Epicure Market’s Cheesecake

You ask for a cheesecake, I give you a cheesecake.  This is one of the richest cheesecake recipes ever. 

It is an amazing cheesecake that everyone always has room for no matter how much they’ve eaten!

True story:  I once went to dinner with my entire family to the famous Embers Restaurant in Miami Beach.

Eddie, the eldest, ordered the cheesecake for dessert (like he always did), and announced that if the cheesecake

was better than the one we sold in the store, he’d fire the baker.

It was better.  According to Eddie.  He announced that it had to be double-whipped to make it that light and fluffy,

while still cheesy and creamy.

He didn’t fire the baker.  He found a way to get their recipe.  I won’t suggest that he stole it, buuuuttttt….

All he did was get the baker to make ours even better.  There’s a secret, and it’s buried inside this recipe.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter, melted

Filling:

1 lb. ricotta cheese
16 oz. cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 extra large eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 tbsp. flour
5 tbsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. cornstarch
5 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Mix the crust ingredients well, until they bind together and form a ball.

2. Press firmly into the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan, and about a half inch up the sides.

3.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

While the crust is baking…

1. Combine sour cream and ricotta cheese in a large mixing bowl.  Beating at low speed, add butter, sugar and cream cheese.

2.  Increase speed to medium and add flour, eggs, vanilla, cornstarch, and lemon juice.  Beat for 5 minutes.

3.  Pour into the spring form pan when the crust is cooled to the touch.

4.  Mix one 4 ounces of sour cream and 4 TBSP of sugar until the sugar dissolves completely, then spread the sour cream on top of the cake, leaving a half inch uncovered around the edges.

5.  Bake in preheated 350-degrees-F oven for 1 hour, then turn off oven and leave in closed oven for one hour longer.  Cool on rack.

And if you want to get real crazy, finish the cheesecake with this:

6.  After the cake is completely cooled, place one cup of clear strawberry jelly, 6 TBSP of good Amaretto, and a teaspoon of cornstarch in a small saucepan and heat them together, mixing constantly, until they are completely blended and the sauce thickens to coat a spoon.

Cap two quarts of fresh strawberries, and cut the tops off so that they will sit flat with the points up  Arrange them beautifully on top of the cheesecake, and then drizzle the jelly-Amaretto mixture over the strawberries, then chill until the glaze sets.

Serve and await compliments..

There’s nothing better in the winter than a couple of slabs of ribs, hot and melting off the bone.  Here’s the best recipe I know.  These are slow-cooked Kansas City ribs, to die for… Do cook them slow.  They are much better.  I got this recipe from the folks at Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ in Kansas City.

It’s pretty good!

Two steps:  First make a sauce.  Do NOT use sauce from a bottle.

Make this sauce:
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet (like Vidalia) onion, minced VERY fine
1-1/2 tsp. celery seeds, crushed with mortar and pestle or ground with a spice mill
3 garlic cloves, minced very fine
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. finely ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 cups tomato ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar; more to taste
2 Tbs. prepared spicy brown mustard
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
4 Tbs. butter, cubed and chilled

Mix all ingredients except the butter.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Cover, set aside.

Second, make a dry spice rub, using the same dry ingredients as in the sauce, in the same amounts.
The night before, or first thing in the morning, rub the ribs (oh, you did that already…)
Cook the ribs in a charcoal kettle grill, with the coals stacked on the sides and a drip pan between the two piles of coals (do NOT use starter fluid on the coals).  Fill the pan with a bottle of beer.  Use only about ten charcoal briquets on each side, and give yourself plenty of time (hours).  Make sure the coals are white before you start cooking.  Once the coals are white, coat the grill with olive oil (cheap oil will do), and place the ribs over the drip pan.  Monitor the progress of the ribs, adding two coals to each side every half hour, until you can stick a fork into the meat and withdraw it without lifting the meat off the grill.  The ribs are not ready until then.  At that point, add six coals to each side, flip the ribs and coat the underside with your sauce.  Cook 1/2 hour.  Flip the ribs again, coat the top side with more sauce and cook for another 1/2 hour. They are done.  Let them rest fifteen minutes covered with foil off the grill, and serve.

