Celebration cheesecake

Posted on May 14, 2013 by bilrob

Celebration cheesecake

Cheesecakes are always firm favourites. The main recipe is quick and simple enough to make any time; add a topping and turn it into an ideal finale to any dinner party.

If you are a cheesecake fan, you’ll find the microwave the quickest and most failsafe way to cook them. Like a delicate egg custard, the creamy filling needs gentle cooking so as not to dry the edges -— and the microwave is ideal for this.

The basic cheesecake recipe can be served plain; for special occasions add one of the toppings or decorate with grated chocolate.

Basic cheesecake

50g / 2oz butter or margarine
100g / 4oz digestive biscuits, crushed
pinch of ground cinnamon

filling
450g/ 1lb cream cheese
100g / 4oz caster sugar
1.5ml / ¼ tsp salt
100ml / 3 ½ fl oz milk
30ml / 2tbls lemon juice
3 large eggs

How to microwave a cheesecake

Microwave the butter, covered, in a 23cm/9indish at 100% (High),for 45-60 seconds. Mix in the crumbs and cinnamon.

Press the crumb mixture firmly into the base of the dish. Microwave at 100% (High) for 1 ½ minutes, or until hot. Turn after 1 minute.

Microwave the cream cheese in a large bowl at 50% (Medium) for 1 minute. Stir in sugar, salt and milk. Whisk in the lemon juice and eggs.

Microwave filling at 100% (High) for 4 minutes, stirring once, or until the mixture is like custard. Spread the filling in the crumb case.

Microwave at 50% (Medium) for 5-10 minutes until almost set in centre. Do not boil. Turn every 2 minutes. Cool, then refrigerate for 8 hours.

Cheesecake toppings

VARIATIONS
Soured cream topping: Cool the cheesecake for 20-30 minutes. Mix 150ml/ ¼ pt soured cream with 30ml/2tbls caster sugar and spread evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Chill before serving.

Fresh fruit topping: Chill the cheesecake then use 225g/8oz prepared fruit, tossed in lemon juice. Dust top with caster sugar.

Cherry topping: After cooling but before chilling, spread a 390g/13 ½ oz can of cherry pie filling over the top of the cheesecake.

Glacé topping: Mix 45ml/ 3tbls jam such as raspberry, apricot or strawberry with enough lemon juice to give a coating consistency. Pour this over the cheesecake.

Chocolate cream: Melt 75g/ 3oz plain chocolate by microwaving at 50% (Medium) for 2 ½ minutes until soft. Allow to cool, then stir in 150ml/ ¼ pt soured cream. Do not mix thoroughly, but swirl over the top, then chill before serving.

Fruit and nut: Melt 75g / 3oz chocolate as above, then stir in 50g/ 2oz each of chopped dried fruit and chopped toasted almonds. Add 30-45ml / 2-3tbls orange liqueur, spread over the cheesecake and chill.

Kiwi fruit and orange: Pipe 150ml / ¼ pt whipped cream in rosettes. Intersperse with slices of peeled kiwi fruit and orange slices.

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Caramel Crunch Cheesecake

Posted on April 5, 2013 by bilrob

Caramel Crunch Cheesecake

And to finish off your barbecue – this is a super-rich cheesecake. It can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days before required and would freeze well for up to a month. Cut in slender wedges, the cheesecake would serve about 10 people. The cheesecake is quite easy to make, just take your time and read the recipe and make sure you understand it before you start.

Caramel crunch cheesecake

BASE
125g plain chocolate biscuits, finely crushed
60g butter, melted
1 teaspoon water

FILLING
500g packaged cream cheese
1/3 cup castor sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3 eggs
1/3 cup cream
1 tablespoon plain flour
30g butter
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon golden syrup
2 tablespoons hot water
45g bar chocolate-coated honeycomb, finely chopped

TOPPING
150g dark cooking chocolate
¼ cup cream

Melt chocolate with cream over low heat – do not boil. (do this last)

Base: Combine biscuits, butter and water, mix well, press evenly over base of 20cm springform pan; refrigerate 30 minutes.

Filling: Beat cream cheese until soft, beat in sugar and lemon rind, then eggs one at a time, then cream and flour. Combine butter, sugar, condensed milk, golden syrup and water in pan, stir over heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil, boil rapidly without stirring for about 4 minutes or until deep caramel colour. Cool for 10 minutes.

Pour half the cream cheese mixture over the crumb base. Sprinkle with the crushed honeycomb bar, then top with the remaining cream cheese mixture. Bake in a slow oven for 1 hour. Cool at room temperature. Spread topping over cheesecake and refrigerate until set.

Decorate the cheesecake with strawberries and dollops of cream.

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Greek Yogurt Food Invasion Continues As Product Is Added To Cream Cheese ...

