Filipino cheesecake

Last year I posted my lola's holiday cheesecake recipe. She makes that one twice a year, at most.

This year I'm posting her typical one. Unless you have a lola like mine, this is definitely not your grandmother's Shavuot cheesecake.

I still remember when I was five, watching her make it. It's unlike any other cheesecake I've had. Instead of a crust filled with sweetened, flavored and whipped cream cheese, this one is a cake. (Okay, technically it's a quickbread because of the ratios.)

For the longest time I wondered how she made it--it's impossibly dense but still airy, and rich-tasting without actually being rich. She uses Bisquick, cream cheese, and butter, and stirs it with a wooden spoon. It turns out much airier when she uses mascarpone instead of cream cheese.

In a feeble attempt to mimic my grandmother, I present a version made from scratch.

Filipino cheesecake

Dry ingredients:
2 c flour
1 c sugar (my lola will use 1/2 c or less--"This one is not too sweet--I used half the sugar.")
2 t salt
1 T baking powder

Wet ingredients:
1 c (2 sticks) of butter, softened. Use the real stuff for the best flavor.
2 c milk
4 eggs
4oz cream cheese, softened

For the center:
4oz cream cheese, cut into cubes

Modification: If you're using mascarpone instead of cream cheese, use 4oz mascarpone instead of the cream cheese and halve the milk. Omit the center cream cheese cubes, if you like.

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 8" or 9" cake pan. A stoneware pan browns most evenly, and keeps it nice and warm longer.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Blend the wet ingredients together until smooth in another bowl.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then stir in the wet ingredients until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter should resemble thick pancake batter or banana bread batter.
5. Pour batter into the cake pan. Drop the cream cheese cubes around the center. They'll sink in a little.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It should have a nice golden brown crust on the top and sides. Let it sit for a minute outside the oven to firm up.

Serve hot. We used to spray it with a little melted butter, but there's really no need for it.

Enjoy! It serves around 8-10 people.
Tagged dairy dessert shavuot

Matzah lasagna

Almost indistinguishable from lasagna made with actual pasta, matzah lasagna is my favorite way to eat matzah during Pesach.

My fiance and I bring a pan of it to my lola's house when we visit during Passover. My cousins won't let us in the door without it.

It's really easy and really fast, too--it can be done in 30 minutes flat if you're good at putting it together.

This is the basic recipe I use. If you eat kitniyot (which I do), you can add soy meat for a little more protein (soyganisa or soy chorizo is pretty awesome here). No seitan, though.

Matzah lasagna

1-2 lbs matzah
16-24 oz jar of pasta sauce, or make your own (add 1 T sugar if you want it sweet)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 bag frozen spinach, or 1 bunch fresh, washed and dried
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
Chili flakes (optional)
Mozzarella cheese for sprinkling on top

0. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking pan (9"x13" or so) that's at least 1.5 inches deep (or however thick you want your lasagna to be).
1. Spread a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce over the bottom of the baking pan, covering it generously. Lay down one layer of matzah.
2. Spread some pasta sauce and ricotta cheese over the matzah and top with spinach and some more pasta sauce. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning, salt and pepper (and chili flakes) to your heart's content. Lay down another layer of matzah. The key here is to make sure the matzah is well moistened by the sauce and other toppings.
3. Repeat step 2 until you reach the top of the pan, omitting the last layer of matzah.
4. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese liberally on top, then sprinkle on some more Italian seasoning, salt and pepper (and chili flakes).
5. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until the cheese melts and forms a crust and the middle is hot. 

Serve hot.
Tagged dairy pesach

Hot chocolate

Does hot chocolate really need any introduction? From its days as a bitter Aztec drink frothed with molinillos to the Swiss who added milk and sugar and called it good, chocolate has been the magic substance that can turn aside a bad day and bring a moment of heaven to the earth.

Hot chocolate

8 oz good-quality dark or milk chocolate (cocoa that wasn't processed with alkali)
2 cups milk (soy milk can work, but you can't boil it; rice milk doesn't have enough body to support the chocolate)
2 cups water, or if you want it really rich, 2 more cups of milk
1-2 pinches chili powder
1 pinch cardamom
1 pinch cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium pot, heat milk and water over medium heat until the milk begins to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Break the chocolate into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot. Add spices and vanilla extract. Stir until all the chocolate melts, and let simmer for at least 10 minutes or until you can't stand the wait any longer and simply must have a sip. Serve in mugs.

Tagged dairy dessert drink

Polvoron, the fun exploding candy

Polvoron, also known as Filipino shortbread or exploding candy, makes for an exciting treat. When we were little, my sister and I would compete to see who could stuff the most into their mouth without choking on it. I almost got in trouble when I brought some to school, as the teacher watching us during lunch thought the powder was something else.

It's always fun to watch someone who's never eaten it before figure out how. If you're not careful, it explodes in your hand and gets all over the place. If you pop the whole thing into your mouth, it has the same effect as eating a huge spoonful of peanut butter.

While it's easier to make if you have the mold for it, you can still get away with pressing it into balls in your hand.

As it includes butter and sometimes powdered milk, it counts as dairy. I don't recommend making it pareve unless you really like the taste of shortening.

Polvoron

1/2 cup butter
3 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Optional flavorings: 1/4 cup ube, 1/2 cup pinipig (ground toasted sweet rice), 1/2 cup ground nuts like peanuts or cashews (if using pinipig or nuts, decrease flour by 1/2 cup)

Polvoron mold
Tissue paper or cellophane for wrapping, cut into 4 inch squares

1. Toast the flour: Heat a large wok or pan over medium heat. Add flour and stir continually until the color changes to light brown and the flour becomes fragrant and toasty-smelling. This can take around 5-10 minutes or so.

2. Pour the toasted flour into a bowl. Let cool slightly for about a minute or two.

3. Using a pastry cutter or a large fork, mash the butter, powdered milk, sugar, and flavorings into the flour until well incorporated. It should be dry and quite crumbly, but hold together when packed.

4. Assemble the polvoron.
If you have a mold, pack the polvoron mixture into the mold. 
If you don't have a mold, use two spoons (or your hands, but that is quite messy) to pack the polvoron into a small tablet shape.
Orient the tissue paper such that a corner is at the top. Place molded polvoron in the center of the tissue paper. Pick up the top and bottom corners of the tissue paper and fold them in half together. Continue folding until you get to the polvoron. You should have a flat-sided tube of tissue paper, with openings on the left and right side. Twist each side closed.
(At this point, it looks a little like the wrapped hard candies in the store.)

To eat, take small bites. If you pop the entire thing into your mouth at once, you'll learn why I recommend taking small bites. Keep a glass of milk handy!

Tagged candy dairy dessert
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