Sasha's Kitchen: Lowfat Raspberry Marzipan Swirl Cheesecake

Here's another great cheesecake recipe I made from the Magnolia Bakery  cookbook, but this one I adapted to make it low fat.  And you know what? It still tasted fantastic!  Last August, I canned some raspberry jam from local Farmer's Market raspberries.  It came out great for my first time making jam and made four jars which I have been enjoying since.  I used some of those fabulous raspberry preserves that I made myself for the swirl on this cheesecake that you can feel good about eating.  Oh, and before you leave, check out my latest post on Potluck, the ShopRite blog panel for some delicious cookies!

Lowfat Raspberry Marzipan Cheesecake (adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)
Crust
6 tablesppons melted butter
1 1/2 cup Nilla wafter crumbs
1/2 cup finely toasted almonds, pulverized into crumbs
Filling
2 eight ounce packages lowfat cream cheese
8 oz almond paste, crumbled
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups fat free sour cream
Topping
5-6 T raspberry preserves
1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 325.  To make the crust, combine the butter with the Nilla wafer crumbs and almond crumbs.  Press into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool.

To make the filling, in a stand mixer beat the cream cheese and almond paste for several minutes until smooth.  Gradually beat in the sugar and add the eggs one at a time and beat until the batter is lump-free.  Stir in the vanilla and sour cream, scraping down the sides of the mixer to combine the ingredients well.  To make the topping, mix the raspberry preserves and the lemon juice and set aside.

Pour the batter into the springform pan on top of the crust.  Drop the raspberry mix on top by the spoonful and swirl  into a decorative pattern using the tip of a sharp knife.  Bake for about 80 minutes  until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken.  At the end of the baking time, turn off the heat and prop the oven door with a wooden spoon and keep the cheesecake in the oven for an hour.  Then remove and refrigerate for twelve hours before eating.  This was delicious!

Sasha's Kitchen: Lowfat Raspberry Marzipan Swirl Cheesecake

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Last week, my mom and I made this delicious cheesecake together when my husband and I were visiting my family in Rochester, NY.  Like a number of my recent baking recipes, this one comes from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook, of the famous New York bakery, since I've been on a bit of a Magnolia cook lately, working my way through the cookbook.  This cheesecake was delicious.  It had just enough chocolate to give some flavor and flair to the cheesecake but was not overpowering.  It was like a regular vanilla cheesecake with a tad of chocolate  in the swirls.  This was a recipe that was enjoyed by the whole family.  I know cheesecake has like a million calories, but I did use lowfat cream cheese, so there!

Here's my latest baking post on the ShopRite blog panel, as well, some new cupcakes for the winter season.

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake (recipe adapted from Jennifer Appel & Alyssa Torrey)
Crust
5 T melted butter
2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

Filling
4 eight ounce packages of cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs at room temperature
2 T heavy cream
1 T vanilla extract

Topping
3 T heavy cream
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 325.  To make the crust, combine the wafter crumbs with the melted butter and press in a prepared 10 inch springform pan.  Bake for ten minutes and remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

To make the filling, this time I used a hand mixer rather than a stand mixer like I ordinarily do since that's what my mom had.  It's a little tricky to control it and not splatter the walls, but fun baking with my mom, who I am very close with.  Beat the cream cheese until smooth and slowly beat in the sugar, gradually.  Add the eggs one at a time, stopping the mixer several times to scrape down the sides.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Pour the batter into the springform pan on top of the crust.  Then prepare the swirl topping.  In the saucepan, bring the three tablespoons of heavy cream to a simmer.  Add the chocolate, turning the heat to low and stir constantly until the chocolate is melted.  Remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Drop this mixture by the teaspoonful on top of the cheesecake batter.  Using the top of a sharp knife, swirl in into the batter, forming a pretty decorative pattern.

The trickiest part about cheesecake is knowing when it is done.  Bake at 325 until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken, about one hour.  I let it go a little longer because I thought it needed it.  It was totally delicious tasting, but it did crack, which is something I need to work on to perfect with my technique.  At the end of the baking time, turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar.  Cool the cheesecake in the oven for one hour after you turn the oven off before removing.  Cover and refrigerate for at least twelve hours.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Sasha's Kitchen: Thomas Keller's Cheesecake from Ad Hoc at Home

Cheesecake.  The unhealthiest dessert ever. But when made properly a nice light, refreshing cheesecake is so delicious that it is worth making every so often.  I've made cheesecakes before, of course, both my own recipes and following other recipes.  I decided, however, to try Thomas Keller's cheesecake from Ad Hoc At Home to see where it measured on the cheesecake-meter.  It was a delicious and classic cheesecake recipe that my entire family enjoyed at our family mother's day brunch. The hint of lemon is subtle and delicious while the mixture of cream cheese and mascarpone is just perfect for a light and airy cake on a graham cracker crust. I should add, as Keller does that you should not make any substitutions to reduce the fat content. It's a nice once a year treat, but you will not do it justice if you use lowfat products instead of the real deal with this recipe.  Yes, it's not so great for you, but it's okay for the occasional indulgence!