Posted on March 6, 2013 by bilrob

Greek Yogurt Food Invasion Continues As Product Is Added To Cream Cheese

It’s been a whirlwind past few years for the Greek yogurt industry. Greek yogurt has gone from one percent of the yogurt market in 2007 to 36 percent currently, with the potential to reach around 50 percent of the market share. Within the Greek yogurt arena, there are all sorts of new iterations being launched, such as tubes and fruit cups.

One of the reasons that Greek yogurt is so popular is the health claims — it is a good source of protein and often contains less sugar than its regular yogurt counterpart. While Greek yogurt can certainly be a component in a healthy diet, it isn’t a miracle food. Brands and varieties differ when it comes to the amount of fat, carbohydrates, and other ingredients, so looking at the nutrition facts is often helpful.

As Greek yogurt surges in popularity, it comes as no surprise that other companies want a piece of the pie. All sorts of food products with Greek yogurt have popped up recently, from cream cheese to hummus. Take a look at some food products hoping to cash in on the Greek yogurt craze:

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Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese

Claim: Twice the protein and half the fat as compared to regular cream cheese.

Verdict: The Baltimore Sun liked it even more than regular cream cheese. However it lacked the “tooth-coating quality” of regular cream cheese, which could be a good or bad thing depending on how much you like that textural component.

Available nationwide at Walmart and other grocery stores.
Greek Yogurt Hummus

Claim: Half the fat than regular hummus.

Verdict: Both Serious Eats and Gothamist were impressed with the entire product line. They both argued that usually low-fat hummus substitutes are never as good as the real thing, but in this case, it’s pretty great.

Available from these stores.
Greek Frozen Yogurt

Claims: More protein, fewer calories than other Ben Jerry’s ice cream flavors, yet still an “indulgent dessert.”

Verdict: Mixed. Some flavors are quite tasty (we’re looking at you, blueberry vanilla graham) while others are just okay. Since these are far from healthy, we’re likely to go Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream over Strawberry Shortcake Greek Yogurt any day.

Available nationwide.
‘Brogurt’ aka Powerful Yogurt

Claim: “An all-natural, super-protein, great-tasting and nutritious Greek yogurt specifically designed to meet the health and performance needs of busy men living an active lifestyle.” No fat.

Verdict: The “Today Show” says “brogurt” is a marketing ploy, but tasty nonetheless. This product might taste good, but that doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. While the Greek yogurt category might entice more females than males, it’s ludicrous to think that men need their own brand. Just ask Bobby Flay.

Find the yogurt here.
Greek Yogurt Smoothies

Claim: 100% daily value of Vitamin C, fat free, no artificial preservatives or artificial flavors. Ready-to-blend.

Verdict: 12 grams of sugar per serving. We understand the convenience angle of the product, but would probably prefer to purchase whole fruit instead. There is 1 serving of fruit per smoothie, which is considerable less than what one could get if using fresh fruit. It’s just not that hard to make a smoothie by yourself.

Find retailers here.
Greek Yogurt Granola Bar

Claims: “Excellent sources of dietary fiber. Good sources of protein.”

Verdict: One bar (Toasted Coconut) contains 10 grams of fat, which is 15% of the daily value. There are 19 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of sugar. We can’t help noticing the really large print of “Greek Yogurt” on the packaging, though the yogurt element is actually a very small coating portion of the bar.

Buy here.
Greek Yogurt Baby Food

Claim: No added sugar, salt, juice, colors or flavors. Good source of protein for babies.

Verdict: This organic product offers Greek yogurt mixed with pureed vegetables, fruits and oats. Contains 8 grams of sugar per serving and no fat. Um, so we aren’t babies but kind of want to eat this.

Find products here.
Pinkberry Greek Yogurt

Claims: This product is slowly rolling out, and will be available April 2013 throughout the U.S.

Verdict: Greek yogurt obsessives + Pinkberry obsessives = Smart move.

Also on HuffPost:

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Rabbit Liver Pate

Posted on February 9, 2013 by bilrob

Rabbit Liver Pate

Pate makes an excellent starter, served with toast triangles. We always used to make chicken liver pate until we discovered we could buy rabbit livers in half kilo packs in of our local supermarkets.

Rabbit liver is sweeter than chicken liver and is often used in paella or served as a tapas or supper dish in our local bars.

Rabbit liver pate is very easy and quick to make and makes the perfect to start to any dinner party or barbecue get-together with friends or family.

