Foodie

Recipe: Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cheesecake

2012-02-15T21:05:00.001-05:00

This flavorful cheesecake reduces calories by replacing the sugar with sucralose and eliminating the crust.

Non-stick cooking spray
3 8-ounce bars cream cheese (at room temperature)
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup (128 grams) natural peanut butter (well stirred)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1.5 cups sucralose
pinch of salt
1 10 ounce jar of sugar-free grape jam (optional, for topping)
1 tablespoon canola oil (optional, for topping)

Preheat your oven to 300°F with the base of a water bath in the oven. Start boiling water for the water bath.

Double-wrap the outside of an 8-inch springform pan with tin foil, making sure the result is water-proof. Generously spray the sides and bottom of the springform pan with the non-stick spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, sucralose and salt. Using the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients on medium speed until combined. Because sucralose tends to make ingredients clump together, you'll need to beat this longer than a cheesecake batter made with sugar. It will be very difficult to get the ingredients to combine completely into a smooth batter, but the mixture should melt and combine further in the oven producing a texture much like ordinary cheesecake.

Equipment needed

8" springform pan
pan for water bath
stove
oven mitts
pan to boil water
convection oven
measuring teaspoon
measuring cup
bowl
stand mixer
spoons
cooling rack

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon and tap the sides and bottom against a hard surface to remove any trapped air. Place the pan in the oven's water bath pan and carefully fill the water bath pan with boiling water.

Bake the cheesecake for about one hour, until set. Remove from oven, remove the tin foil and allow the cheesecake to cool for one hour.

After an hour, run a knife around the edge of the cake to make sure it is separated from the springform pan.

If you are using the jam spread, spoon all of the jam into a bowl and add the canola oil. Mix vigorously until combined. Spread over the top of the cheesecake and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly to the edges. Put the cake in the refrigerator for one hour to set the jam.

After an hour, remove the sides of the springform pan and return the cheesecake to the refrigerator to cool completely.

Recipe: Honey Walnut Cheesecake

2011-12-26T23:52:00.001-05:00

This is an easy cheesecake with a unique flavor. The walnuts, honey and vanilla, while compelling on their own, combine to add surprising chocolate notes. The cake leaves a satisfying honey aftertaste.

For the crust:

195 grams butter cookies
4 tablespoons melted butter

Grind cookies in food processor until fine. Mix in the melted butter with a fork until fully incorporated. Spread on bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and pack down with the back of a spoon, making sure the bottom edges of the pan are sealed with the mixture. Bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, remove and cool to room temperature.

Equipment needed

digital scale
food processor
stove or microwave oven
bowl or pan for melting butter
fork
9-inch springform pan
tablespoon
convection oven
bowl for beating eggs
cookie sheet
measuring spoons
stand mixer with paddle
foil for water bath
pan larger than the springform for the water bath
pan or bowl for boiling water

For the cake:

1.5 cups (150 grams) walnuts
3 8-ounce bars cream cheese at room temperature
3 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1/2 cup (168 grams) honey
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toast walnuts on a cookie sheet in a 350°F oven, begin checking after 8 minutes, although they will probably take 10-12 minutes to toast. They are toasted when they have browned, but not burned, and the nuts are fragrant. Cool to room temperature. Grind the cooled walnuts in a food processor until the oils in the nuts just begin to cause the walnuts to turn into a "nut butter". On a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine, on low speed, all ingredients except the nuts. Add the nuts a spoonful at a time, incorporating after each addition. Pour into the springform pan. Bake at 300°F in a water bath for about one hour and thirty minutes, or until the center is set, but not dried out. Be sure to waterproof the outside of the springform pan by covering it with foil.

A Frugal, Toasted Cake Topping

2011-11-30T12:50:00.001-05:00

Leveling the cake

Here's a culinary tip on a frugal but effective way to finish a cake: toasted crumbs.

