Cheesecakes Large and Small

Cheesecake and I have a love-hate relationship. I adore Cheesecake and yet, any recipe I have tried to bake comes out looking like a miniature Grand Canyon. A truly great Cheesecake should be creamy, sweet, and delicious. A perfect Cheesecake will have no cracks on the top.

Cheesecakes must be baked at a very low temperature, typically recipes will run anywhere from 200 degrees to 275 degrees. I have also heard many many times that if you place a pan of water in the oven with the Cheesecake this will reduce cracking. Alton Brown suggests baking at a low temp. then turning the oven off, opening the oven door for a moment then closing the oven door and allowing the Cheesecake to cool in the warmish oven.

Still I have had no luck with crack-free Cheesecake. My challenge to you dear reader is to submit a recipe for delicious Cheesecake that doesn't crack when baked. No-bake Cheesecake is cheating... so forget it.

Recipes may be emailed to me by clicking the link at the top of the page. Just label your email "Cheesecake Recipe" so I won't think you're Spam. Submitted recipes will be tested and any that pass the CheeseBabe test (delicious with no cracks!) will win a Fabulous prize!


update: despite the promise of a fabulous prize I have had no takers of this challenge. Did I mention you can win a fabulous prize?? Alright then, let's up the ante. I'm now offering my copy of The Artful Cupcake and a jar of either my homemade Watermelon Pickles or a jar of my homemade Fabulous Lady Applesauce (whichever you choose). The rules listed above still apply.

Q and A -- Cream Cheese Icing; Semi Homemade Icing

A Yahoo! searcher from Herndon, Virginia would like to know:
How long does Cream Cheese Icing last?
If kept in a tightly covered container in the fridge, cream cheese icing will easily last 10 days.

Cream Cheese Icing

1/4 cup (4 ounces) butter, softened
8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pound box powdered sugar, sifted
Cream butter and cheese. Add vanilla. Add sifted powdered sugar and whip until completely combined. Cakes made with cream cheese frosting should be kept in the refrigerator.



A Google searcher from Fertile, Minnesota (sounds like a lovely spot doesn't it???) would like to know about Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade Frosting.
The query included 'add powdered sugar to store bought frosting'.
I could not find a Semi Homemade recipe that stated this, however you certainly can add powdered sugar to cans of premade frosting in order to thicken them enough for piping borders on cakes or for making other decorations. A lower priced alternative to purchasing cans of frosting would be to make your own American Buttercream which can be made heavier (with more powdered sugar) or lighter to your preference.

American Buttercream

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
American Buttercream will form a bit of a 'crust' which some people prefer. It helps the iced cake to retain moisture very well even when refrigerated for a couple of days.


An aside to the Google searcher from Rochester, Michigan who was looking for a recipe for Sugar Cookies made with Limburger Cheese... those big kids were making fun of you!



Technorati tags icing+cake+cream cheese+buttercream+food

Cheese Curds

A Yahoo searcher in Bel Air, Maryland would like to know where they can purchase cheese curds in Maryland.

I am near Annapolis, which is about 50 miles south of Bel Air. I have found cheese curds at the Pennsylvania Dutch Farmer's Market in the Harbor Center shopping village at 2472 Solomon's Island Road in Annapolis. I warn you however, when I purchased my cheese curds there, they were not fresh and became rancid within one day of my purchase. I am told that in the Dutch Market they will gladly allow you a taste of any product you would like to purchase and I highly recommend that you do this.

Fresh cheese curds with have a fresh milk scent with no trace of sourness to it. They should squeak when you bite them or they are at least 2 days old. Two day old cheese curds are still perfectly fine to eat, in fact cheese curds should be good for at least a week in the fridge (if they were purchased fresh). Cheese curds can be kept in the freezer for up to six months but will not squeak when defrosted (unless you microwave them for a few seconds).

I also have been told (though I haven't confirmed this yet) that Trader Joe's will be carrying cheese curds. Please let me know if you find cheese curds and Trader Joe's and the location.


Technorati tags cheese+Trader Joe's+Dutch+cheese curds+food+Farmer's Market

The Value of Cake

"How much should I expect to pay for a cake?"

Cake prices will vary according to demand, geographical location, expertise of the decorator, by how complicated the cake will be to assemble and decorate, and quality of ingredients used to create your cake.

Demand will often drive the cost of a cake up or down. For example, if a new bakery is trying to establish a name for themselves they will keep their prices low to entice buyers to try their product. A company whose business is exceeding their competitors by a wide margin will increase their price simply because they can without their business suffering a loss. Look at the prices of cakes at Charm City Cakes or CakeLove before and after their owners had popular shows on the Food Network and their prices have likely increased considerably.

Location will affect the price you pay. Prices are higher in New York City vs lower in Bismark, ND not because the cakes are necessarily better in NY but simply because the overall cost of owning and running a business is higher there than in the Dakotas.

Expertise. The more knowledge your cake decorator has about cake decorating, the more you're going to be satisfied with the quality of work they have performed on your cake. Lines will be more precise, buttercream will be as smooth as glass, fondant will not have seams, cracks, or wrinkles, and you'll never worry about whether or not your wedding cake is going to cave in on itself.

Complicated assembly costs more because it takes more expertise to create. A single-layer sheetcake that your auntie can make in her kitchen can be made by... well, your auntie. If you want a topsy-turvy cake or one that's built to look like the Guggenheim Museum, that's going to require quite a bit more planning than your auntie's cake that is served out of the 9x13 pan.

Quality of Ingredients is, in my mind one of the most important aspects of cake design. Sure, people will ooh and ahh and ask, "How could I ever eat such a beautiful thing?" but when it comes right down to it, people buy a cake to eat it. True, some people will swear that 'box' cake is their favorite and many wonderful cakes have come from box mixes but I believe that a truly ethereal cake must come from the highest quality ingredients that have been lovingly assembled into something amazing.