If you can find an apple tree, cut a branch about 1 foot long and about 1 inch thick.  A dead branch is better.  (If all you can find is a green branch, forget this.  I keep apple wood around for grill smoking).   Chop it up into tiny little pieces. Soak the pieces in water and a little tequila for about an hour.   Place a handful of the soaked apple chips on top of the coals–both sides–during the last hour, when the sauce is on the ribs.  This will give you the smoky flavor you want, and apple is a little sweeter than hickory, which I personally find a bit bitter.

Every year, I make a cake for our church’s annual spring picnic-outdoor service.  After the service, there is a family picnic, during which we do a “Cake Walk” —  walking around in circles (a normal state of affairs in the Unitarian Universalist sect) stepping on numbers, all done to the pounding of beat of a drum circle. (I played my Djembe–I was one of nine drums).  Desserts are donated, and when the drums stop, a number is picked and whoever is on that number square wins a dessert of his/her choice from the dessert table.  Seven-year-old Morgan won a plate of to-die-for key-lime squares (Florida, after all–just like the lemon squares you all know and love, but better).  At the cake walk, I tasted an incredible Red Velvet Cake, a Lancaster County specialty,  a hit, and I just had to have the recipe.  Here it is:

Traditional Lancaster County Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter
2 ½ cups of sugar
6 eggs
3 cups of flour
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
¼ tsp vanilla
2 oz. red food colouring
8 oz. sour cream

1. Heat oven to 350. Beat butter and gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Beat just until blended.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add to butter mixture alternating with sour cream and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla and food colouring. Spoon into three greased and floured 8 –inch round pans.
3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
4. Frost with vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.

I did cream cheese frosting. OY, what else?…

This recipe is incredible.  It takes some time, but it is worth the effort.  Do it!!

Roast Leg of Pork

Ingredients:

Brine

1.5 liters Coca-cola

1 head garlic, peeled and smashed

5 bay leaves

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 Tbsp whole peppercorns

Herb rub:

1/4 cup fresh sage leaves

4 Tbsp fresh flat parsley

10 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1 Tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Glaze:

1/2 cup apple cider

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp ground cloves

Procedure:

A day ahead, score the leg of pork about 1/2 inch deep to make a diamond pattern on the top half.  In a stockpot, mix the brine ingredients well, place the roast, top side down, in the brine.   Refrigerate overnight.

On roasting day, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Chop the herbs very fine, mix the herbs with the garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste.  Rub the paste generously over the leg of pork.  Place the roast scored side up on a rack in the middle of the oven.  After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 325 degrees, open the oven for 20 seconds to bleed off some of the heat, and then continue to roast, testing with a thermometer until it reaches 145 degrees in the middle.  It could be anywhere from four to twenty pounds.  It should take at least an hour and a half, and as many as four hours, depending on the size.

While the the roast is in the oven at the high temperature, mix the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and heat slowly until the sugar dissolves, then simmer until it’s time to turn down the oven.  After the oven has reached 325, brush glaze on the roast every hour until it’s done.

When the roast reaches the desired 145 internal temperature, remove from the oven, cover with foil, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.  It will continue to cook under the tent, and the juices will retreat back into the meat.

Serve with fresh swiss chard sauteed in good olive oil with garlic and toasted pine nuts.

Depending on what part of Italy your recipe comes from, the ratio of flour to potatoes will vary greatly. Some recipes use eggs, some do not.  I do.. To me, the key to magnificent gnocchi is how the potatoes are prepared.  I think this is important.  Don’t boil them, bake them.  They come out drier, and the gnocchi end up much fluffier. And no ricotta.  I think it makes them soggy.  If you want a cheesy product, use a finely grated parmesan–a really good one–and only a little.  The ingredient ratios are pretty critical.

Ingredients:  
2 pounds of russet potatoes
2 cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake potatoes until easily pierced with a fork (about 45 minutes).
Let the potatoes cool slightly, then peel.  Pass the potatoes through a ricer or grate them into a large bowl.
Add the egg (slightly beaten) to the potatoes. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour to potatoes a little at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Add just enough flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.  When all the flour has been incorporated, bring the dough together with your fingertips.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a slightly floured surface. Knead the dough as you would bread dough.
Press down and away with the heel of your hand, fold the dough over, make a quarter turn, and repeat the process.
Knead for about 5 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and then divide it into 6 smaller balls.  This next thing is critical:  the touch of your hands on
the dough balls must be VERY light, like you do when you make matzoh balls. A firm touch on the dough ball will result in a heavy product.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough using your fingertips. The rope of dough should be about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces.

