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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.
Citrus marmalade
A piece of toast, spread with a thick layer of tartly sweet marmalade, replete with strips of citrus peel and a hint of cinnamon.I didn't eat this very often growing up. My grandmother made it occasionally, and served it on a thick slice of her homemade bread, fresh from her bread machine. I think I'll bring some to this week's Shabbat dinner. My fiance and I are preparing it this week; usually we like to serve apple butter with our massive challot (which often have chocolate chips hiding in the braids), but I'm feeling more like oranges this week. Citrus marmalade8 oranges (or 4 grapefruit, or 2 grapefruit and 4 oranges, etc.)
2 lemons or limes
1 package pectin (generally 1.59oz or so; follow its directions. Don't use instant--it doesn't set as well.)
1/8 t baking soda
2 1/2 c water
4 cups sugar (check your pectin's instructions for the exact amount, especially if you're using no-sugar or low-sugar pectin)
1 tsp allspice (optional)Sterilize jars: Boil 5-6 8oz canning jars for 20 minutes. You can do this step while the fruit is cooking. Keep the water boiling for the canning step. Prepare the fruit: Remove the peel from the oranges and lemons/limes (and chop into small pieces if you didn't use a grater). You can be a little lazy and not chop them, though this will result in a chunkier marmalade. Coarsely chop the fruit (8 pieces should do it) and catch the juice in a bowl. Remove seeds and the pith (the bitter white part). Combine pectin, sugar, and allspice if using together. Cook the marmalade: In a large saucepan, bring water, baking soda, and peels to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add fruit and juice, then cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil. Stir in pectin-sugar mixture and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Can: Ladle hot marmalade into sterilized canning jars, filling them almost to the brim. Screw on the tops. Boil the jars for 10 minutes. Make sure that the lids are vacuum sealed tightly down by unscrewing the ring and making sure the lid is stuck down to the jar all the way around the lip; if they aren't, you'll have to keep the jar in the fridge and either use it within a week or two or try reprocessing it. Enjoy, preferably on a piece of freshly baked bread.
2 lemons or limes
1 package pectin (generally 1.59oz or so; follow its directions. Don't use instant--it doesn't set as well.)
1/8 t baking soda
2 1/2 c water
4 cups sugar (check your pectin's instructions for the exact amount, especially if you're using no-sugar or low-sugar pectin)
1 tsp allspice (optional)Sterilize jars: Boil 5-6 8oz canning jars for 20 minutes. You can do this step while the fruit is cooking. Keep the water boiling for the canning step. Prepare the fruit: Remove the peel from the oranges and lemons/limes (and chop into small pieces if you didn't use a grater). You can be a little lazy and not chop them, though this will result in a chunkier marmalade. Coarsely chop the fruit (8 pieces should do it) and catch the juice in a bowl. Remove seeds and the pith (the bitter white part). Combine pectin, sugar, and allspice if using together. Cook the marmalade: In a large saucepan, bring water, baking soda, and peels to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add fruit and juice, then cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil. Stir in pectin-sugar mixture and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Can: Ladle hot marmalade into sterilized canning jars, filling them almost to the brim. Screw on the tops. Boil the jars for 10 minutes. Make sure that the lids are vacuum sealed tightly down by unscrewing the ring and making sure the lid is stuck down to the jar all the way around the lip; if they aren't, you'll have to keep the jar in the fridge and either use it within a week or two or try reprocessing it. Enjoy, preferably on a piece of freshly baked bread.
Coconut lime cookies dipped in macadamia nuts
That recipe uses baking powder and cornstarch for the binding and leavening, which I find to be the most handy replacements for eggs, as I usually have those handy.Instead of the typically Middle Eastern flavors of rosewater and pistachio, I use typically Asian/Pacific Islander flavors of coconut and lime. If you can find them, replace the limes with calamansi. If you want mango cookies instead, replace the coconut water with mango juice. If you want orange cookies, replace the lime juice and zest with orange juice and zest. The amount of cornstarch in the powdered sugar is sufficient to tie the cookies together. If you don't have powdered sugar, use 1 1/4 c sugar sifted with 1/4 c cornstarch.Vegan coconut lime cookies dipped in macadamia nuts Dry ingredients:
1 3/4 c flour, sifted
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 c powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 c coconut flakes
1 t baking powderWet ingredients:
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c coconut water
2 t vanilla extract
1 t lime or calamansi zest, grated (use your Microplane!)
1 T lime or calamansi juiceGarnish:
1/4 c macadamia nuts, chopped (use a food processor)
1/2 c coconut flakes0. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper or Silpats.
1. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
2. In a smaller bowl, blend the wet ingredients.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and incorporate the dry ingredients. It should form into a dough.
5. Make the garnish: If not already chopped, pulse the macadamia nuts and coconut flakes together in a food processor until just blended. Otherwise, just mix the chopped macadamia nuts and the coconut flakes.
6. Assemble the cookies: Resist the urge to eat all of the cookie dough. Roll about two teaspoons of dough into a ball. Dip the ball into the garnish, flattening it out a little bit. Set the cookie, garnish side up, on the cookie sheet. Repeat, spacing the cookies about two inches apart. You can fit 12-16 on one cookie sheet.
7. Bake cookies at 350F for 12-13 minutes. Let rest on the cookie sheet until they firm up, about five minutes, then transfer to cooling racks and let cool completely.
If there are any left, serve with some tea.
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 extractIn 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.
