Daring Bakers: Cheesecake (and a Mixer)

strawberry-cheesecake-jar

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Well, silly me, I left this month’s Daring Bakers challenge to the very last minute. I was going to do it early, I swear! I bought the cream cheese a few weeks ago – and in honor of the challenge I got my birthday present from Devon early – a Martha Stewart Blue Kitchen Aid Mixer!!! Although really it’s a present for both of us, because I get to use it to make things like cheesecake, so he gets to reap the benefits.

kitchenaid-collage

Isn’t she pretty? I’ve been thinking of naming her, and while “Martha” seems to be a little bit sacrilege, it fits her well.

lime-cheesecake-cups

I made two variations here, the top one with Strawberries, left over from farmers market last week, and the other with lime and coconut, in honor of the song I’ve been singing away in my kitchen- You Put the Lime in the Coconut…. But seriously, whoever came up with that combination should get a sticker.

Here is the recipe, with my notes at the bottom:

Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs (I used Trader Joe’s cinnamon)
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tablespoons / 24 g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 ounces each (total of 24 oz) at room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 ounces heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tablespoon liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too – baker’s choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done – this can be hard to judge, but you’re looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don’t want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won’t crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil “casserole” shaped pans from the grocery store. They’re 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!
My variations:

Lime Coconut Cheesecake Cups: I substituted the juice of two limes for the lemon, and added two tablespoons coconut milk in a little more than half of the batter . (I was planning on mixing dry, unsweetened coconut in the crust, but then forgot*)

Strawberry cheesecake in a jar: In this one I put the graham crust on the bottom, spooned in the cheesecake in, and topped with a home made strawberry jam that I had started cooking at the beginning of prep: a pint of chopped strawberries with half a cup of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, reduced down for about 1/2 an hour on low heat.

Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Dante’s Feast – at Incanto

boccalone-platter

For the past few months I’ve been walking past the doors of Incanto every day and stopping to look at the menu. It’s pretty much become a daily ritual, as it is located exactly three minutes from my house. Menus are a little bit like illicit magazines for me. I sneak by each day to look at the list, memorizing each carefully composed and crafted sentence until “Foie gras torchon with preserved plums and grilled stirato” is seared into my head so I can dream about it all day long.

I think it’s fair to say that Incanto is different. Neighborhood Italian, for sure, but certainly not your spaghetti and meatballs joint. It specializes in Offal: the bits and pieces of the animal: including the heart, liver, kidneys, and brain. Bones, blood and guts, oh my! Does that scare you? Because it doesn’t scare me. I’m the kid that used to ask my mom to make liver, and would steal the giblets from the pan at Thanksgiving. The best part about it is that the stuff is good for you – it’s where the nutrients are in the animal – but aside from that, I’ll avoid talking about “healthy”, because I find that you lose all trust when you start that conversation.

Chris Cosentino, head chef at Incanto, cares passionately about using the whole animal, not letting anything go to waste. Offal are cuts of meat that are often thrown out, where in thousands of previous generations they have been rightfully acknowledged as delicacy. How is it that there is a whole generation of people who think that beef comes in two forms: ground, and steak – and are used to purchasing meat in sterilized Styrofoam packages. As the nation has become plagued by both health issues and financial struggles, going back to our roots and eating local, fresh, and limiting waste is key. Fortunately, eating from the whole animal is not only the more sustainable choice, but opens up a whole variety of tastes and textures to please the palate.

In addition to their use of offal, and locally procured meat, Incanto’s menu is full of locally grown fruits and vegetables, artisanal foods, and herbs from their own rooftop garden. They carry their own line of “tasty salted pig parts”, under the name Boccalone, which you can also get at their store in the Ferry Building. Do try the cone of meat. Its like a snow cone… of meat. I’m also a big fan of Chef Cosentino’s website, Offal Good.

I’ve wanted to go to Incanto for several months now. What was holding me back? I wanted everything. How could I possibly choose an appetizer, entree and dessert on a responsible budget? This, in retrospect was silly, and stupid. In the most fortunate twist of events, FoodBuzz wrote me back saying that I had been selected for their 24,24,24, where 24 blogs enjoy 24 meals in 24 hours on FoodBuzz’s generous dime! We just have to document it – which isn’t hard, because I’m usually in restaurants taking notes of everything I eat in my moleskin. So last night I brought out my camera and mini tripod, and went nuts.

