12 Feb
TWD: Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake
Posted by Chelle as Cheesecake, Tuesdays with Dorie | 41 Comments
Thank you to Jaime of Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats for choosing this week’s recipe, Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake. I am a lover of all things cheesecake; I don’t think I have ever met a cheesecake that I didn’t like. So needless to say when this week’s recipe was revealed I was beyond thrilled. I have always had success with cheesecakes, so I wasn’t worried about this recipe, but that is not to say that it went off without a hitch.
I got my crust put together, baked off and cooled. The trouble began with the carmelization of the apples. My large non-stick pan was dirty and I didn’t feel like washing it just to saute some apples, so I took out a slightly smaller stainless steel pan. Easy enough. Moments later the kitchen was flooded with a wretched burnt butter and apple smell that was less than pleasant. I had foiled the first batch of apples, so I decided to slice what I had left in half so that I would still have the same number of apple wedges, albeit a little smaller.
With the apple crisis averted, I moved on to putting together the cheesecake filling and it came together easily and without incident. Since I used a 9″ springform pan instead of a 10″ I ended up baking my cheesecake for about 20 additional minutes, for a total of 2 hours and 5 minutes. When I took the pan out of the water bath and unwrapped the (triple-wrapped) foil I was disappointed to find a puddle of water had gotten through the foil. Although it didn’t appear to affect the crust, Nikki suggested using heavy duty aluminum foil to avoid such problems in the future. Thank you for the tip Nikki!
You’d think that this would be the end of the cheesecake saga, right? Well, the rest revolves around my food-obsessed, yet darling golden retriever. He appears to have stretched in length overnight because even though the cheesecake was pushed against the back counter to cool, he still managed to snag a chunk out of it. Needless to say, I was not happy.
While Dorie suggests garnishing this cheesecake with a thin layer of apple jelly or a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, I had planned to drizzle the cheesecake with the remaining butter/brown sugar mixture from carmelizing the apples. I think this would be fabulous; however, I am not able to report on how it tasted because the dog managed to find that plate as well. ::sigh::
Aside from all of the trials and tribulations, what was my final take on this cheesecake? I absolutely loved it! The brown sugar in the batter made for a deliciously sweet and creamy cheesecake, and the apples complemented the cheesecake’s flavor perfectly. Being an apple lover, I would probably opt to pile even more apples on next time. The amount in the recipe wasn’t enough to cover a single layer of the pan, so I would certainly up the apples to cheesecake ratio. Overall, another perfect dessert from Dorie!
Check out all of the other Tuesdays With Dorie cheesecakes here.
Next week: Almost-Fudge Gateau
Last week: Black and White Chocolate Cake
07 Feb
Homemade Granola
Posted by Chelle as Appetizers/Snacks, Breakfast | 0 Comments
I have always been a big fan of granola - the toasted, crunchy oats and nuts, along with sweet fruit make a wonderful combination, whether eating it in yogurt or by the handful. I ran into some problems, though, after discovering that I have a nut allergy, as one would be pretty hard pressed to find a package of store-bought granola that did not include some type of nut. So I figured I would need to go the homemade route if I wanted to enjoy granola again. However, it’s virtually impossible to find a recipe that does not include them and mostly out of sheer laziness I have never, before now, gone through the trouble of adapting a recipe (I know, it’s brutally taxing work). This granola tastes wonderful and I have been enjoying it mixed into my yogurt. I substituted Grape-Nuts cereal for the nuts in this recipe, which mimics the nice crunchy texture of nuts.
05 Feb
TWD: Black and White Chocolate Cake
Posted by Chelle as Cakes, Chocolate, Tuesdays with Dorie | 33 Comments
This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Black and White Chocolate Cake, was chosen by April at Abby Sweets. Thanks April! This cake was an incredible combination of a moist yellow cake, a dark chocolate cream/custard, and white chocolate whipped cream. Let’s talk about each distinct part, shall we? This is the order in which I assembled this cake, making the dark chocolate cream and whipped white chocolate cream the night before since they needed to be refrigerated until completely chilled.