You can cook the gnocchi as it is now, but traditional gnocchi has ridges.
To create the ridges, press each piece of dough against the tines of a fork.

With your finger, gently roll the pressed dough back off the fork. This takes a little practice. If you find the dough sticking to the fork,  dip the fork in flour before you press the dough against it.

Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured dish.  To cook the gnocchi, place the dough into a pot of boiling water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside.

Serve the hot gnocchi immediately, tossed with butter and a little Parmesan cheese or with the sauce of your choice.
You can also try serving them with sauteed mushrooms in a beautiful red wine reduction, and then beating in some butter.
This makes an earthy sauce that make an excellent accompaniment to beef.

Here, my friends, is an absolutely killer dessert that will amaze and astound your guests.  And it is perfect for this time of year, when fresh, locally-grown strawberries are at their peak.

Almond-Cornmeal Strawberry Shortcakes

Ingredients

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, plus a little more to grease the muffin tins
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more for the tins
3/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 pound strawberries
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream

Procedure
Shortcakes:
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.    Butter and flour 6 jumbo muffin tins (1 cup capacity size), set aside
3.    In food processor, blend 1/2 cup almonds with sugar until finely ground.
4.   Add butter, eggs, vanilla and salt, process until combined, scraping sides of bowl as necessary
5.   Add flour and cornmeal; pulse just until moistened.
6.   Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tins; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sliced almonds.
7.   Bake until golden (20-25 minutes), until a toothpick comes out clean.
8.   Cool five minutes in tins, then remove and cool completely on a baker’s rack.

Filling:
1.   Hull and quarter strawberries.  Combine with 1/3 cup sugar.
2.   Let stand until syrupy, tossing occasionally (at least a half hour, and up to 6 hours, covered and refrigerated)
3.   In a mixing bowl, whip cream with 1 Tbsp sugar until soft peaks form.

To serve:
1.   With a serrated knife, split shortcakes horizontally in half.
2.   Place bottom half on serving plates.
3.   Top with sweetened strawberries, then whipped cream, and cover with shortcake tops.

For a slight variation, add 1 Tbsp Amaretto DiSaronno (did you make your own?  See below) to the strawberries along with the sugar.

Serve immediately.  Makes 6.

Chicken Mole’

I’m putting this one up for two reasons.  First, it is one of the most interesing, complex, and spectacular flavors I have ever experienced, and second, because I made the dish for my wife once, and the results were, well, gratifying.  And anything that makes my wife weak in the knees is worth a lot of my time.
The chocolate in this classic Mexican dish makes for a very rich, somewhat mysterious and delicious sauce. I first tasted mole in a wonderful little restaurant in Washington, D.C., where it was prepared by a superb cook who was trained in Mexico, and whose dark sauce was the consistency of heavy cream. I have been disappointed since by the watery versions served in many American Mexican restaurants, but have found that the sauce is not difficult to master at home.  The size of the ingredient list looks daunting, but it is really not nearly as difficult as it appears, and is WELL worth the time invested. This one will dazzle your guests.  Guaranteed.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp sunflower kernels
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp aniseeds
1 cup blanched slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins (golden raisins are better, if you have them, but brown raisins are just fine)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/3 cup chili powder
1 cup canned Italian tomatoes, drained, seeded, and chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tortilla, torn into small pieces
3 cups chicken stock
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, grated
4 whole chicken breasts, split
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
Garnish: chopped fresh coriander

Instructions:

In a small skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over moderate heat and in it cook the sunflower kernels, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, aniseeds, and almonds, stirring constantly until the sesame seeds and almonds are golden, 2 or 3 minutes. Purée the mixture in a food processor.

Add to the processor the raisins, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, chili powder, tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, the tortilla, and 1/2 cup of the stock and purée until smooth.

Transfer the purée to a saucepan. Stir in the remaining 2-1/2 cups stock, bring the sauce to a simmer, and add the chocolate. Cook the sauce at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, to melt the chocolate.