Most good cooks level off their cakes before icing them so the finished product has a flat top. Many cooks throw away the excess cake—or feed it to an enthusiastic dog or child.

Next time, put that excess cake to work by toasting the crumbs and sprinkling them on top of your frosted cake.

Toasting the crumbs

Finished crumbs

Place the excess cake on a baking sheet and put it in a preheated 350°F oven. Begin checking the cake after 5 minutes. Take it out of the oven, chop it using a large knife and remove (and retain) any crumbs that are about to burn. Every few minutes, repeat this process of removing the baking sheet, chopping and removing crumbs until all of the cake crumbs are toasted.

Frugally finished cake

Wait until your cake crumbs are cooled to room temperature and sprinkle them on top of your frosted cake. In addition to the heightened presentation, you get a nice texture contrast between the silky icing and the crunchy crumbs.

Pumpkin and Devil's Food Cake

2011-11-27T17:33:00.001-05:00

This post gives instructions on how I combined several recipes into an unusual but highly satisfying dessert.

I'd been reading on the Web how mothers make a special treat for their children by combining a box of devil's food cake, a can of pumpkin and some cinnamon to make a Halloween muffin. This got me thinking: If pumpkin and devil's food cake complement each other, why can't that combination serve as the base for an adult dessert? So I set out to construct a pumpkin and devil's food cake, using existing recipes and a little creativity.

For the cake layers, I started with the Food Network's Devil's Food Cake recipe, but to enhance the cocoa, I substituted coffee for the water. Next, I made a batch of Dave Lieberman's Pumpkin Mousse, without the ginger snaps and substituting a tablespoon of cinnamon for the pumpkin pie spice. I also added a bay leaf to the pumpkin and cream as it simmered for five minutes. Bay leaves intensify the flavor of pumpkin. (Don't forget to remove the bay leaf when the simmering is complete.) I didn't want to use semi-sweet chocolate icing as the Food Network did for their cake because I thought the cake should have some additional sweetness. So, I made a simple milk chocolate ganache by adding 2 cups of simmering cream to a pound of milk chocolate, cooling it completely in the refrigerator and whipping in spoons of confectioner's sugar until it was spreadable.

To assemble this dessert, I halved the layers of devil's food cake horizontally and used generous amounts of the pumpkin mousse to fill between the layers. Next, I iced the cake with the ganache and finished it by sprinkling shaved white chocolate on top.

Although pumpkin and devil's food cake aren't on the top of my list of best desserts, combined they make an exceptional product. The extra sweetness of a milk chocolate ganache complements the modestly-sweetened cake and filling.

Recipe: The Cookie That Really Crumbles

2011-07-11T16:34:00.006-04:00

These light and tasty cookies are fun for both kids and adults. They are fun because they're hollow and brittle which causes them to crumble away when you take a bite. While they are not something to serve at a formal event, these crunchy treats make a great addition to a picnic where the ants can enjoy any crumbs you create.

Ingredients
2 cups (400 g) sugar with extra for garnish
1.5 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter (room temperature)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg (room temperature)
2.5 cups (300 g) doppio zero (00) flour, sifted
.5 teaspoon baking soda
.5 teaspoon kosher salt
non-stick baking spray

Equipment needed

convection oven
measuring cups or digital scale
measuring spoons
ice cream scoop
butter knife
cookie sheets
spatula
mixer (stand mixer preferably)
cooling rack
flour sifter
mixing bowl
refrigerator
airtight containers

Directions

Using an electric mixer, combine the 2 cups of sugar and the butter. Increase the mixer to medium speed and cream the butter/sugar for 4 minutes.
Mix in vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl.
Mix in the egg, scraping the sides of the bowl.
Combine the sifted doppio zero flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and mix thoroughly.
Add the doppio zero flour mixture in thirds, mixing completely at low speed after each addition.
Transfer the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly spray your cookie trays with a no-stick baking spray.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a trigger ice cream scoop (#12 size), scoop the dough and level it off with a butter knife. Place four balls of dough on each cookie tray.
Using the palm of your hand, pat the balls to flatten them.
Sprinkle some sugar on top of the dough, for garnish.
Bake the dough for 16-17 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on tray for 2 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, store in an airtight container.

