MangiaMore: CHEESECAKE(s)

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RER 7.30.14

In honor of National Cheesecake Day last Wednesday, I went in.

My sister announced one of the most important days of the year by saying “july 30 = national cheesecake day. get on it.” She was so direct, but so correct. So I got on it. I couldn’t just make one plain cheesecake —it’s a celebration! Many mini cheesecakes. Done.

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RER 7.30.14

I’ve made cheesecake before. I went wild with a sinful salted caramel cheesecake pie for Thanksgiving last year. Not a super run of the mill, plain old cheesecake, that’s just not me.

This time, I dared to make four flavors with different add-ins or toppings using the Philadelphia Mini Cheesecake recipe.

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Blueberry Lemon

For this little gem, I added a little bit of fresh lemon juice to the filling. Um, yum. This made the heavy cake feel a little lighter and fresher, like summer. And the blueberry lemon compote topping took advantage of beautiful summer blueberries. The combination of the smooth cheesecake and that sweet and tart fresh compote was absolutely lovely.

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Oreo Sprinkle

We had Oreos. And we had sprinkles. Boom. Oreo sprinkle cheesecake. My mother questioned my sprinkle addition, but I was baking and I wanted sprinkles. I saw them at the very top of one of our cabinets, next to the cookie cutters, food coloring and extracts, and I went with it. I wanted to add some fun and color to these babies. Even though they look a little funny and silly, they had just the right amount of chocolate to tone down the sweetness from the base, graham cracker crust, and explosion of rainbow sprinkles.

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White Chocolate Strawberry Swirl

I’m going to say right now, swirling is not my forte. I was hoping that these would turn out pretty and refined, but they didn’t. Boohoo, they still tasted bomb. Melted white chocolate chips went in the filling and heated strawberry jam (Bonne Maman is my jam!) was “swirled” in with a knife. Can’t say they look superb but they are pretty darn tasty.

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Caramel Almond

Well, mostly just almond. I failed at the caramel. Oh well, t’was super delicious anyway. This little guy had some ground almond mixed in with the graham for the crust and some golden Disaronno in with the creamy filling. This might have been a favorite within my test group, for its simplicity. Just yum.

Do anything special for National Cheesecake Day? Like, I dunno, stuff your face with sexy cheesecake…

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7.30.14

MangiaMore: SALTED caramel cheesecake pie

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RER 11.28.13

Well this seems to have been my lucky year. I was able to make a new dessert and present it at our timeless Thanksgiving table. Usually we make a pecan pie and something (that something had been the Minimalist’s Sweet Potato Pie or pumpkin pudding or pound cake). But this year pound cake was decided as one of our two contributions and the pecan pie was being brought, which made room for a little creativity. I was thrilled, my wishin’and hopin’ paid off (and so did my relentless Thanksgiving meal research). It was time to try something new, and I knew exactly what I wanted— Joy the Baker’s Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie. Sweet, savory, salt, and cheesecake, yes please!

 

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The recipe was not severely difficult (unless you mess up like I did, which could result in double the cheesecake pies), it is just a little time consuming. The crust has to bake and cool before the cheesecake filling can go in the shell. The cheesecake pie has to bake for 50 minutes to an hour, and then cool for 45 minutes in the oven (timing is important if you are planning on making a big, festive meal, because this recipe dominates the oven for a bit). And on top of that the salted caramel and the cake have to be completely cool before assembly. There is just a lot of waiting in between delicious parts.

 

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But in the end, it turned out beautiful ( and sticky). Oddly enough, the cheesecake got better with time, allowing all the layers from the spicy gingersnap crust, to the creamy filly, to the salty sweet caramel, to firm up and assert their presence. The salt helped to balance out the sweetness in the filling, and the spicy crust added another dimension to the other flavors. Even the textures gave an interesting twist to cheesecake; there was more crunchy crust, as it rode up the edges of the pie plate; a thinner layer of smooth and luscious cheesecake, skating in the middle of the pie; and a pronounced layer of the tacky, sticky and fun salted caramel topped with the faintest crunch of sea salt.

