Daring Bakers: Cheesecake on my mind

This month’s DB challenge is yet another challenge indeed. Again, we were only given a theme: cheesecake and we just had to play with it in terms of flavors and shapes and decorations. This is indeed my kind of game. The only problem I have in the kitchen (this was no exception) is deciding on what flavors to use for each and every one of my deserts. So the cheesecake was on my mind for quite some time. I would even wake up happy that I know the winning flavors and when I started putting them down something wouldn’t fit. And there we go again.
But after I made a mango mousse cake last week (recipe will come soon), I rediscovered my lost love: the mango. Thus, I will get back to the mango and eat/ use it more often as I also did for this cheesecake.

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

The suggested recipe
Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake:

For the crust
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs (150 g home-made graham cracker crumbs)
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted (55 g)
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cheesecake
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature (I used part mascarpone and part cream cheese)
1 cup / 210 g sugar (150g)
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice (did not use this)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake 15 g Earl Grey leaves

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) (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 procedural changes (the quantity changes are marked above)

* I baked the cheesecake at 150 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes
* I did not use a water bath, but I placed a pot of hot water in the oven to minimize the cracking
* I flavored the cheesecake with Earl Grey. I brought half of the cream to a boil, added the Earl Grey leaves and left it covered for 10-15 minutes. Strain the cream, let it cool and then proceed with the cheesecake.

For the garnish
Poached mango dices in rose bud syrup
350 g mango diced (2 medium fruits)
450 ml water
50-75 g brown sugar
15-20 rose buds
1 vanilla bean
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp transparent gelatin

Place all ingredients, except the gelatin in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Bring the heat down and let it simmer for 15 minutes (the mangoes should soften a little but maintain the bite). Drain the fruit, let them cool and place over the cheesecake.
Use the boiling syrup to prepare the glaze that will be poured over the fruit.

Choux and vanilla – simple and addictive

Sometimes I really cannot understand my own self. There are lots of things I bake almost everyday. Many are tests, but there are a few that we enjoy a lot and make often, but no blogging about them. Why? I have no idea why. Maybe they are so routine or so familiar that I do not consider them blog worthy anymore? And then I think to myself: is there such a thing as “blog worthy”? And if there would be such a standard, what are the judging criteria?
I did not find the formula to judge sweets yet, but I am really ashamed of not posting about the choux a la creme earlier. It is a wonderful treat, that one can play around with in lots of ways.

This time, I went with the classic: vanilla cream and chocolate glaze. But, the variations are endless. What about a tiramisu mousse and chocolate espresso glaze? Or a chocolate pastry cream with white chocolate glaze, or………

For the pate a choux
I have tried many recipes for it, but the one that I consider the most “fool proof” is the one from Pierre Herme
(the recipe yields 20-25 eclairs – 11 cm long; I get about 60 small choux)
125 ml water
125 ml milk
115 g butter
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
140 g flour
5 large eggs

Place the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and allow it to come to a boil.
Take it off the heat, add all the flour at once and mix everything. The dough will come away from the sides pretty quick. Return the pan to the heat and let it dry for 2-3 minutes.

Place the dough in a clean bowl and while still warm start adding the eggs – one at the time. Add the next one only after the previous has been completely mixed in and the dough comes together again.

After all eggs are added, the dough should be thick, shinny and when lifted from the bowl it
should fall back in a ribbon.

Pipe the dough immediately, while still warm. You can either bake them or freeze them for latter baking.

To bake
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
Pipe the dough onto the baking sheet. Leave some space in between each eclair/ choux to allow them room to puff.
Place the baking sheets in the oven. Bake them for about 10 minutes until completely puffed and slightly golden. Lower the temperature to 160 degrees and start the oven fan (it helps them dry). If at any point they seem to get brown on the outside, open the oven door and lower the temperature even more.
To make them even better, poke them with a tooth pick when almost done baking.
The total baking time should be approximately 20-25 minutes.

To freeze

Pipe the dough as you would do if baking them. Place the baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, place them in a bag and keep in the freezer until ready to bake. When you wish, bake them without defrosting but keep in mind that it will take a bit longer to puff.

For the vanilla pastry cream
4 egg yolks
50 g brown sugar
30 g cornstarch
250 ml milk
1/2 vanilla bean
250 ml whipped cream

Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil. In the meantime mix the first 3 ingredients into a smooth paste.
When the milk has reached the boiling point start pouring it over the yolk mixture. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the cream. Return the mixture back to the pan and on medium heat. Whisk continuously until the cream thickens.
Force the cream through a fine sieve into a clean bowl set over an ice bath. When the mixture cools to room temperature, incorporate the whipped cream.

