käsekuchen : german cheesecake

Yet another cheesecake episode. Baking and cooking for me is about nurture and love. When I make something for my family and friends, its my way of saying "I care" or "Thank you" and most of all, "I love you." For the past year, my in-laws have really taken care of me and I feel extremely grateful and blessed to have joined such a wonderful, loving family. Therefore, to show gratitude, I am on the hunt for the ultimate cheesecake recipe, given that my mother-in-law's favorite dessert is cheesecake. My try at a junior's cheesecake is her top choice for now.

This time I tried out a different type. This German cheesecake is called a käsekuchen, a light fluffy custard-like cheesecake. Instead of cream cheese, käsekuchens are made from quark. However, quark is not easy to find here in the deep South, so I resorted to a substitute, ricotta mixed with sour cream. Also, käsekuchens traditionally have a pastry-crust. I opted for a gingersnap crumb crust because one, I had a big box of gingersnaps and two, I was too lazy to make dough before making a cheesecake that day. The result was absolutely yummy. The texture was so soft and fluffy while the flavors were subtle yet tangy.

käsekuchen : german cheesecake
ingredients

• 1 box of gingersnap cookies
• 2-3 oz of butter, melted
• 16 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 oz sour cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 oz butter, soften and at room temperature
• 6 oz. heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 3 egg whites
• Pinch of salt

directions 

1. break gingersnaps into crumbs with a food processor and add to melted butter. press crumb mixture into a 9 or 9-1/2 inch springform pan and set aside
2. puree eight parts of ricotta cheese and sour cream in a food processor, set aside
3. in a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla until pale and foamy. add the softened butter and beat well, then add the heavy cream and beat again. add the ricotta/sour cream mixture and stir until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
4. in a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt until very stiff, then very gently fold in the cheese mixture, also adding the sifted cornstarch a little at a time. pour the filling into the pan with the crust and gently wobble the pan back and forth until the surface is smooth. 
5. bake in preheated 300 degrees F (150 C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes (longer if necessary) until well risen and golden.turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour or more; then remove it from the oven, cool for an hour or so at room temperature, and refrigerate for several hours before releasing sides of pan and serving. keep cheesecake stored in the refrigerator, covered.
   

oatmeal raisin cookies

Publix had a "buy theirs get ours free" promotion for oatmeal, which I could not resist. Now, with a little too much oatmeal in my pantry, I decided to bake up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies to send off to a friend.

chewy oatmeal raisin cookies

adapted from the best light recipe

ingredients

• 1 cup instant rolled oats
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins

directions

1. soak the raisins in water and set aside. i usually like to do this with dried fruit so that it stays extra moist when baking
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
3. sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together. mix in oat and set aside.
4. in a large mixing bowl, whisk butter, egg, and vanilla together. stir in the brown sugar until smooth, smearing any remaining clumps of sugar against the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
5. drain the water from raisins and squeeze out any excess water.
6. stir in oat mixture and raisins until thoroughly combined. refrigerate cookie dough for 45-60 minutes or until firm.
7. working with a level tablespoon of dough each time, roll the dough into 1 inch balls. place them on baking sheets, spacing them about 2-1/2 inches apart. 
8. bake the cookies until the edges are light golden and the centers are just set, 11-13 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. 
9. cool the cookies on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

curried chicken salad

 

One of the most common topics of conversation in the workplace is food. I can talk about food all day long, I love shopping for it, I love making it, and I especially love eating it.  Chicken salad is a top choice for lunch here in the South, which led some of us to an extensive discussion of  chicken salad one day. You'll be surprised how long my colleagues and I can carry on a conversation about this one topic. There is even a chicken salad chick around these parts that serve up 14 different types of chicken salads! To my surprise, amongst the 14 varieties, the chick is missing one of my favorites: curried chicken salad! 

curried chicken salad

ingredients

• 1 -1/2 lbs chicken, diced 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 medium red onion, diced finely
• olive oil
• 1/2 granny smith apple, diced finely
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 cup Japanese mayonnaise
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Cook onions over medium heat with olive oil. Add in diced chicken, cook until the chicken is fully cooked. Place chicken and onions in a mixing bowl, set aside and allow to cool.
2. Toss the rest of the ingredients together with the chicken and mixing thoroughly. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

simple banana bread

One of my favorite things to make time and time again is banana bread. I've been making a version of this recipe for the past 10 years. How weird it is to think that! I can't forget this one time back in college, I made a batch and shared it at a group meeting; and one of my group mates didn't believe that I baked it. He swore that I had bought it from the store. I could tell he was not saying that as a compliment; he really meant it. 