Evening Menu

for four of us brave adventurers

Liquid libation: Vietti Barbera D’Asti 2006

Complimentary Sparkling Water. Who doesn’t love that?
*    *    *
Foie gras torchon with preserved plums and grilled stirato
Sweetbreads with peas & tarragon
Antipasto platter of Boccalone artisan salumi, roasted garlic, and marinated vegetables
*    *    *
Spaghettini, Sardinian cured tuna heart, egg yolk & parsley
Capunti, mortadella, sweet peas, ramps & potatoes
Rabbit Liver-Foie gras ravioli with grappa brown butter
*    *    *
Braised pork shoulder with rhubarb and fava beans
Whole roasted local sardines, garlic, chilli, capers & parsley
Slow-roasted lamb neck with baby fava beans, chilli and mint
*    *    *
Peas with honey and a knife
*    *    *
Flourless chocolate cake, beet ice cream and poppy seed crumble
Cream Soda float and lavender toffee-chocolate chip cookies

FANTASTIC, RIGHT?

And now, lets take a look:

foie-gras

Here is the foie gras that I had been dreaming about. It was creamy, smooth, and flavorful, and paired with that most amazing preserved plum that was one of the stars of the meal.

A soapbox note on foie gras: A few weeks ago, a restaurant in San Francisco was targeted for it’s use of Foie Gras, which is enlarged duck or goose liver. I care passionately about the quality of life given to the animals that I eat, and try to avoid eating factory farmed meat at all costs. I don’t believe that the process of creating foie gras is harmful to the animal, and I’ve seen it in person. I also believe that it is a dangerous thing for the government to make laws against it, and other artisanal food practices, particularly when they aren’t doing much at all to prevent the cramped, illness inducing, and environmentally harmful methods of factory farming. Incanto has an informative and well written response here, that I believe really sums up the issue and is well worth the read:  Letters from Incanto: Shock and Foie
*Step off soapbox here*

sweetbread

Look here! Sweetbread! It’s not a brain, and it’s not bread, it’s actually a gland. I remember refusing to eat the stuff for years, even though it was my grandmother’s favorite. Well, you could say that I’ve become enlightened. It takes some standing out on an odd textural limb to eat this stuff, but if you can perservere, it’s really, really good.

bread-course

And here, for your viewing pleasure is the bread and olive tapenade at Incanto. I know we were trying to be prudent, and normally I’d avoid excess bread so I could save space for the food, but the bread was good we ended up with seconds. The few slices left became my lunch today with the tapenade and leftover roasted garlic from the antipasto platter smeared all over the toast.

shaved-tuna-heart

And so began the pasta course. We chose three small pastas to avoid having to be rolled out of the restaurant after the meal. It was a good decision. This first one is the Spaghettini with the tuna heart, one of the only dishes I was ambivalent about – only because I’m not terribly fond of tuna heart. The fun part though is the warm egg yolk that you get to poke at the table to make your own little sauce.

ravioli

Here are the ravioli pockets of rabbit liver-foie gras.

pasta-w_-mortadella

This was my favorite of the pasta courses. Possibly because it reminded me of a childhood favorite of macaroni with ham and peas. But it was a grown up version, and very tasty indeed.

a-feast

The main courses.

We had tried to pace ourselves, really. I think we were all a little shocked by the time the main courses came out. So. Much. Food. I think Dante would have been proud of us, because we were really pushing it here. What can I tell you about these dishes? Everything was really, really delicious. The sardines were fantastic, and in the spirit of whole eating, I ate the eyes (after closing my own). Tasty, I swear. The braised pork was falling apart and the fava beans were screaming Spring! Spring! I swooned. The peas with honey and a knife – it’s pea season- they are fresh – sweet – you could feed this to any kid who hated peas and I promise a convert.

preparing-the-lamb

This is Sean, our server, preparing our lamb neck for us. It involved taking two forks, and ripping the meat down the side away from the bone and the gristle. The gristle, he explained to us, is white tendon fiber you don’t eat. We could, if we were interested, get the marrow out and eat it. Marrow happens to be one of my favorite bits of offal, I remember gleefully sucking the marrow out of the bones when my mother made lamb shank for us at home. The problem here became – how would one appropriately get the marrow in a restaurant, from a bone the size of a hand? The answer: by poking it through with one of the tasty and delicious bread sticks. I wish I had a picture.