Pate
45 g (1 ½ oz) butter or margarine
225 g (8 oz) Rabbit livers
5 ml (1 tsp) crushed fresh garlic
30 ml (2 tbsp) country-style Dijon mustard
1 ml ( ¼ tsp) salt
Pinch of pepper

Frosting
75 g (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
30 to 45 ml (2 to 3 tbsp) single cream
10 ml (2 tsp) chopped fresh chives

In 25-cm (10-in) frying pan melt butter; add rabbit livers and garlic. Cook over med. high heat, stirring occasionally, until liver is fork tender (6 to 8 min.), Stir in remaining spread ingredients.

Continue cooking until heated through (1 to 2 min.), Spoon into blender container or food processor. Blend or process until smooth. Press liver mixture into greased 450-ml (3/4-pt) mould or soup bowl. Chill until firm (1 to 2 hrs).

In small bowl stir together all frosting ingredients. Unmould liver spread onto serving plate. Frost and decorate the liver pate.

Microwave Directions: Spread: Cut chicken livers in half. In 1litre (3/4-pt) casserole melt butter on
HIGH (40 to 50 sec.). Stir in chicken livers and garlic.

Cover; microwave on HIGH, stirring every min., until liver is fork tender (5 to 6 min.). Stir in remaining pate ingredients. Microwave on HIGH until mixture just comes to a boil (45 to 60 sec.). Continue as directed above.

Frosting: In small bowl microwave cream cheese on MEDIUM (50% power), stirring once after
half the time, until softened (1 to 1 ½ min.). Continue as directed above.

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Philadelphia’s new chocolate cream cheese

Posted on November 16, 2012 by bilrob

Philadelphia’s new chocolate cream cheese

Sheila and I have recently discovered Philadelphia’s new chocolate cream cheese. We saw it advertised first on English TV, and eventually finding its way into the Spanish supermarkets. However, not all of them are stocking it yet.

We tried it out on some of our friends as part of the frostings we make for our chocolate cakes and cupcakes, and the feedback was very encouraging. So much so, that we are in the process of modifying all our recipes to incorporate this fabulous product.

The chocolate cream cheese can not only be used as a frosting for cakes and cupcakes, it also makes a fantastic medium for dunking whatever you fancy into it – fruit, biscuits or even just your finger.

Our experiments with our new chocolate cheesecake have proved to be exceptionally good, and we will be rolling out the new recipe to our friends as Christmas gifts in a few weeks’ time. And don’t forget, after Christmas we are heading rapidly towards Valentine’s Day.

Philadelphia’s home page says – Yes, Valentine’s Day is a day of love, heartbreak and singles awareness, but it’s also a day of decadence. The folks at the Philadelphia cream cheese company want you to think that way when discussing their latest line of real chocolate, and rich Philadelphia Cream Cheese spread, promptly titled Philadelphia Indulgence.

While the brand is positioning their new line of products as a perfect jump-off for the Valentine’s Day holiday, they also curiously reminded us via a press release that their product is in the process of rolling out at major grocery stores nationwide, but may not be available for everyone who wants to try it just yet.
The new product is a chocolate cream cheese spread made with the brand’s well known cream cheese blended with ‘luscious chocolate.’ Philadelphia Indulgence is available in three flavours: Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate.

All flavours, nutritionally, rock 7 grams of fat, with none of them having any trans fat per serving. Calorie-wise, the Dark variety has 110 calories a serving while the Milk and White have 120 calories a serving. The suggested retail price for the 8-ounce tub is $2.99; $1.99 for a four-pack of individual cups.

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Cream Cheese + Hot Dog: The History Behind the Seattle Dog

Posted on September 2, 2012 by bilrob

Cream Cheese + Hot Dog: The History Behind the Seattle Dog

By Rachel Belle

Listen to Cream Cheese + Hot Dog: The History Behind the Seattle Dog

When the bars close down in Capitol Hill, Belltown and Ballard, hungry drunk people march onto the hot dog stands like zombies to brains. Many of them are ordering the Seattle dog: A hot dog smeared with a healthy stripe of cream cheese and smothered with grilled onions.

“If people don’t have it [that way] they’re either not from Seattle or they’re scared,” says Don, a hot dog vender with Seattle’s Monster dogs.

I’m not a native Seattleite and I thought everyone was familiar with the Seattle dog. But a lot of my coworkers, who don’t spend many 2-in-the-mornings on Pike Street, have never heard of the culinary phenomenon. Seattle Weekly restaurant critic Hanna Raskin was curious about where this unusual dog came from, so she hit up Seattle’s hot dog carts in search of a story.

“Everyone kind of knew it had come from Pioneer Square, which was where the music scene was really focused in the mid to late 80′s. But the question was: Who was the first person who put cream cheese on a hot dog? A lot of people will tell you they are the first person who put cream cheese on a hot dog. So I heard a lot of lies and I heard a lot of folklore, trying to track down where this had come from.”

Turns out it came from 1988! Our Seattle Dog story starts with a man named Hadley Longe.