For the chocolate glaze
40 g heavy cream
50g bittersweet chocolate
10g butter, at room temperature
55 g Chocolate Sauce (recipe below)

In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.
Notes: If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly
 in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.
It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate Sauce
26 g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
50 g water
25g heavy cream
15 g sugar

Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.
It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.
Notes: You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.

Cassata and the Easter that passed

Easter passed again. So fast, but with more memories to keep. This year, as all years before, we celebrated Easter with my husband’s family. They live in an area that preserved most of the old traditions and culture, an area worth visiting by foot. Maramures helps you fill your energy glasses every time.
My little girl loves it, she loves the wildness and the mountains, she loves the smell of fresh air.

Besides the traditional foods, one prepares for Easter, a cake was mandatory, so I chose one that we all love: a Cassata. It is more wintery like, but I am so in love with cinnamon that I cannot limit it to the cold season only.
For the cake

280 g flour
8 g baking powder
some salt – if using unsalted butter
8 eggs, separated
200 g sugar
10 ml vanilla extract
112 g melted butter (cooled before using)

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees. Butter 2 24 cm pans and line their bottoms with parchment paper.
In a clean bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set it aside.
Beat the yolks and the sugar until pale and double in volume (about 5-8 minutes). Add the vanilla and then the butter. Mix in the flour – do not incorporate it completely.
Whisk the whites until stiff peaks are formed. Fold the whites into the previous mixture, taking care to not deflate it.
Divide the butter between the 2 pans and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Tip: to avoid domes forming you should:
a. butter the sides of the pan vertically
b. before baking the cakes, rap the pans on the counter (it should eliminate air bubbles)
c. bake the cake at a lower temperature for a longer time.

After baking the cakes, let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, them let them cool completely on a wire rack.

For the syrup
Make a syrup from water and sugar – adjust the sugar according to taste. Boil it and when it cools slightly add rum. Other times I brushed it with Grand Marnier syrup or with Marsala.

For the chocolate pistachio cream
750 g mascarpone and cream cheese or ricotta
100 g bitter sweet chocolate grated
50 g pistachios, chopped
50 g candied orange peel, candied cherries or lemon peel (optional – I did not use it this time)
140 g powdered sugar
cinnamon (as much as you like)

Beat the cheese with the sugar and cinnamon until creamy. Add the chocolate and pistachios and beat until evenly distributed.

To decorate
whipped cream

Assemble the cake

Cut each cake layer in half.
Brush with syrup. Spread 1/3 of the cheese cream. Repeat with the rest of the layers. Place the cake in the fridge to allow it to set (wrap it to avoid drying).
Frost the cake with the whipped cream and decorate as you see fit – for this I used grated chocolate. Other times I used chopped pistachios or a mixture of chocolate and pistachios.

Vanilla or Chocolate or Checkerboard cookies

Back to cookies again. This is a field that I love to experiment with my little C. She loves snacking on mommy’s cookies and sharing them with her kindergarten friends. Her eyes are shinning every single time she takes cookies with her, because they liked them. I am so glad and happy that she learns and likes to share. She understands that many times sharing is more comforting and a lot lovelier than receiving.
The dough is simple to make, but you need time and patience to make them as checkerboards. But with such a cute and anxious assistant and taster you get all the patience you need.

For the dough
742 g flour
4 g baking powder
5 g salt if using unsalted butter
450 g butter
300 g sugar (I used brown)
10 ml vanilla extract
2 eggs (room temperature)
55 g cocoa powder

