Base:

• 1/3 cup cashew nuts
• ¾ cup macadamias (or hazelnuts)
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons agave syrup

‘Cheesecake’:

• 2 cups cashew nuts
• ½ cup coconut cream
• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• ¼ cup freshly pressed lime juice
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 ½ tablespoons matcha powder
• ½ teaspoon pure mint extract

Place 2 cups of the cashews in a large bowl, cover with cold water. Stand covered for 4 hours or overnight. Next day drain them, rinse under cold water, drain well.

Grease and line the base and sides of the pan.

Make base: process cashew and macadamias until crumbly. Add desiccated coconut, coconut oil and agave syrup. Process until the mixture comes together. Press mixture over base of using opposite side of the spoon to even the surface. Refrigerate.

Blend or process soaked and drained cashew with coconut cream, lime zest and juice and maple syrup until as smooth as possible. Add matcha and mint extract, mix together. Pour the mixture over the base, smooth top. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving remove from the pan, discard parchment paper and cut into squares. Dust with matcha powder.

smaller loaf pan (mine 8 x 4 inch)

Ingredients:

• ¾  cup (170 g) butter, melted
• ¾  cup (150 g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoons mint extract (optional, for more intensive flavour)
• ½ cup (125 ml) milk
• 2 eggs
• ¼  cup (65 ml) gin
• 1 ½  cups (240 g) all purpose flour
• ¾  cup (120 g) spelt flour
• 1 ½  teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 200 g fresh red currants

Icing:

• 2-3 tablespoons warm water
• ½ cup(100 g) icing sugar
• some red currants
• mint leaves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the pan and line with parchment paper.

In a bowl of a stand mixer stir together melted butter, sugar, mint leaves and mint extract (if used). In a separated small bowl slightly beat eggs with a fork. Add eggs, milk and gin to the butter mixture and stir (or mix) until combined. Add both flours, baking powder and salt and mix until incorporated. Stir in red currants, mix gently with rubber spatula, do not use mixer. Spoon the cake mixture to the pan and  bake for about 1 hour (until the tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean). Leave in the pan until cool (preferably overnight – the cake is best next day). Once cooled remove from the pan.

Make icing: mix icing sugar and water until smooth, thick but still liquid mixture. Pour over the cake, decorate with currants and mint leaves.

30 cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 100 g cream cheese
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure mint extract
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 100 g redcurrant puree (or thick jelly)

You may use store-bought redcurrant puree or make it home. To do this you need to cook 200 g fruits (could be frozen) with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. When fruits are very soft and look like puree pass them through the sieve and let cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer place butter, cream cheese and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, mint leaves and mint extract. In a separated bowl mix together flour, baking powder, yeast and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture still mixing on medium speed until the dough is smooth. When is ready, remove it from the bowl and divide in two equal parts. Roll each piece onto a floured surface into an 8 x 6 inch rectangle. Spread each rectangle with redcurrant puree and roll up tightly, jelly roll style, starting with a long side. Wrap in plastic (each separately) and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours, better overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large cookie tray with parchment paper.

Once the rolls are cooled becomes to be stiff and easy to cut. Slice each into 3/8-inch wide slices. Place cookies onto the prepared tray. Bake for about 15-17 minutes until light brown on bottoms. Just after baking they will be still soft and start to harden when cooling. Cool on a wire rack.

You have to make this cheesecake a day before because it must spend the night in the fridge to become proper structure

round springform 8 inch

 Base:

• 100 g unsalted pistachios
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoon water
• ¼ cup butter, melted

 Cheesecake:

• 250 g cream cheese
• ¼  cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 150 ml whipping cream
• 100 g white chocolate

 Mint mousse:

• ½ cup mint tea or green tea + pure mint extract
• ½ cup sugar
• 5 teaspoon gelatine
• 150 ml whipping cream
• 150 ml greek yogurt, plain

Make the base: chop pistachios. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook without stirring, over medium heat until the sugar thermometer reaches 115°F or sugar becomes brown in colour. Set the saucepan aside and stir in pistachios. Pour the mixture over baking tin lined with parchment and let cool completely. Process  sugared pistachios in food processor to sand consistency. Stir In melted butter and process for a 1 minute until it looks like wet sand. The bottom of a spring form line with baking parchment and pour the pistachio base evenly pressing lightly with a spoon. Let it cool in the fridge.

Make cheesecake: place the whipping cream in a small saucepan and cook until hot. Take off from the stove, pour in chopped chocolate and  stir until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl place cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat with a spoon until smooth. Pour the chocolate cream and beat together.  Pour the cheesecake mixture over pistachio base in the spring form. Cheesecake will be baked in water bath (bain-marie). Wrap the spring form in two pieces of aluminium foil and place in a bigger pan filled with hot water to the half-way of springform side. Place together in hot oven (325°F) and bake for 1 hour. The cheesecake have to be set on its surface if is not bake it longer. Once is baked remove from bigger water pan, waste the aluminium foil and place in spring form to the fridge for overnight.

Make mint mousse: place gelatine in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minut until blooms. Brew the mint tea (or green tea with pure mint extract) and stir in sugar. Add softened gelatine to warm tea and stir to dissolve. Gradually stir in yogurt and mix until combined. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and pour over tea-yogurt mixture stirring gently.  Silicon moulds (shaped as desired) fill with mousse and place in the freezer for overnight.  

Next day remove cheesecake from the pan and place on a cake stand. Remove the mint mousse from moulds and place on the top of cheesecake. Decorate with ground pistachios and fresh mint leaves.