“Hadley was a bagel man. He had grown up in the Midwest and, as a little boy, Hadley dreamed of becoming a bagel man. His dream came true! He had a bagel cart and then a bagel store and then decided to head west with his bagels. The problem is, the people in Pioneer Square, who were going to these clubs, were not as infatuated with bagels as he was.”

The drunks of 1988 said they wanted hot dogs.

“He refused to carry hot dogs because he had dreamed of being the bagel man and he was the bagel man and he wouldn’t stop being the bagel man. So he put the hot dog on the bagel, or the bialy.”

This makes perfect sense! A bagel with cream cheese, transformed into a hot dog with cream cheese. Hanna says the trend took off overnight.

“The man at the bagel deli, he was stunned. Having been in the deli business for a while, to see how quickly Hadley was going through these bialy sticks.”

But the copycats had no interest in using the bialy sticks (a long, not round, version of the bialy) so they used hot dog buns and the Seattle Dog was born! I asked Hanna if the dog is known around the country.

“No, unfortunately. I think there are people in the hot dog scene who know it. I mean, if you’re really into hot dogs. Often times you will see it labeled on a menu where people just call it the Philly Dog because of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It has nothing to do with Philadelphia, nor do the Philadelphia Cream Cheese people know anything about it. Kraft had never heard of it ’til I gave them a call.”

Lots of locals love the combination, but Monster Dog hot dog slinger, Hawk, says out-of-towners are more skeptical.

“People, for some reason, from Chicago, they don’t want to try it,” Hawk says. “I tell them ‘OK, try it for free, if you don’t like it, I’ll make you another one.’ They say, ‘No, I’m from Chicago! I’m not going to do it!’ All the time!”

Hanna Raskin is not from Chicago, but the food critic who loves most everything, doesn’t love this.

“The first time I ordered a Seattle Dog, I threw half of it away. I could not finish it and it’s rare I encounter a food that I can’t finish.”

Lucky for Hadley Longe, drunk people on the street at 2 a.m., and myself, aren’t quite so picky. Long live the Seattle Dog!

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Cream Cheese Taste Test: Is Philadelphia Really The Best?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by bilrob

Cream Cheese Taste Test: Is Philadelphia Really The Best?

When people refer to cream cheese, they are almost always talking about Philadelphia. The Philadelphia brand has over time become synonymous with cream cheese itself. This product has been on the market for over 100 years — and was first produced in New York despite what the name may suggest — and so its strong position in consumers minds is understandable.

But, of course, with this kind of cheese monopoly in play, the editors at Kitchen Daily wanted to know: is this sort of blind devotion really deserved? Do we buy Philadelphia because it truly is the best, or just because it has been around the longest? Can people taste the difference between Philadelphia cream cheese and a generic brand?

Before we get to the results of our taste test, here are some facts:

Philadelphia:

Mottos: “Spread a little philly on it.” “Philly is a little taste of heaven.”

History: First produced in New York in 1872 by dairy farmer William Lawrence. Despite being produced in upstate New York, it was given the name Philadelphia because at the time that city was considered to be the home of top quality foods.

Generic Cream Cheese:

Brands: Nearly every grocery has their own brand, such as Shoprite, FoodTown and Kroger. For this taste test, we used Organic Valley Cream Cheese.

History: There are references to cream cheese as early as 1583. And since then there have been many cream cheese fabricators, but few have made a name for themselves as Philadelphia has.

The Verdict:

Twenty-four editors blind-tasted the two cream cheeses, side by side, and…

50 percent were able to identify Philadelphia cream cheese from the generic cream cheese brand.

57 percent preferred Philadelphia to the generic brand.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese: “Sweeter.” “Tangy and creamy.”"Has a nice tanginess.” “Smoother.”"Grittier and less rich than the other cream cheese.” “A little thinner tasting.” “Overwhelming.” “Got more character. Maybe the word is tangy.”

Generic: “Salty.” “Too sweet and dense.” “Thicker and richer. Would much rather put this on my bagel.” “Seemed Buttery.” “Creamier.”

Overall Comments: “Very similar tasting.” “Ehh.” “Both pleasantly creamy.”

In Summary: The comments clearly suggest that there is a real taste difference between Philadelphia cream cheese and other cream cheese brands — one that sets this cream cheese apart from its competitors for better or for worse. Philadelphia has a tanginess to it that more than 50 percent of people just love, and the other half… well, not so much.

What is your favorite brand of cream cheese? Let us know in the comments below.

As always, our taste tests are in no way influenced by or sponsored by the brands included.

One of our favorite ways to use cream cheese (besides smothering it over a New York bagel) is to make cream cheese frosting to top cakes and cupcakes. Learn how with the video below.

Cheese Recipes with Bill & Sheila

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