Further Details
Yields about 1 dozen cookies
If possible, use a digital scale instead of measuring cups. It results in greater accuracy.
Doppio zero flour can be difficult to find. In the United States, King Arthur Flour makes an excellent version of 00 flour called "Italian Flour".

Recipe: Wine and Cheese Sundae

2011-05-30T22:51:00.000-04:00

Many dinner parties begin with cheese, crackers and wine as an appetizer, but this iconoclastic sundae makes a novel finale to a summer dinner for adults.

Ingredients

half gallon of premium vanilla ice cream
one batch of Zinfandel sauce
2 tablespoons of Zinfandel
2 cups of whipping cream
2-8 ounce bars of cream cheese
8 tablespoons of powdered sugar
12 to 15 large graham crackers
a few drops of milk

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are crumbs. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and 4 of the tablespoons of powdered sugar. Add drops of milk until the sweetened cheese can be piped. Fill a pastry bag with the cheese mixture and set aside.
Combine the 2 cups of whipping cream and 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar and whip with an electric beater until firm. Add the 2 tablespoons of Zinfandel and continue whipping until incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the whipped cream and set aside.
Place one or two scoops of ice cream in each of your serving glasses.
Pipe concentric circles of the cream cheese mixture on top of the ice cream. Don't put too much cream cheese into the sundae, two or three concentric circles are enough.
Spoon a generous amount of Zinfandel sauce on each sundae.
Sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top of the sauce.
Pipe the whipped cream on top of each sundae.
Decorate by sprinkling graham cracker crumbs on top of the whipped cream and serve quickly.

Equipment needed

ice cream scoop
electric mixer
food processor
2 pastry bags with or without decorating tips
measuring tablespoon
spoon
glasses for serving

Further Details

If you don't have a food processor, you can place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and pound them with a heavy object until they are crumbs.

Try substituting mascarpone for the cream cheese if you'd like a tangier sundae.
Makes about 6 sundaes.

Canola Oil and White Cake

2011-05-26T15:23:00.007-04:00

I recently tried experimenting with making classic white cake using canola oil and the "fat jacket" technique. The result exceeded my expectations of taste and texture.

In the first experiment, I began with the recipe for the classic 1-2-3-4 Cake, but made two ingredient substitutions:

one cup of canola oil for the two sticks of butter
bleached all-purpose flour for the cake flour

Then I substituted the "fat jacket" technique for making the batter. In this technique, instead of creaming your butter and sugar together, you begin by tossing all of your dry ingredients, except the sugar, with a fork, then adding your canola oil to the dry ingredients and mixing slowly with the fork until incorporated. This coats the flour with the fat, forming a jacket that prevents gluten development and results in a better cake texture. Once the oil and flour are combined, add all of your wet ingredients and stir slowly with a fork, until incorporated, then add your sugar and with a hand whisk, beat until incorporated. I baked the batter in a sheet pan for 28 minutes. The resulting cake was of superior texture and had a very light flavor as canola oil tends to be flavor-neutral.

In the second experiment, I separated the eggs and divided the sugar into 1.5 cups and .5 cups. I used an electric beater to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks formed, added .5 cups of sugar and continued whipping the eggs until glossy. (This was the only time I used an electric mixer. I mixed everything else by hand.) Then I made the batter as above but substituting 1.5 cups of sugar for the 2 cups and the egg yolks for the full eggs. Finally, I folded the batter into the whipped egg whites, in thirds, until fully combined but not deflated. As in the first experiment, I baked it as a sheet cake for 28 minutes. The cake rose a bit more due to the extra air incorporated in the egg whites. This variation had the same flavor as the first, but the texture was even better. It was one of the best, if not the best, cake textures I've encountered.

