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Strawberry cheesecake bites Strawberries have always been my favourite fruit, and I’m so glad that they are readily available in Dhaka now. Having them in grocery stores here means we are open to a whole new world of possibilities. They can be added to various salads, desserts and drinks for more texture, tanginess and balance. This recipe is one of my favourite, go-to dessert recipes whenever I have company. When serving food, I try to think out of the box and pleasantly surprise people. Unusual recipes always spark interesting conversations. Strawberry cheesecake bites are easy to make, fun to eat, and always turn out well. There’s absolutely nothing hard about this recipe. Even the worst cook \ couldn’t mess this one up!
Fareeha Chowdhury is an avid food enthusiast and professional cupcake baker. She studied courses in pastry techniques at the French Culinary institute in Manhattan. Ingredients l About 20 strawberries l 1 package softened cream cheese (8 oz) l 1/2 cup powdered sugar l 1/2 tsp vanilla essence l 1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice l 5 digestive biscuits Directions: l Wash and cut off the top, including the leaves, of the strawberries and scoop out the inner portion of the fruit to make it hollow with a small knife l Crush the digestive biscuits in a small bowl into a powder and set aside l In a separate bowl, mix together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, lime juice and vanilla. l Using a spoon, fill in the hollow portion of the strawberries with the cheesecake filling, and dip the top in the digestive biscuit mixture to coat it l Repeat this step for all of the strawberries, and there you have a plate full of yummy, fresh and summery snacks
By Fareeha Chowdhury Gardening
Sowing tomato seeds
With Bangladesh’s climate not being fit for all kinds of fruits and vegetables, tomatoes are one vegetable that is very easy to cultivate in our climate. It’s easy to sow and usually cultivates within two weeks time. For large, regular sized tomatoes, it’s advisable to grow them in the ground, as for the smaller variety, it’s better to grow them in hanging baskets By N Anita Amreen
Step 1 In a pot, pour in seed compost, only leaving a few centimetres below the rim. Take the tomato seeds and scatter evenly over the compost. Cover that layer with vermiculite and then water it. Keep the pot
covered Step 2 When seedlings begin to appear, uncover the pot. Step 3 Check to see if the seedlings grow to approximately 10cm in height. Once they have reached that height, pot on the seedlings. Plant them deep into the pots
Step4 To help the tomatoes to move in the breeze, fan the seedlings for five to 10 minutes a day, twice a day. This will help the plant develop strong stems Step 5 Sometime around two weeks later, harden off the plants before moving on to planting them in their final position
Photo: Big Stock
Outlined below is the step-by-step guide to grow your very own tomatoes:
AVE N U E T TH U RSDAY, SE PTE MB E R 1 2, 20 1 3