The Genius of the Mini Cheesecake

The best present I got for Christmas last year was a membership to Sam's Club.  Yes, I know -- Sam Walton was kind of a bully.  Yes, I've seen Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.  Yes, it's weird that they make you flash your i.d. card at the door.  Flaws and all, I like shopping at Sam's Club.

Thanks to my new love of bulk buying, I'm now in possession of a three-pound (count 'em, three) block of cream cheese.  Philadelphia brand, of course.  Which explains why I've been on a cheesecake kick as of late.

The first cheesecake project: raspberry mini cheesecakes from Cook's Country.  These little delights are genius.  Why?  Because they're tasty.  And because they're fast and easy.  And tasty.  Did I mention that?

I could eat cheesecake every day, but I'm not much on lining pans and setting up water baths and crushing graham crackers and baking forever and then waiting for the thing to cool in the oven.  The trick with the mini cheesecakes is that they use whole butter cookies in place of crumb crusts (I told you, genius!) and they bake quick because they're small.

I also like the individual portions (no cutting) and the cupcake liners (no mess).

Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes (adapted from Cook's Country)

• 18 round shortbread cookies (like Keebler Sandies)
• 2/3 c. seedless raspberry jam
• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened 
• 2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
• 3 large eggs

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners, then put a cookie into the bottom of each.  Put a dollop of jam on each cookie.  (There will be jam left over.)

Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and condensed milk, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.

Divide batter among muffin cups.  Bake until set, about 20 minutes.  Cool tins on wire racks.  Once cupcakes have reached room temperature, refrigerate about 1 hour.

Microwave remaining jam until thinned, about 30 seconds.  Glaze the top of each cheesecake with jam and serve.

Makes 18 mini cheesecakes.

The food: Raspberry mini cheesecakes
The verdict: Mini cakes, mucho tastiness

Oh, Honey! Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce

 

I like sauces.  Of all kinds.  Barbecue.  Plum.  Butter.  Steak.  The more sauce the better.

I also like making sauces -- because they're easy and because they can transform the usual stuff you have in the fridge into a taste explosion!  Yes, the exclamation point was absolutely necessary there.

My latest sauce: Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce from Southern Living.  I'm not sure why they call it that, but I like it.  The name's got zip.

As does the sauce.  I used it on biscuits, then on roast chicken, then on egg rolls.  It was good everywhere.

And I think you'll agree.

Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce

• 1 15-oz. jar apricot preserves (no big fan of apricot, I used peach)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 T. horseradish
• 1 T. fresh chopped parsley
• 2 T. Dijon mustard (I used a regular old spicy brown -- sorry French mustard lovers)
• 1 tsp. fresh chopped thyme
• 1/4 t. dried crushed red pepper

Mix it all together in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, about three minutes.  Use immediately and store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

Easy!  And yummy!  (More necessary exclamation points.)

The food: Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce
The verdict: Worth exclaiming over

Kitchen-Clean-Out Soup: Chicken Noodle with a Chinese Twist

Encouraged by The Kitchn and Re-Nest to clean out my fridge and pantry, I made what I'm calling a Chinese chicken noodle soup this week.  Chicken stock, the last of the rice vinegar, leftover chicken, chopped ginger, one on-its-way-out carrot, my final green onion, some rice noodles and a dash each of fish sauce and sesame oil made for a tasty supper.

I like soups because you can just throw in whatever you like.  And usually it works.

Anyone else have a clean-out-the-kitchen soup recipe to recommend?

Say Cheese: Make the Lee Brothers' Buttermilk Cheese at Home

A while ago, my buddy Toby told me his wife Jennifer had found a recipe for me to try: buttermilk cheese.

I was totally on board.  The recipe was from Matt and Ted Lee, two Southern chefs I wholeheartedly dig, and was published by Martha Stewart, whose standards are nothing if not exacting.  Plus, who wouldn't like the idea of making cheese at home?

And whipping up a little batch of cheese was fun.  My turned out a little bland, so next time I'd probably add a bit more salt.  Martha and the Lee boys also suggest variations, including lemon cheese and herb cheese, that would help perk things up a bit.  I will also say that my cheese turned out a little dry, but that could be because I really got into the squeezing-out the-whey step.

Oh, and if you don't have fancy-pants cheesecloth, paper towels will do just fine.

Buttermilk Cheese

• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups whole or low-fat buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt

Line a colander or strainer with a few layers of 12-inch squares of cheesecloth or paper towels.  Set it in the sink.

Combine milk, buttermilk and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan; heat over medium-high heat until mixture has separated into white curds and translucent whey, about 8 minutes. If using lowfat buttermilk, separation occurs at about 180 degrees and the curds will clump together readily. If using whole buttermilk, separation occurs closer to the boiling point, about 212 degrees, and the curds are finer-grained. When using whole buttermilk, let curds and whey stand off heat for about 3 minutes after separation, so the curds cling together and facilitate the straining step.

Ladle the contents of the saucepan into the prepared colander. Let the whey drain, 1 to 2 minutes. Lift the four corners of the cheesecloth and gather them together. Gently twist the gathered cloth over the cheese and press out any excess whey.

Cheese can be unwrapped immediately and served warm.  It can also be cooled to room temperature or refrigerated until cool.   Cheese can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

The food: Buttermilk cheese
The verdict: The cheese stands alone, in a moderately tasty manner