I highly recommend experimenting with canola oil in cake. Combined with the fat jacket technique, you get a superior product for a small amount of extra labor.

Recipe: Amaretto Doppio-Zero Sugar Cookies

2010-12-31T22:54:00.011-05:00

A light, crisp cookie with a sandy texture and an intense almond taste.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (60 grams) almond flour
2 1/4 cups (285 grams) doppio zero (00) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 cup butter, cooked to the buerre noisette stage, strained and cooled but still liquid
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons Amaretto
1 egg (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups (338 grams) sugar and extra for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the bowel of a mixer, sift together almond flour, 00 flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Stir the almond extract and one tablespoon of the Amaretto into the cooled buerre noisette.
With the mixer on low speed, mix in the buerre noisette mixture and the egg until just combined.
With mixer still on low speed, incorporate the 1 1/2 cups of sugar. The dough will be dry and clumpy.
With mixer still on low speed, add the other tablespoon of Amaretto. The dough will still be dry, but will come together enough to form balls.
Using a small ice cream scoop, drop scoops of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle sugar on the tops of the dough balls.
Bake for approximately 12 minutes.
Cool on tray for 2 minutes before removing cookies. Finishing cooling on a rack.

Equipment needed

saucepan
stove
convection oven
measuring cups or digital scale
measuring spoons
small ice cream scoop
cookie sheets
spatula
mixer (stand mixer preferably)
cooling rack

Further details
Yields about 4 dozen cookies.
If possible, use a digital scale instead of measuring cups. It results in greater accuracy.
Don't attempt to "make" almond flour in a food processor; buy it from a mill. Milled, not ground, almonds produce a better product.
Preparation time is approximately 20 minutes.
Doppio zero flour can be difficult to find. In the United States, King Arthur Flour makes an excellent version of 00 flour called "Italian Flour".
The cookie may have a slight oily feel; this is normal.
As the dough is dry, you may want to keep it covered when not in use.

Recipe: Coffee Sauce

2010-12-10T22:43:00.019-05:00

This versatile dessert sauce packs a strong coffee flavor.

Ingredients

1 cup very strong coffee (made in a French press)
1 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon instant espresso

Instructions

Combine coffee, sugar and salt in saucepan.
Attach candy thermometer to saucepan.
Over medium-high heat with light stirring, boil and reduce to between the thread and soft-ball stage. With my thermometer, I need to take the sauce closer to soft-ball, but candy thermometers vary, so you will need to find the best consistency for you.
Stir in espresso powder.
Pour into heat-resistant bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool completely in refrigerator. The sauce can be stored several days in the refrigerator.

Equipment needed

saucepan
candy thermometer
French press
measuring spoon (tablespoon)
stove
spoon
heat-resistant storage bowl
plastic wrap

Further details
Yields about 1.25 cups.
Preparation time is approximately 20 minutes.
I make very strong coffee by doubling the amount of coffee I usually use in the French press.

Recipe: Zinfandel Sauce

2010-11-30T21:55:00.025-05:00

This sophisticated dessert sauce retains the flavor of the wine and incorporates a sweetness that isn't overpowering.

Ingredients

2 cups Zinfandel
1 cup white sugar
pinch of salt

Instructions

Combine Zinfandel, sugar and salt in saucepan.
Attach candy thermometer to saucepan.
Over medium-high heat with light stirring, boil and reduce to between the thread and soft-ball stage. With my thermometer, I need to take the sauce closer to soft-ball, but candy thermometers vary, so you will need to find the best consistency for you.
Pour into heat-resistant bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool completely in refrigerator. The sauce can be stored several days in the refrigerator.

Equipment needed

saucepan
candy thermometer
stove
spoon
heat-resistant storage bowl
plastic wrap

Further details
Yields about 1.5 cups.
Preparation time is approximately 20 minutes.