This version is a bit different from my usual recipe, I substituted some shortening with butter and some milk with sour cream. Also, I used all egg yolks since I needed the egg whites for my previous post. 

simple banana bread 

ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 very ripe bananas)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in bananas, sour cream, milk, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder, and soda. Pour batter into two greased 9 x 5 inch pans.
3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

{tried & true} one year old wedding cake

Last month, my husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary! It has been absolutely an amazing year. I could not have asked for a more perfect man for me. There is a long list of traditions for first year wedding anniversaries, such as exchanging "paper" gifts. Along with some of these traditions, is freezing the top tier of the wedding cake and eating it on the day of the anniversary.

Our wonderful caterer, Abigail Kirsch, did not just save the top tier of our wedding cake but made a special mini cake just for us to take home. It was the same flavors as our wedding cake, we had alternating tiers of vanilla and chocolate cake. The cake held up fairly well in the freezer since it was wrapped up nicely with plastic wrap.I'm happy to report that the cake still tasted good but the buttercream was not-so-good. It was more of a protective coating for the cake, see the heavy condensation. 

 

My husband and I were lucky enough to share this anniversary tradition with my parents and grandparents.

vanilla bean macarons

For some reason I haven't been able to replicate the french macarons I made with Talida at ICE. This batch was not bad but they were not good. As you can see I didn't quite get any "foot" around the edges. Also, the shells are not smooth like and matte. After reading recipes from Tartelette, her base recipe seems fool-proof. So I gave it a shot. Regardless, the flavors were good and everyone still ate them up. I've yet to find french macarons here in Montgomery, Alabama, so I'm guessing not many even know what one is.

vanilla bean french macaron
adapted from tartelette

ingredients:

• 90 gr egg whites (use eggs whites that have been preferably left 3-5 days in the fridge, covered or 24-36hrs at room temperature, covered)
• 25 gr granulated sugar
• 200 gr powdered sugar
• 110 gr almonds (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 
• 1 batch of vanilla bean buttercream

directions

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. 
2. Place the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add sugar-almond mixture and vanilla bean paste to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
3. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 280F (convection - 300F regular). When ready, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer.
4. Fill a pastry bag with buttercream and pipe on the macarons.

strawberry spritz

strawberry spritz
recipe adapted from martha stewart

ingredients

• 3 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp strawberry extract
• few drops of red food coloring

directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.   
3. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks, vanilla, strawberry extract and food coloring; with motor running, add to food processor. Process just until a dough forms. 
4. Fill cookie press, and form cookies on baking sheets according to manufacturer's instructions. 
5. Bake until edges are firm (not brown), 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets; cool completely on a rack. 
6. Store finished cookies in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.

chocolate cut out cookies

chocolate cut out cookies
adapted from smitten kitchen

ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup lightly unsalted butter, softened 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 

directions

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. 
2. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.
3. Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

i heart new york

Last weekend, my sweet dear husband of one year surprised me with a trip to my hometown, New York. This is a collage of a few of our food ventures.

From left to right, top to bottom: at le pain quotidien: mint lemonade & peppermint tea, various spreads & baguette, gazpacho soup, at shake shack: shake burger, basil custard, at the treats truck: chocolate vanilla sandwich cookie, coconut macaroon, oatmeal raisin cookie, at bouchon bakery: almond croissant, lemon cassis french macaron, at van leeuwen ice cream truck: double scoop of earl grey ice cream on a cone, at sago, almond bubble tea