both-desserts

Dessert. Here it is, two measly, slightly grainy photos of some of the most fantastic dishes we had consumed all evening. I tried for better photos, but it was getting dark, and even though I had requested a 6pm reservation (for natural light in the photos!) by the end we had lingered too long, and my hand was shaky. Sigh. Ok, but really, that beet ice cream was killer. Beets and Chocolate happen to be a fantastic combination. And the cream soda float was divine. They make their own cream soda. It’s awesome. If anything, I’m going to become a regular here for dessert.

And if that wasn’t enough, we continued our evening in the spirit of excess: heading down to the Haight for a long post meal stroll (a.k.a. wait) for after dinner cocktails at Alembic. Last week I had the duck heart with pickled pineapple from these guys and went a little crazy- but now there was no room left for food. I had the Southern Exposure: Junipero Gin, lime juice, mint, a touch of sugar and a shot of celery juice. That folks, is a tasty, tasty beverage.

THANK YOU FOODBUZZ!

Strawberry Crumble

strawberriesOH MAN IT IS STRAWBERRY TIME! There is nothing like the beginning of strawberry season, my favorite time of year, when these  red joyous fruits come out in their full splendor, bursting with flavor. There is nothing like a fresh ripe strawberry, radically different from it’s tasteless sibling, the out of season supermarket variety.

I bought my first strawberries last week at the farmers market, after one week of browsing but holding back when they first popped up last Saturday, and then only after sampling from several vendors this week (you can’t just settle on the first ones you see). I ended up with  the beauties that are in this crumble recipe.

Can you over do it on strawberries? I think not. In the next few weeks I will be making crumbles, tarts, cakes and jam with these guys, fully taking advantage of their shining moment. Most of all I’ll just eat them copiously in my favorite preparation: strawberries with a little bit of brown sugar and cream.

strawberries-with-crumb-1

One of the most delicious ways to use some extra strawberries is as the co-starring role in the ever versatile Crumble, which features most any fruit you want to use nestled under a most excellent topping of flour, oats, butter and brown sugar.

After recently re-reading Barbara Kingsolver’s year long family adventure “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” about eating locally from her own farm and neighborhood, I decided to try out her crumble recipe, which boasted a short list of ingredients, all of which I had in the kitchen when I decided to make this on a whim. In her version, the fruit is sweetened with honey- a preparation I was eager to try with my very tasty Alfalfa honey from Eggman Family Farm. If you haven’t had a chance to read her inquisitive, informative and very entertaining book, I’d definitely pick it up at the library.
strawberry-crumble

This dish is perfect for a summer evening, a picnic, and especially to share with friends.

Strawberry Crumble
adapted from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
serves 4 (or two really big servings….)

Ingredients
1 quart strawberries, halved*
1/4 cup honey

For the topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

Method:
1. Heat the oven to 350° F.

2. Prepare filling: Mix the halved strawberries and the honey in an 8×8 ungreased pan, (or a 9 inch deep pie plate), and set aside.

3. Prepare topping: Mix all the ingredients with your fingers until crumbly, sprinkle over fruit mixture and bake at 350° for about 35 to 40  minutes, until golden brown and the fruit is bubbling out everywhere.

4. Serve warm, with a dollop of ice cream, or a little bit of cream. It tastes wonderful after dinner or lunch for dessert, but equally good reheated in the morning as breakfast.

**Don’t have strawberries? This tastes great with peaches, apples, pears, berries, or in combination of any of these. You can also add some more fruit if you have any on hand – a cup or two more fruit won’t ruin the recipe.

Just a Simple Spring Dinner

easter-dinner

Spring! Spring! Spring!

One of my favorite parts of this season, aside from all the blooming, sprouting, and renewed sense of joy that people seem to have, is the opportunity to cook spring holiday food, even when the holiday isn’t exactly mine to celebrate. (This seems to be a national trend: I was more than excited to see the Obama’s hosting the first White House Passover Seder.)

Here is a sneak look at last night’s passover friendly Easter dinner: Trader Joes rack of lamb, mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and cinnamon, and steamed asparagus, baked for ten extra minutes with some grated cheese on top.

