Cambridge Cheesecake with Mixed Berries

Cambridge Cheesecake with Mixed Berries

While we were away on vacation, Geoff started to complain about the distinct lack of cheesecake in his life! Can you believe this?  Let me say that his memory is short – he seems to have forgotten the White Chocolate Grand Marnier Cheesecake and Autumn Cheesecake with slivers of apples and cinnamon on top to name but a few that have graced his table. I will admit that I do not make many cheesecakes, maybe just one or two a year as I don’t really find them a challenge anymore.  One year, while living in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia I made a little extra money before Christmas by making cheesecakes for people. I was surprised by the response and ended up making about 40.  Needless to say my technique was mastered and the thrill was gone. 

There are a few things that I learned in this process that has made my success rate much higher. First, get all of your ingredients to room temperature before you begin. Trying to get cold cream cheese to blend to a silky smooth texture is like trying to turn crushed stone in to sand. This will happen but will take forever. Secondly, use a bain-marie (water bath). To do a bain-marie you need to wrap the spring form pan in layers of foil (so water does not get in) and place in a larger pan that can be filled (half way up the side of the spring form pan) with hot water. This really helps keep moist and delicious. Also, have fun with the crust. I know that graham cracker is traditional but why not try other cookies – ginger snap? Lemon? This can add a nice, easy twist to a favourite. Additionally, take the time to wait for the cake to cool completely and refrigerate, at least, over night for best results. Finally, don’t worry about little cracks in the cheese cake that it what toppings like berries, sauces, and whipped cream can solve. No one will notice – I promise!

This recipe came complements of Wolfgang Puck (http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/view/9998/Spago-Cheesecake).  He calls is Spago Cheesecake, but since it is from my kitchen and I put my own twist on it I call it Cambridge Cheesecake with Mixed Berries. I used mixed berries but you can put anything on top or even just add a little sauce on the side (chocolate, etc). And I made it for a progressive dinner with our neighbours – appetizers and entre at their house then dessert and hot tub at ours. A perfect evening!

Butter Crunch Crust

4 tbsp	Butter
½ cup	Flour
½ cup	Finely chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tbsp	Brown sugar

Filling

1 ½ lbs	Cream cheese
1 ¼ cup	Sugar
¼ tsp	Salt
¾ cup	Sour cream
1 tbsp	Dark rum
1 tbsp	Lemon juice
2 tsp	Vanilla extract
3	Eggs
2 cups	Mixed berries
1 jar	Apple jelly
1 cup	Whipping cream

Position racks in the centre of the oven and pre-heat to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients of the butter crunch with your hands, until the mixture resembles very small pebbles. Press the Butter Crunch Crust into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and cover base completely.  Wrap heavy-duty foil (or 2 layers of regular foil) around the bottom and up the sides of the pan, pleating to tighten. Bake crust for 8 minutes until lightly golden.

To make the filling place cream cheese, sugar and salt in a large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides (this is important otherwise there will be lumps). Turn up the speed to high and beat until nice and silky smooth. Stop and add sour cream, rum, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat on medium until blended. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Scrape the mixture into the spring form pan and set the pan in the centre of a larger pan (I use a turkey roaster). Pour enough hot water (I just use hot tap water) into the larger pan until it come half way up the side of the spring form pan (ta-da you have just done a bain-marie) but not above the top of the foil.

Carefully place both pans in the oven and bake until the top is lightly golden brown (about 1 hour and 10 minutes). Remove from oven and carefully lift out the spring form pan and place on a rack, remove the foil to help with cooling. When completely cool refrigerate, covered over night or at least 8 hours.

Once completely cool, and before removing the cake from the spring form pan, run a knife around the outside of the pan to make sure that there is nothing sticking.  Arrange berries on the top of the cake ( I like to do this before removing the ring of the spring form pan so that the berries stay in place until after the jelly is set again).  Place apple jelly in a small sauce pan and heat until smooth.  Once the jelly is smooth, brush jelly over top of the berries using a brush until all are coated. Remove ring. Whip whipping cream and either pipe around the outside or serve on the side of the cake.

If you really want to take this over the top...serve with some port! Delish!

ENJOY!  

St. Pierre Adventures

I have been away on vacation to Newfoundland as I have not been cooking for myself; I have not been doing the occasional update on my culinary adventures.  TO be honest, I have actually missed it. That being said, while we were in Newfoundland we made the trek over the Burin Peninsula to go to St. Pierre.  I am a little ashamed to admit that I have never been to this little piece of France that resides a mere 25 km off shore from Newfoundland.  And for someone who so enjoys food, and the “joie de vive” that the French seem to have made a national motto, not getting there was just wrong. 

With camera in hand, I took pictures of the food.  Every time food was placed before me is was just so beautiful.  Presentation to the French is so important. It is part of the experience.  This is not something that I have placed a great deal of thought, focusing more on the taste, texture, flavour combinations, and, even, wine pairing. I have been inspired by this experience and this will be my next area of focus at my table – probably not for every day meals but for the meals that I put in that extra special effort for guests.