I’ll start with the dark chocolate cream because that was my favorite part of the cake. I had battled a fear of custard, curdled eggs, and undercooked eggs until I made Bostini Cream Pies for the October 2007 Darking Bakers challenge. It was a wonderful lesson in custard and boosted my confidence. I found this chocolate cream incredibly easy to make, it came together beautifully, and I had to resist eating it by the spoonful. I still have the leftovers sitting in my fridge - it’s perfect for dipping pretzel rods 
Now on to the white chocolate whipped cream. This I did not have such an easy time with. The first time that I made the whipped cream I used my stand mixer and beat it just a hair too far and it separated. Crap. I ran back to the store and got more cream and white chocolate. In the meantime, I read on Epicurious that a hand mixer is best because the strong motor of the stand mixer makes it difficult to gauge the whipping progress and can quickly overwhip the cream. So I busted out my hand mixer. My second attempt was more successful in that it didn’t separate; however, I think that out of fear that it would separate again I didn’t quite whip it far enough. I didn’t get much volume out of it and as a result, I didn’t have enough to cover the finished cake. I ended up whipping the leftover cream I had and adding that to the outer layer. I know some other people have had problems with whipping cream and knowing when it is at “soft peaks,” “firm peaks,” and how to walk that fine line before it separates. I was able to find this video at Epicurious which demonstrates how to properly whip cream. I think it’s very helpful, so if you’ve run into any similar issues, take a peek!
The cake was a classic yellow cake that was easy to throw together, baked up perfectly, and was nice and moist.
Put it all together, and what do you get? A wonderful combination of flavors and once again, another Dorie recipe that produces an elegant dessert that is fit for the fanciest of dinner parties. The recipe suggests decorating the cake with shaved or curled chocolate, but I chose instead to dust the top of the cake with some cocoa powder.
Our group continues to grow, and we now have 13 bloggers tackling Dorie recipes each week. How incredibly exciting! Check out my Tuesdays With Dorie blogroll to see what the others have made.
Next week: Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake
Last week: Orange Berry Muffins
Keep reading »
04 Feb
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Posted by Chelle as Beef, Italian, Pasta | 27 Comments
The ultimate in Italian comfort food.
Growing up, our extended family would gather at my Grandma’s every Sunday for the traditional Sunday dinner (which, in contrast to common nomenclature, is actually eaten by Italians at what is typically lunchtime). While there was always some type of meat on the table, some potatoes and vegetables, the star of dinner was always pasta. It may have been ravioli, gnocchi, manicotti, lasagna, spaghetti (all homemade, of course), or some other variation of pasta, but without a doubt, you could always count on a great pasta dish. It feels warm, comfortable, cozy, and just like home. And for that reason I am submitting my spaghetti and meatballs into What’s For Lunch Honey’s Monthly Mingle Comfort Foods blog event.
Meeta asked fellow bloggers to celebrate the foods that pick us up when we are down, warms us when we are feeling lost, and blurs out the bad mood. This is what spaghetti and meatballs represent in my house… the warmth of family, memories of childhood, and a connection to my heritage.
I hope you enjoy these simple and classic recipes.
01 Feb
Super Super Bowl Suggestions
Posted by Chelle as Appetizers/Snacks, Favorites | 0 Comments
It’s that time of year again - the game people wait all year for. Maybe you just watch for the commercials, or maybe you just watch for the half-time show, or maybe you actually watch the game! Regardless, a good many people will be sitting in front of the TV this Sunday cheering on someone. Now, far be it from me to rain on a “perfect” parade, but as a native Pittsburgher, I find it pretty darn near impossible to root for the Patriots. So many AFC Championship Games (and subsequent trips to the Super Bowl) squashed for the Steelers at the hands of the Patriots. So, without a doubt, I will be cheering on Lil’ Manning and the Giants on Sunday.
I know that many of you will be hootin’ and hollerin’ with a house full of people! Even though I’m not having a party, I do have some favorite party and munchies-type food that I’ll throw out there in case anyone is having trouble planning their menu for the big game.