 

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It was a definitely a delicious addition. What changes did you make to your Thanksgiving table this year? Any revived sides or new desserts? Any newbies worth keeping?

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12.1.13

RER 11.28.13

FoodView: Thanksgiving WISHES

RER 11.22.12

Thanksgiving is upon us, and it feels as though time is both speeding up and slowing down as the day approaches. It’s like every great holiday (or birthday), when childish excitement drags moments to a crawl but also blurs them to nothing. As you all have guessed by now, I am super amped. Like, inexplicably ready to get my thankful feast on, nap, roll over and do it again. I have been preparing for the moment too, alternating between stuffing my face randomly to stretch my belly, and forcing a few more agonizing minutes at the gym (counter productive, I know).

Also, I have been studying all my favorite food outlets, drooling over pictures, taking in trends, and tasting recipes in my dreams. This too has been counter productive, because my family’s Thanksgiving menu is immutable, resistant and impervious to change. Not because we don’t want to try something new, but there is the fear that it would ruin the perfection that we have maintained for many years. On top of it all, what could we possibly cut out to allow table space for a new imposter? That might be the most difficult decision, like ever. So we refuse to make it.

But what about theeeese options....

 

RER 1.23.13

You know, just cruising through some of the usual blogs and such, upholding my perpetual hunger, and on Refinery29, a fashion, beauty, lifestyle, everything site, I run into two delicious and time friendly recipes from Food52. One is Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage, including caramelized cabbage, ginger and cream, the other Caramelized Butternut Squash Wedges With a Sage Hazelnut Pesto, with a hazelnut ricotta salata pesto that I can’t really eat but sure want to. These two decadent veggie friendly sides would add nice sweet savory elements to our Thanksgiving fest.

 

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And how about The Tart Tart’s Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Juniper Berries, a mix of good for you things (both Brussels and bacon) and a classic with a twist. Excuse me, but what is not to love about salty bacon with bitter Brussels and a little bit of heat?

 

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We have always stuck to sweet sweet potato casseroles drowned with rum and topped with browned marshmallows for our Thanksgiving, but something deep down inside makes me darkly curious about these Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Coconut and Ginger from Food & Wine. Maybe it is the tropical unsweetened coconut or the spicy ginger, or just another, more savory take on smooth pureed sweet potatoes.

 

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I have never really known any kind of stuffing other than the tried and true spicy corn bread stuffing that emeninates butter and good times (or Stove Top in desperation), so this Prune and Sausage Stuffing from Martha Stewart Living (But I found on The Bitten Word) is quite alluring. White country bread, fatty sausage, sweet prunes and earthy kale, just yum.

 

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And then there is dessert, the category which sees the most shift in my family, from the pumpkin pudding experiments of childhood, to the Minimalist’s Sweet Potato Pie with a coconut graham cracker crust, to faithful standbys like moist pound cake and the super sweet classic pecan pie.

Might I suggest either these Maple Syrup Dumplings or (and) Carrot Rice Pudding from Saveur? I mean, really, maple syrup dumplings—buttery, doughy bits swimming in a sweet and distinct maple syrup sauce, puhlease. I already can predict that the carrot rice pudding will not make an appearance at our Thanksgiving sweets buffet because certain members of my family have a strong aversion to reason raisins, but I am totally down for spicy sweet.

I am dying to try Joy The Baker’s Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie!!! I repeat, dying! This is the combination daydreams are made of. Enough said.

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You know what I propose? Two Thanksgivings (yeah, I said it, but you all were thinking it)—one with all of our family’s traditional and typical dishes, and another that includes all the delectable treats I have been secretly longing for. What’s on your Thanksgiving menu? Is it oldies but goodies or a merry-go-round of newbies?

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11.22.13

RER 11.22.12