Here are a few photos from my last trip that you might enjoy. 

Newman Wine Vaults - delicious Port and Nationally proected mould (found only here and Oporto, Portugal).

Hazlenut Mousse with Tea

Orange Mousse with Coffee

Even a simple cheese omlette and croissant looks delicious...and it was!

Buried underneath this lemon pastry is the most flaky croissant! YUMMM. But you MUST get to the bakery early as they will all be gone well before 8am.  I really wanted chocolate croissants but the person in front of me got the last ones.  I did not resort to violence but it was tempting.

What are the treasures in your community? 

ENJOY!

Halibut Package with Dill Pesto

Growing up in Newfoundland I was blessed with eating lots of fish and not just any fish....it is FRESH fish.  There is pretty much nothing that swims in the ocean that I won’t eat.  We are travelling to Newfoundland tomorrow and I so excited that I will be able to eat some wonderful seafood while overlooking the ocean. Taking Geoff to all the "must see" places on my list. Naturally, Geoff has been there many times but this is the first where we are going to be tourists.  We are heading to Cape St. Marys to see the birds, Placentia, St. Pierre, Trinity. I am so excited!  I have not been to these places in so long and they were definate highlights on my parents vacation destinations. Unlike other families who got to go on vacation and have fun - we had to learn!  If there was an historic monument, archelogical dig, or anything remotely to do with wildlife we were all over it! I am only guessing I am all the better for it.

Given where I am going to be in the next week or so, I wanted to share this to hopefully inspire you to try it.  My bad for not taking pictures before posting but they will come as soon as I am back...I promise!  This is a great way to eat fish and you can use almost any type of fish – salmon, cod, scallops or even a mixture of a couple of types.   It bugs me when you go to the grocery store and you only need a little bit of fresh herbs but you have to buy a lot so I try to make a lot of the dill pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. It can last a long time in the freeze without losing flavour.  Then all you need to do is take it out a little before you need to assemble and let it thaw.  Also, while it is fun to roast your own red peppers it is a pain in the butt. Thankfully, the gods of the grocery store recognize this and have created bottles of roasted red peppers for us to buy! 

The recipe below (again adapted from a grocery store cooking class) states to put all the pieces of fish inside one parchment package, when I do this I will put them in individual packages. I think it is more fun when your guests have to open it up themselves.

Halibut Package with Dill Pesto

1/3 cup	Each loosely packed fresh dill and parsley
1/3 cup	Green onions or chives
1/3 cup	Toasted almonds (sliced)
¼ cup	Olive oil
1 clove	Garlic, chopped
½ tsp	Salt
¼ tsp	Pepper
8	Halibut fillets or steaks (4 oz each)
1	Roasted red pepper cut into 8 strips

                                                    

In a blender or food processor, chop together dill, parsley, onions, almonds, oil, garlic, salt and pepper until almost pureed.

Line baking sheet with parchments paper. Pat fish dry, place on a single layer on one-half of the paper.  Spread each piece with 1 tbsp of dill mixture. Top with strips of roasted red pepper. Fold remaining half of paper over fish crimping the edges to seal.

Bake in a 425F degree oven for about 10-12 minutes until fish is opaque and flakes when tested with a fork.

ENJOY!  

Tiramisu

The Italians have offered many things to the world – philosophy, art, mathematics, etc... but one of the best things they have given is the very simple dessert of Tiramisu. According to Wikipedia it literally means “pick me up”. And who could not be picked up by the combination of a little coffee, a little cookie, a little booze and a lot of mascarpone cheese!

Over the years I have tried several recipes for Tiramisu and I think this is possibly the easiest and best – some had too much booze (it may have been my heavy hand but I am blaming the recipe), other not the right balance of flavours.  This one came from the Oprah Magazine Cookbook, which I picked up at Winner for $6.99! A steal with many great ideas.

Here are a couple of hints if you decide to try this recipe. First, I would not worry too much about not having espresso on hand.  I have used coffee with a little extra instant coffee thrown in.  You can get packages of 48 Lady Fingers which are about 1” by  4” and you will need about 21 per layer for a total of 42, leaving a few for snacking. I add this little note about the number you will need as I paniced and thought that I did not have enough half way through. So I sent Geoff out to get more while I continued to assemble only to realize first that I had plently and second that Geoff forgot his cell so I was not able to tell him to abort the mission. Alas, I am all set for the next time I get a hankering for this tasty treat. 

When you are brushing the fingers with the espresso, I normally do this over the bowl and brush both sides before placing them in the pan. This makes clean up a little easier and you can easily get both sides without drowning them. This is a perfect make ahead dessert as the longer your leave it the better it is.

Tiramisu

5 eggs	Separated
1 cup	Sugar
3 tbsp	Brandy
1 pound	Mascarpone, at room temperature
2 tbsp	Coffee liqueur (eg. Kahlua)
1 cup	Espresso, chilled
1 tbsp	Cocoa powder
14 oz	Lady fingers

With and electric mixer, beat the yolks, sugar and 1 tbsp of brandy until sugar dissolves. Beat in the mascarpone, and set aside the mixture until refrigerated.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites in to the mascarpone mixture.