Ad Hoc At Home Cheesecake
Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 T granulated sugar
5 T unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 lb (two packages) cream cheese (not reduced fat)
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon
1/4 cup plus 2 T heavy cream

Combine the ingredients for the crust and press into a 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 325 for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned, and set aside to cool.

Bring a pot of water to boil for a bath.  Combine the cheeses and sugar in your stand mixer and beat at low speed to mix, then raising to medium speed.  Beat for three minutes until light and smooth.  In a bowl, beat the eggs and the extra yolks.  Add the lemon juice and slowly add to the cream cheese mixture, beating until combined, until there are no lumps. Add the lemon zest and the heavy cream and mix until well combined.

Wrap the springform pan in foil to prevent leaks.  Boil water in a pot (you should have started this before hand) and create a water bath. Put the springform pan in the water bath so that it goes up halfway on the sides of the pan on the outside.  This is the same way you make creme brulee, and in both cases is necessary so the dessert does not crack.  Fill the filling inside the cheesecake and bake for one hour at 325 until set and a light golden brown.

Allow to cool in the water bath, as the water cools (so it cools slowly and does not crack).  Then refrigerate and serve chilled.

Sasha's Kitchen: Thomas Keller's Cheesecake from Ad Hoc at Home

Matt's Kitchen In D.C. - Durian Cheesecake

First of all, what is a durian? It is an imposing-looking tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, where it has been crowned the "King of Fruits," and rightfully so. Certainly there is no other fruit like it anywhere - it is capable of inspiring both passionate devotion and utter revulsion. The fruit announces its presence with a strong and pungent odor that is simultaneously fruity sweet and rotten and oniony. This smell alone is enough to turn away many, and is strong enough that in some Southeast Asian countries, durian have been banned from public transportation and hotel rooms. So why even bother with this ugly and noxious smelling fruit? Once cut open, the durian yields soft fleshy insides that have an almost indescribeable but exquisite flavor - a smooth, refreshing and delicious tropical custard, but with a hint of an underlying strong flavor, that some have likened to onions, and others to almonds. Certainly, durian tastes like no other fruit on the planet. And I should point out that it is an acquired taste - while one person may become a devotee for life, a second person may be turned off at their first taste. It is, however, the sort of thing that everyone should try once - if you like it, the rewards are quite great. That being said, the mere smell alone may be enough to deter some people, and there is nothing that can really be done about that.

Durian can be bought at Asian groceries either as a whole fruit or in frozen portions. Buying a whole fruit can be expensive and, I have been told, it is extremely difficult to know if your fruit is properly ripened. An over-ripe durian may be much more offensive than a properly ripened one and can make a very bad first impression. For the purposes of this recipe, it may be best to go with frozen, which should not have ripeness issues.

The following is a cheesecake recipe that features durian prominently. This is admittedly not a particularly complex or refined cheesecake recipe - the goal was to come up with a simple, no-bake recipe that allowed the deliciousness of the fruit to take center stage. However, ultimately it produces a very decent cheesecake, made even tastier with addition of the durian. Additionally, I took the shortcut of using pre-made pie shells which is because I ran short of time and did not want to be wrestling with crusts - however, if you want to make your own crust, there are hundreds of cheesecake recipes online that will instruct on making a crust and, if desired, using a springform pan to make an actual cake, rather than a pie. This recipe will make two pie-size cheesecakes, or one 8-inch cake. If you are serving to people who are unfamilar with durian, my suggestion is to make a pie which will yield smaller slices - you can just halve this recipe for a single pie.

8 oz. thawed durian flesh
8 oz. cream cheese
16 tsp. sugar
8 oz. whipping cream
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
*2 ready-bake pie crusts (follow directions)

Beat the sugar and cream cheese together with electric beaters until fluffy. Puree the durian flesh, then beat into the cream cheese and sugar mixture. Heat the water in a small bowl until boiling or near boiling, then add gelatin grains and stir until dissolved. Stir into the durian mixture. In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until you have soft peaks, don't overdo it. Gently fold the whipped cream into the durian mixture until blended. Pour the mixture into the crusts and spread to the edges. Refrigerate at least four hours or until the mixture sets firmly.

Some of my test-tasters were of the opinion that the flavor improves slightly over time, so don't hesitate to make it a day or two ahead. Also, feel free to decorate/garnish it however you like - but keep in mind that some flavors may not mesh well with durian. I found one recipe that adds a fudge layer on top of the durian layer. This might taste delicious, or it might not. But I would consider giving it a try on my second go-round of making this recipe, which I will most certainly be doing.