This entire meal was put together and finished in twenty five minutes, and while quick cooking is not normally a priority for me, sometimes I just want to be out of the kitchen relaxing… participating in another of my favorite spring activities: watching the end of basketball season, and the beginning of the baseball season. Go Sox!

::Mashed Sweet Potatoes:: Peel a few large sweet potatoes and cut into rough inch sized cubes. Place the cubes in a microwavable bowl, add a few tablespoons of maple syrup, and a quarter cup or so of water, cover with saran or a microwave lid, and cook on high for about 12 minutes, or until soft and drain. Mash with a fork or a masher, add a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of cream (or half and half, or milk), and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Summer Stuffed Peppers

stuffed-peppers-in-a-bowlGrowing up, one of my favorite foods from my mother’s kitchen was the Dolma. Dolma in Turkish really refers to pretty much anything stuffed, rather than just the stuffed grape leaves it has become synonymous with in the States.

Some of my favorite dolma were her stuffed tomatoes, peppers and zucchini: vegetables from our garden ubiquitous in the summer time, that truly sang with a little bit of added filling.  At home, my mother would make them with a traditional Turkish style filling of ground meat, rice, onion, chopped tomato, mint, dill, parsley, and toasted pine nuts.

After finding some spectacular peppers, and some Kokuho Rose brown rice this week at Alemany farmer’s market, I set about gathering ingredients for my dolma. I already had some left over cooked ground turkey that I had sauteed for a frittata filling that needed to be used up, and stuffed peppers seemed to be a natural receptacle for using up my leftovers. While these stuffed peppers don’t follow the traditional recipe, they are still incredibly delicious, and bring back so many good memories of home and excitement for the summer to come.

The best part about these stuffed peppers is that you can make them well in advance, and they taste equally good, if not better, the next day for lunch. And, they are the perfect size to pop two into a bento and have a filling lunch at work. Finally, in the spirit of adding as many vegetables to my diet as possible, I decided to add some roasted cherry tomatoes to the filling, and pop in a few extra scored tomatoes into the final dish to roast alongside my peppers. If you have any extra vegetables that need some cooking, this isn’t a bad dish to pop them in alongside.

roasting-tomatoesRoasted Tomato and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers
serves two, with extra for lunch

2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked ground turkey (seasoned well with cumin, salt, pepper, chile powder)
1/2 onion
olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
a few tablespoons of freshly torn basil
salt and pepper
4 red bell peppers
A good glug of balsamic vinegar
a few teaspoons of fresh thyme and oregano
olive oil
plain yogurt (optional)

Method:
Making the filling:

1. While brown rice is cooking, pop a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes in a pan with some olive oil, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and freshly torn basil. Cook at about 300 degrees F, until the rice is done, about 40 minutes. They should get all jammy and delicious.

2. Right after popping the tomatoes in the oven, start the ground turkey, first sauteeing a half an onion in a little bit of olive oil for about 15 minutes until soft, and then adding the ground turkey, and cooking until well browned. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste. (I usually use about a teaspoon each of cumin and chile powder, but I like these with a little kick.

3. When the rice, tomatoes, and turkey are done, stir together in a bowl, and add a good glug of balsamic vinegar, and a few teaspoons of fresh thyme and oregano.

Assembling the peppers:

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a deep baking tray or roasting tray with foil, and grease lightly.

5. Cut the peppers lengthwise, leaving the stem in place, but scooping out any seeds and excess white bits. For smaller peppers, feel free to lop off the top instead of cutting lengthwise. My mother bakes her peppers with the tops on, but I personally enjoy how the filling gets crisp on top when left uncovered. In a large baking pan lined with foil, place the peppers, season with a little salt, and pour on a little bit of olive oil.

6. Stuff the peppers with the mixture, place in the pan, and cover with foil, cook for 45 minutes at 400 F, uncover and cook for about 10 more minutes, or until top has lightly browned. Serve immediately, with a lemony herb salad. If you like, top with some plain yogurt – a very traditional Turkish accompaniment to this dish. I just spoon it over the top, it’s not fancy, it looks a little odd, but it tastes delicious. (It’s like the middle eastern equivalent to sour cream or mexican crema.)

stuffed-peppers-with-yogurt