Add the coffee liqueur and 2 tbsp of brandy to the espresso.

Spread 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish, and dust lightly with cocoa powder. Next generously brush the lady fingers with espresso and lay enough of them side by side to cover the mascarpone. Repeat with a second layer of one third of the mascarpone, a dusting of the cocoa powder and more lady fingers. Top with the remaining 1/3 of the mascarpone and dust with remaining cocoa powder. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

ENJOY!

Wild Mushroom Crustini with Goat Cheese

Have you ever really looked at a mushroom? Next time you see some at the market or grocery store, just look at them. They are one of the coolest things going, very prehistoric. I just love the colour and textures that they come in, not to mention the earthy smells and taste. We have just gotten a mushroom guy at the Cambridge Farmers Market. They bring the neatest mushrooms: white, cremini, portabella, oyster, blue oyster, cinnamon caps, etc. 

I love to make this dish and throw in a sampling of different types of mushrooms.  In place of shallots I have used regular white onions, red onion, Spanish onion.  As for the vinegar, I would probably avoid using light vinegar (white, rice, etc) and would use the balsamic or even a red wine.  I am always on the lookout for interesting ingredients and found a Baco Noir Vinegar which has wonderful qualities and will use this. I totally cheat on the garlic and buy the bottles of pre-minced garlic for regular every day cooking.

If you can manage a frying pan and a toaster this is easy and quite elegant!

Wild Mushroom Crustini with Goat Cheese

2 tsp	Olive oil
2	Shallots, finely chopped
2	Cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb	Mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (you can use any mushroom or combination)
1 tsp	Pepper ( I am generous with this as I love pepper)
2 tsp	Fresh thyme, or ½ tsp dried ( I tend to be a little generous with the thyme)
Salt	to taste
2 tsp	Balsamic vinegar
3 oz	Goat cheese, at room tempature
2 tbsp	Sour cream or plain yogurt
1 clove	Garlic, minced
20 slices	Whole wheat or white baguette (I have used any number of different types of bread)

Heat oil in large frying pan on med heat.  Add shallots and chopped garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms, thyme, ½ tsp pepper. When mushrooms begin to release liquid add the vinegar, increase heat and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add salt and stir.

In a bowl, blend goat cheese, sour cream, remaining pepper and garlic.

Grill or toast bread until toasty on outside. Spread with cheese mixture and top with mushrooms. You can garnish with some fresh thyme and a little parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!

Granola

My favourite breakfast is homemade granola with plain yogurt, so simple and delicious not to mention healthy.  I cannot imagine how much fibre it has, but I did work out that a 1/3 cup serving has about 130 calories (ok I was bored one day – don’t judge my dorky qualities).  I started to make this recipe from Chef Michael Smith and it has become a regular item in our house.  It is getting to the point that we rarely have bought cereal.  I try to make a little extra if Geoff’s kids are expected so that I send a little home with them as well. 

This makes a lot of granola, and we normally keep a couple of cups on the counter for the week in an airtight container and put the rest in the freezer until we need it. 

ENJOY!

 Granola

1 cup	Maple syrup or honey
1 cup	Vegetable oil
1 tbsp	Cinnamon
1 tsp	Nutmeg
1 tsp	Vanilla
8 cups	Rolled oats
1 cup	Wheat germ
1 cup	Wheat bran
1 cup	Flax meal
1 cup	Sunflower seeds
1 cup	Almond slivers
1 cup	Walnuts
1 tsp	Salt
2 cups	Dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat oven to 325F. Pour honey, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a saucepan and bring them to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Toss together the oats, wheat germ, wheat bran, flax meal, sunflower seeds, almond slivers, walnuts and salt until evenly combined.  When the oil is hot, our over the dry ingredients, stir well until evenly combined. 

Put all the ingredients into a turkey roaster (or on several cookie sheets). Bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Bring to room temperature and toss with cranberries or raisins

Before

After

Grilled Blue Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Fresh local tomatoes are coming on the market! It is so exciting to have this treat back on the shelves.  You can use any tomatoes for this recipe but it is fun to try heirloom is you can find them. I actually decided to grow some in a planter on my patio this summer for the first time.  Heirlooms have great color and flavor.  Some look quite different from those that we normally seen throughout the year.

Even though this recipe calls for blue cheese and for me the stinker the better, you can use any number of types of cheese – English Blue, Shropshire, Stilton, etc. A Shropshire is like blue cheese and cheddar had an illicit child! Delish! 

This is an easy appetizer or side dish for a dinner.

Grilled Blue Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

These grilled tomatoes are rich in flavor, yet simple to prepare. Remember to look for large ripe tomatoes for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large tomatoes, cut in half crosswise and seeded
• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil or oregano, chopped

PREPARATION:

Preheat grill for medium heat. Scoop out seeds from tomatoes. Combine cheeses, and basil in a small bowl. Fill tomatoes with mixture. Top each tomato off with olive oil. Place tomatoes skin side down on a disposable foil pan or triple thick foil sheet.

ENJOY!