wonderful cake for this occasion, but since I am not, I decided to make a "cake" with my favorite ingredients.....cheese and fruit!!!!! It was fantastic and every bite was simply heavenly so I have no doubt in my mind that this "cake" was the perfect end to a lovely meal. Judging on everyone's oohing and aaahing, it was a very sociable meal too)

Ingredients

For the Vanilla syrup

2 Heaped Tbsp caster sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 Vanilla pod - inside scraped out.

1 round ripe Camembert
fresh strawberries, grapes, gooseberries
125gr mixed nuts - brazil, macadamia, hazel, cashews,almonds

Put ingredients for syrup in a pot. Slowly heat to melt the sugar and then boil until you have a lovely syrup. When the back of a spoon is coated and you run your finger over it, it must leave a line.
Add and mix the nuts with the syrup and let it cool to room temperature.

Now, on a plate or wood board, place the Camembert Cheese. Top with the nuts and syrup and arrange fresh fruit around the cheese - I used strawberries, cape gooseberries and grapes, but you can use whatever you have available.

My desserts seem to draw a lot of attention, so just in case you missed some of them, follow these links to the most popular ones I've made.

Apple Tarte Tatin with chilli ice-cream
Brandy tuiles with Lavender cream
Honey and Pear pudding
Pineapple pudding