All of these aspects can come together for just a couple of dollars per serving for a beautifully (albeit simply) decorated cake for a child's third birthday or they can jump beyond $10 per serving for an elaborately decorated, multi-tiered wedding cake.

If you talk to a bakery about your cake idea and they quote a price that you feel is too high, it probably is. Look around at other bakeries in your area and don't forget to check out the grocery store bakery aisle -- truly, this is a way of getting your berings if you become lost in a sea of ideas and prices. Grocery stores will make a cake that is just a step (maybe two) above your auntie's 9x13 cake mix cake with very little lead time (grocery store bakeries only require an hour or two to complete a decorated cake because their cakes are made ahead and frozen until you order), this way they can keep costs low.


Happy Shopping!





Technorati tags wedding+value+decorated cake+elaborate+birthday+food

Lemon Meringue Pie Question

This question comes from Reading, Pennsylvania via search engine: How long do you cool a lemon meringue pie before you put the meringue on it?

Typically, a Lemon Meringue Pie recipe is made using the following method:
A flaky pie crust is rolled and placed into a pie pan and blind baked until golden brown. You can keep the edge of the pie crust from becoming too brown by gently wrapping a thin strip of aluminum foil over just the edge after it becomes golden and continue baking until the bottom of the pie crust is golden and fully baked. If you are using a glass pie pan, be aware that it will take up to twice as long to bake as with an aluminum or Teflon-coated pan.

Allow egg whites to come to room temperature prior to whipping then prepare meringue according to the recipe. Hold prepared meringue for only a few minutes while the lemon filling finishes cooking.

Lemon custard filling is then made in a saucepan on the stove top using the preferred recipe. Pour the hot lemon filling directly into the baked pie shell or allow it to cool up to 5 minutes. The hotter the filling is, the less likely your meringue is to weep after toasting. Add prepared meringue and place under the broiler of a preheated oven until meringue becomes golden brown.

Marshmallow Icing

This recipe requires few ingredients and as long as you have a stand mixer it's very simple.

Marshmallow Icing

2 Cups granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
3/4 Cup water
1 1/4 Cup pasteurized egg whites (Whippin' Whites or Eggology), at room temp.
1 Cup miniature marshmallows

In a medium sauce pan bring sugar, cream tartar and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling until syrup reaches soft-ball stage (235 degrees).

While syrup is boiling, whip egg whites to medium peaks (Stop mixer and lift beater out of whites. Foam peaks should rise up but bend over just at the end.). Run mixer at lowest speed until syrup reaches proper temp.

With the mixer running, slowly pour in a stream of syrup near the side of the bowl (out of the way of the turning beater). Increase mixer speed to medium-high and add marshmallows, a few at a time.

Don't forget to turn off the burner of the stove.

Beat at highest speed (work up to highest speed if it threatens to leap out of the bowl) until the bowl is cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.


After adding syrup

Getting impatient waiting for the bowl to cool down.

Finally!

Ice cooled cakes immediately for best result.
If allowed to stand in the mixing bowl, icing will dry out a bit and become quite bubbly. If this happens simply re-whip until it comes back together.
Icing may be refrigerated up to 1 week. To use after refrigeration, add a bit more cream of tartar (up to 1/2 tablespoon) and whip until icing becomes smooth and fluffy. Some volume will be lost after refrigeration.

*Makes enough to ice and decorate two 10-inch cakes (pictured at top).


This icing does not sag or weep like regular meringue and 'toasts' just fine with a kitchen torch. I have not attempted to toast this icing with an oven broiler.

How To Clean a Fine Mesh Strainer

An interesting question from Randi:
How do you clean a finemesh strainer? I have an OXO one and when I strain custards or soups, they get so gross!!

This is the type of strainer I believe Randi is talking about. I have a similar problem when I strain fruits for jam. Here's what I do to clean mine:
First I begin by turning the strainer upside down and running a good blast of water all over the bottom side of the strainer so the wedged-in bits will come out. Then I use a plastic bristled scrubber

to speed up the process a bit. I find the worst area to clean on a strainer like this is under the metal rim of the basket. If a lot of gunk is stuck under there, I'll soak the strainer in a big pot of hot water for an hour or so and then repeat the above process.

I hope this is helpful Randi!

Italian Pastry La Sfogliatella (lobster tail)

A question from Ann:
I came across an Italian pastrywhose name meant "lobster tail".It looked more like a clam shellwith its grooves winding around andaround from a apex, spreadingoutward. The texture was crisp,fried not baked. The fillingwas ricotta flavored with orangepeel and citron chunks. Slightlysweetened. Do you know anything about it?

I just recently heard about this pastry. It sounds delicious.


Photo and description from Mike's Pastry.

The history of this extraordinary and popular item dates back to a 16th century convent on the Amalfi Coast near Naples. This original ancestor of the lobstertail was called La Santarosa (named after the convent, now a popular motel, where the owner of Fiat Italy is said to frequent), and its filling was a creamy white, which oozed out of the sides, and was typically served up hot. In Naples coffee shops, this is still something to die for.
La Santarosa gave birth in the 19th century (il "Novecento") to what was then and is now known as La Sfogliatella. The English term for this is Lobstertail, though that is not a literal translation. The structure of it obviously resembles the architecture of a lobster's tail, as its shell is made of layered and crusty baked pastry, interlocking in the way that the parts of a lobster's tail does. How wonderful!


A recipe for this pastry can be found at Uncle Phaedrus's Lost Recipe Finder.

Ask A Pastry Chef

It looks like this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful frienship.