Matt's Kitchen In D.C. - Durian Cheesecake

Sasha's Kitchen: Baby Key Lime Cheesecakes: Miniature Foods Part I

Miniature food can be such a delight.  There is a modern fascination with baby-sized food, from cupcakes ("baby cakes") to tapas or small plates, to everything else done on the miniature scale.  My posts for today and tomorrow are both going to focus on miniature scaled food - of the small bite variety.  Both projects are foods that are typically prepared in large sizes, but can be scaled down to make a dozen of the miniature version for a cute, picture perfect result.  Both of my baby-sized food recipes will be prepared the same way - by the dozen in silicon muffin trays.

All this miniature food can come together nicely as small plates for a brunch party with friends.  Thus, the inspiration behind my miniature food posts is that they would go nicely together for a mini-themed brunch.

Last night, my husband Brad and I prepared miniature (or little babies, as I call them, fondly) key lime cheesecakes.  The inspiration for this recipe was found in my newest (and quickly becoming one of my favorite) baking cookbooks - Rose Levy Beranbaum's cookbook, entitled Rose's Heavenly Cakes, which was just published in September 2009.

Rose Levy Beranbaum, who is pretty much the goddess of cake baking in the modern world, as far as I am concerned, has a recipe for Baby Lemon Cheesecakes with Lemon Curd.  I couldn't help but imagine what this would be like if it was instead flavored with key limes, so I adapted her recipe to make a key lime variation.  In addition to changing the citrus fruit, I decided that mini key lime cheesecakes would taste better with a graham cracker crust, rather than the biscuit crust that Rose used in her lemon baby cheesecakes.  Finally, I made mine a tad bit healthier than Rose suggests - I used substituted fat cream cheese and reduced fat sour cream.  Because if you are going to eat a dozen little cheesecakes, you might as well feel a little better about it . . .

Another note - if you cannot obtain fresh key lime juice, I don't advise squeezing from the tiny key limes without a juicer - you can freely substitute lime juice instead, as I have given the measurements for the lime variation as well.  You should make sure you have a silicon muffin tray (not a metal one) for this recipe, if you have aspirations of getting the cheesecakes out of the tray with ease.

Sasha's Baby Key Lime Cheesecakes (Loosely Adapted from Rose's Baby Lemon Cheesecakes)


5 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (I bought a box of graham cracker crumbs)
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
3 T key lime juice (you need more key lime juice than the lemon juice called for in Rose's recipe, because the lemon juice is much stronger and more acidic; use 1 1/2 T if using regular lime juice)
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups reduced fat sour cream

Sasha's Key Lime Curd (adapted from Rose's Lemon Curd)

3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 1 T sugar
3 T unsalted butter
6 T key lime juice (or 4 1/2 T regular lime juice)
pinch of salt

First prepare the graham cracker crusts of the baby cheesecakes in the silicon 12-cup muffin tray.  Mix the graham cracker crust with the melted butter.  Put a little less than 1 T in each of the cups on the silicon mufffin tray, after spraying the tray with PAM.  Press down and bake at 300 degrees until set and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Next, prepare Rose's Cheesecake mix, with our key lime variation.  Beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed in your stand mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg and egg yolks until smooth.  Add the key lime juice (or regular lime juice) and salt and beat.

Fill each of the cups with the graham crusts nearly to the top.  Put the cheesecakes in a roasting pan filled halfway up the sides with hot, near boiling water (just like when you prepare creme brulee).  Bake at 350 degrees until the internal temperature of the cheesecakes reaches 160/170 degrees F.  This is a bit tricky - you will need to use a candy thermometer to measure the internal temperature by sticking it inside one of the cheesecakes as it bakes.  The baking process took me about an hour, but it depends on your oven.  My husband was extremely helpful with this step - he deserves a lot of credit for being patient and making sure the cheesecakes came out just right.  They are done, when they bounce back when touched lightly on the top and are firm on top.

Allow the cheesecakes to cool while preparing the key lime curd, according to Rose's instructions but substituting key lime juice or lime juice, as I have indicated above.

To prepare the curd - whisk the egg yolks, sugar and melted butter well.  Add the key lime juice and the salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY so that the mixture doesn't boil.  It will thicken and it is done when it changes into a more translucent yellowish color and starts pooling thickly when a little is dropped back form the surface.

Top the baby cheesecakes with the key lime curd, and allow them to chill for at least 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.  Then jiggle from the bottom and gently remove from the silicon cupcake trays.

These tasted great - totally delicious.  Rose you are the cake goddess, but I think I took your recipe to another level.  Oh baby (pun intended).



To make Cindy's cheesecake, click here; to make My key lime bars, click here.

Cheesecake

Sasha's Kitchen: Baby Key Lime Cheesecakes: Miniature Foods Part I