In a clean bowl, mix the flour, the baking powder and the salt (if using). In a separate bowl, whip the butter and the sugar until creamy and light. Add the eggs (one at a time) whisking well to blend it in completelly. Add the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Divide in half (better said, one portion should have 55 grams less). Mix the cocoa in the smaller portion.
Divide each dough in half, wrap in plastic foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. It can be kept in the refrigerator for 1 day.
Take out one cocoa and one vanilla package. Roll each dough into rectangles (1.25 cm thick and 30/ 13 cm) – I do the rolling between to pieces of parchment paper (I avoid using flour for the work surface or for the pin to not mess up with the dough pieces sticking together).
Cut each rectangle into 9, 1.25 cm wide strips. Make the base: chocolate strip/ vanilla strip/ chocolate strip. Then for the next layer, place a vanilla strip/ chocolate strip/ vanilla strip. For the third layer repeat the first one. You now have the first log. For the second log: 1st layer – vanilla strip/ chocolate strip/ vanilla strip and so on. Wrap the logs in plastic foil and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Take the rest of the dough packages out of the fridge. Roll them into rectangles (8 mm thick, 30/ 15 cm).
On the vanilla rectangle place the chocolate log (the one with more chocolate strips). Roll the dough around the log, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Do the same with the other log.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
Cut the logs into 5 mm thick slices (use either a very sharp knife or a cake cutter). Place them on a backing tray lined with parchment paper. Leave 1.5-2 cm between them. Bake for 12-15 minutes (baking them to long will make the vanilla dough too dark and will ruin the checkerboard effect).

Of spring and challenges – Lemon mousse and blackberries

It is finally spring: it is warm again and green and I feel alive once again. We had a great weekend for this reason, we played outside and fully enjoyed the sun. For me winter is a challenge, it freezes me. But after it goes away life is great.
And when sun shines all the other challenges of life are easier to fight with. For the past week I had to learn to live differently. I was devastated at first, I could not accept that life would be so ironic, but I took a long breathe, I talked to my husband who is the most supportive person on earth and to a dear food blogger that I admire, Aran and their words managed to make me see the bright side of things. The diagnosis is not 100% sure yet (it will be in a day or two), but these past days proofed that all things in life can turn out great with the right people by your side. And I have them and I thank God for this every day.
So I decided to thank them in a sweet way and prove myself that gluten free can be delicious and adorable and not ironic, but challenging.

I also decided to not end this experiment if my diagnosis will be negative as I have read about many people discouraged by this and I hope that my sweets will just help them understand that life is great no matter what.

For the genoise
adapted from Aran
105 g almonds (toasted and grounded in a food processor)
75 g powdered sugar
25 g GF flour mix (mine has maize starch, maize flour, thickener: locust bean gum)
125 g eggs (2 large eggs)
92 g egg whites (3 medium eggs)
35 g sugar
17 grams butter

Preheat the oven at 185 degrees Celsius. Butter the pan (9/ 13 in) and line with parchment paper.
Mix the first 4 ingredients and beat them for 5-8 minutes until they thick and form a ribbon.
Beat the whites to soft peaks, add the sugar and beat them to stiff peaks. Fold 1/3 of whites into the above mixture. Add the butter and the rest of the whites. Work carefully to incorporate the 2 mixtures without deflating them.our the batter into the pan.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed.

For the lemon mousse
4 g gelatin powder
cold water for the gelatin
310ml milk (either whole or skim or part skim)
1 vanilla bean
3 large egg yolks (50-60 g)
50 g brown sugar
40 g GF certified cornstarch
60 ml lemon juice (I used 2 lemons for this)
250 ml whipped cream

In a small bowl put the gelatin and water and let it bloom until you prepare the rest.
Place the milk and the vanilla bean on medium heat and bring to a boil. In the meantime mix the egg yolks and the sugar. Add the cornstarch and mix well. When the milk is boiling, take it off the heat, remove the bean and scrape the seeds in the milk. Slowly pour the milk over the yolks, whisking continuously. Return to low heat and cook until it thickens. At this point add in the lemon juice and cook another 30 seconds or so. Melt the gelatin (in the microwave on LOW or over a pot of boiling water) and immediately add it to the milk – lemon mixture. Let it cool to room temperature, and when cool enough add the whipped cream.

For the blackberry sauce
350 g blackberries (fresh or frozen)
65 g brown sugar (you can use more or less depending on your taste)
100 ml water
10 g GF certified cornstarch
3 g powdered gelatin
cold water for the gelatin

In a small bowl put the gelatin and water and let it bloom until you prepare the rest. Place the fruits, water and sugar in a pan over medium heat. Cook until all sugar is dissolved. Mix the cornstarch with a few drops of cold water and add it to the fruit. Cook until slightly thickened. Melt the gelatin and add it to the fruit mixture.

For the syrup

I made a syrup from lemon juice, water and sugar – use proportions according to taste. I used half lemon and half water.

To assemble

If you decide to make smaller cakes, cut your genoise according to the size of your molds. Brush the genoise with syrup. Add blackberry sauce and pipe mousse over. Place in the fridge to set. If time allows you, you can place the cake in the fridge after adding the fruit and then pipe the mousse.