One of my goals this week was to make a Cheesecake. I had tons of cream cheese to use up as well as I haven't made one since before I moved back from France. Needless to say, it was important that I make one this week while I was off. I took the recipe from Good Housekeeping's cookbook which I will post later. It was interesting because the recipe was for a make your own cheesecake. To me it was much more difficult to follow it as I didn't know which combinations would work the best. Mine had chocolate peppermint pieces in it as I thought it might be an interesting addition.
As you can see, I just had to try a slice before it went in the freezer. I wouldn't want to serve it to guests and it taste bad, now would I? It tasted good but I am not sure I liked my crust and might have to change the brand of graham cracker crumbs that I use for next time. That and there was too much butter in the crust (not that I tasted it) because it leaked in the oven and on my counter. Good things to know for next time!
So very recently, one of my best friends got married. I was lucky enough to be asked to do the cake. The catch was that I was not only in the wedding and had other duties to fulfill but the wedding was the day after my last day of school for the year. Yes this was very time pressing for me. I managed to get 2 tiers done before hand, marking the first time that I have ever fondanted fake tiers. The third and final tier was done the night before. It wasn't even put together until the day of the wedding by the grooms father (long story) and I must admit, I am very happy by the way it turned out!
So Im not entirely sure if you have all seen the show "American baking competition" but if you are a baker, it is awesome! I learned soo much about baking from watching these amateurs compete to take home the ultimate prize of a cookbook deal!
Sadly it wasn't a long show, having only a small number of episodes but there were a few where I was mesmerized as to how to make things that I didn't know existed (or didn't know the "American" term for)! One of the "showstoppers" was a meringue tart with custard and fruit topped on it. I liked this because it reminded me of my days in France where I would see meringues in the pastry shops' windows constantly. Having never actually having tried a meringue (other than on my lemon pie), I decided to try my best and create my version of the same thing.
I have some of my closest friends over today to be my guinea pigs! :) Thanks guys!
Pavlova Recipe: Courtesy of Chef John on Allrecipes.com
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
3. Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat egg whites in a bowl until they are foamy and have a thick, ribbony texture, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Pour 1/4 of the sugar mixture into the egg whites; whisk until completely incorporated, about 30 seconds. Repeat for the rest of the sugar mixture, whisking after each addition, until all of the sugar mixture is incorporated and the egg whites are glossy and thick.
6. Pour vanilla and vinegar into egg white mixture; whisk until you can lift your beater or whisk straight up and the egg whites form a sharp peak that holds its shape, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Spoon egg white mixture onto prepared baking sheet; spread out into a 2-inch high by 6-inch wide disc.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
9. Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door and let the Pavlova cool for one hour.
10. Spoon lemon filling onto meringues and garnish with berries. Enjoy!
In the oven like this
Served with Sheriff lemon pie filling and fresh berries
Whoa that was a mouth full to say! I have been addicted to soo many blogs lately including The Girl Who Ate Everything. Somehow, I stumbled on a previous post of a recipe for two of my favourite things: cookies and cheese cake. How could I not try this recipe????
my first attempt!
I take no credit for this amazing dessert, in fact if you'd like to see her post you can click here.
The recipe itself comes from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Crust 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan (not quite sure why since you are lining it with paper but I did anyway). Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Make sure you mix it well so that the crust isn't too crumbly. Stir in chocolate chips.
Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.
Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour (gradually add the flour as I only added a little more than a half cup). Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. It will seem like a lot of cookie dough but you want some in every piece. Bake about 30 minutes at 325 degrees, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.
For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars.
Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour.
Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars, keep cool in the refrigerator and serve.
looks soo yummy!!! Unfortunately too late to try it tonight! :(
I can't wait to bring it to school tomorrow to test out!!!
