This is the time of the year we bring out our trusty cheesecake recipe and wonder why we only make it once a year! Whether you’re going with the tried and true, this year, or want to get bold with something new, here are some tips to making your cheesecakes fantastic:
- If you are using a mixer, mix on low speed using paddles so that you don’t add air to the batter. It’s important to never whip your ingredients.
- Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before starting.
- Do not put your spring form pan directly in water; place the water bath on a different rack.
- Cheesecake is not a cake. It’s really a custard. If you bake it at a lower temperature, it sets creamier, even though it takes longer to cook. 325° for about 45 minutes is about right.
- After baking, turn off the oven and leave the door closed for an hour – no peeking!
- Allow the cake to come to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight if possible.
- Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
Brownie Cheese Cake
This is a truly impressive cake. You can use a brownie mix or use the brownie recipe below. Adapted from www.restlesschipotle.com.
Brownie Cake
6 T. unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. milk
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 8-inch round pans. Beat sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat in cocoa. Add flour and milk and mix. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool.
Cheesecake
32 oz. cream cheese
16 oz. sour cream
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs
Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in sour cream.
Ganache
8 oz. chocolate, chopped
1 c. heavy cream
1 T. unsalted butter at room temperature
On low heat, heat cream and butter until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth.
Baking and Assembly
Preheat oven to 325°. Press one layer or more of the brownie cake on the bottom of a 9- to 12-inch spring-form pan. Make sure the bottom is well covered. Pour in half the cheesecake mixture. Add crumbled cake chunks, reserving about 1/2 cup crumbs for the top. Pour the rest of the cheesecake batter on top. Place a large pan of hot water (bain marie) on the second rack in your oven. Bake for 45 minutes.
Turn oven off and leave door closed for 1 hour. Don’t peek! Remove from oven. Let come to room temperature and cover tightly. Pour ganache over the top of the cheesecake and sprinkle brownie crumbs on top. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the pan about 30 minutes before serving.
Homemade Cheese
Make your own cheese, just in time for Shavuos! It is surprisingly easy to do, healthy, and tasty.
Cheese has been around for millennia. Prior to the onset of refrigeration, the only way to preserve dairy for an extended period of time was to make it into cheese! Milk would last hours, yogurt could last days, but cheese could last years! Gorgonzola was first made in 879 CE, Roquefort in 1070, cheddar in 1500, and parmesan in 1579. As a relative newcomer, the state of Wisconsin started cheese making in 1841. Today, Wisconsin makes over 2.6 billion pounds of cheese (in over 6,000 varieties).
The following recipe makes a soft cheese. Apparently, hard cheese is trickier to make (and you have to worry about rennet). And here’s a question one of my students asked me: Could a person who keeps kosher use a cow’s stomach to transport milk? (Apparently, back in the day – say 4,000 years ago – a cow’s stomach was used as a canteen. The cow’s stomach has rennet in it and turned the milk into cheese after being sloshed around in the warm environment). So, I don’t know the answer to that, yet. If you do, let me know.
1/2 gallon milk
2 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dill (or any fresh herb), optional
Simmer the milk over high heat in four-quart pot or larger (so you have room to stir).
When the milk just starts to bubble, add the yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and herbs. Stir. Let simmer for one to two more minutes. Turn off the stove. Wait for the milk to curdle. This means the milk will separate into curds and whey. (The whey is a light, almost clear liquid.)
Prepare a 9x13-inch pan with a cheese cloth that extends over the sides. Or, if you could use a large coffee filter. Skim off as many of the curds as you can and put into the cheese cloth. Pull the edges of the cheese cloth together and start to twist until the cheese is tight against the cheese cloth and the liquid has stopped dripping out.
In a second cheese cloth (or coffee filter) and a second 9x13 pan pour the rest of the whey to capture any curds you missed. Strain this, as well. Put both strained cheeses between two flat plates and place a pot filled with water on top. The goal is to press the cheese and push even more liquid out.
The cheese will be ready to eat in about 20 minutes. If you prefer your cheese chilled, put it into the fridge for a while. You can serve it on crackers or eat it plain or use it in a recipe (for cheese blintzes, for example).
Macaroni and Cheese
It has been brought to my attention that a recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese would be appreciated. I find macaroni and cheese easy and healthy – and my kids will always eat it!
16 oz. elbow macaroni
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheese
Follow directions on the box for boiling the macaroni. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, and when melted, add the flour for three to five minutes. You do not want the flour to brown, just to lose the “raw” taste. Add the salt and pepper and slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Bring the milk to a simmer (the mixture will look bubbly) and add the shredded cheese until melted. (The cheese must be shredded. A big block of cheese will not melt the same way.) Add the cooked macaroni, and voila! You are done! Enjoy!
Bracha Shor is the owner and executive chef of Sweet and Good Catering. Her email
is bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com. Questions and comments are welcome.