While the sauce is simmering, rinse the chicken quickly in cold water and dry with paper towels. In a large casserole, heat the remaining 3 Tbsp oil over moderately high heat and in it sauté the chicken in batches until each piece is golden brown on all sides. Set the pieces aside on a plate as done.

Put the chicken and any accumulated juices in a flameproof casserole, placing the dark meat on the bottom. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

Place the chicken on a warm serving platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with the chopped fresh coriander, and serve.  I like to serve this dish with brown rice prepared with just a light touch of coriander and mild green chiles.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Hi all.
Today we’re making after-dinner drinks to sip by a fire, or on the beach, or by the pool, or in bed after…
These recipes are just simple recreations of stuff you can buy at your local liquor store, but occasionally, it’s fun to whip up a batch of something different, especially if company’s coming.  You can create nifty bottles with home-made labels, and it’s sort of fun to say you made it yourself.  In all three cases, you don’t have to use expensive liquor.  Inexpensive brands will do, but the better the product going in, the better the product coming out. But the reality is, the additives marry to the liquor, and the whiskey becomes only an alcohol carrier.
This is not a big deal, these ideas, you can save yourself some time by buying these at the liquor store, but you can buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store too, and it isn’t the same as baking it yourself, right?

So here are a few simple do-it-yourself sippin’ drinks.

Irish Cream Liqueur

1-12 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Irish whiskey
1 Tbsp. chocolate syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp instant freeze-dried coffee

Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Store in refrigerator in sealed container.
Shake before serving.
Amaretto

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cups vodka
1 Tbsp. almond extract
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine water and sugars, stir until dissolved.
Add corn syrup and stir well.
Add vodka and extracts.
Store in sealed container
Orange Liqueur (you know, like the one with the initials: Grand Marnier)

2 cups cognac
1 med. Valencia orange (make sure it’s a juicy one, not too dry)
2/3 cup sugar

Pour cognac into 2-cup jar with tight lid
Peel and section orange, slice each section in half
Add to jar, along with sugar.
Cover tightly, shake until sugar dissolves
Store at room temp for 2 weeks.
Strain completely before serving.

I’ve done this several times, and in this season of grilling, it is an absolute winner.  Here’s the recipe, It’s simple and elegant (so to speak), and the end result tastes great.

Beer can chicken

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients
1 can (12 oz) Beer
1 Chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Barbecue Rub or your favorite commerical rub
2 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
2 cups Wood Chips or Chunks (preferably hickory or cherry), soaked for 1 hour in water and/or beer to cover, then drained
1 Vertical Chicken Roaster (optional)

Cooking Instructions
Pop the tab off the beer can. Pour half of the beer (3/4cup) over the soaking wood chips or chunks, or reserve for another use. If cooking the chicken on the can, using a church key-style can opener, make 2 additional holes in its top. Set the can of beer aside.

Remove the packet of giblets from the body cavity of the chicken and set aside for another use. Remove and discard fat just inside the body and neck cavities. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of rub inside the body cavity and 1/2 teaspoon inside the neck cavity of the chicken. Drizzle the oil over the outside of the bird and rub or brush it all over the skin. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with 1 tablespoon of rub and rub it all over the skin. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of rub into the beer through a hole in the top of the can. Do not worry if the beer foams up: This is normal.

Beer can chick can Rack

If cooking on a can: Hold the bird upright, with the opening of the body cavity at the bottom, and lower it onto the beer can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod, so the bird stands upright. The rear leg of the tripod is the beer can.

If cooking on a roaster: fill it with the beer mixture and position the chicken on top, following the manufacturers instructions.

And if you want to do this on a regular basis, you might get one of these:

Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chickens back.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and preheat on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium.

When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked through (about 180 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh, but not touching the bone), 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you will need to add 12 fresh coals per side after 1 hour. If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, loosely tent the bird with aluminum foil.

If cooking on a can: Using tongs, hold the bird by the can and carefully transfer it in an upright position to a platter. If cooking on a roaster: Use oven mitts or pot holders to remove the bird from the grill while it is still on the vertical roaster.

Present the bird to your guests. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift it off its support. Take care not to spill the hot beer or otherwise burn yourself. Halve, quarter, or carve the chicken and serve.