Rum Banana Cheesecake - Daring Bakers' April Challenge

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.


Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake: (This is the original recipe, to make the Rum Banana one, add the ingredients and changes marked with a star)

Crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

(I made a shortbread crust, to get ingredients and directions, please click here)


Cheesecake:
3 Sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 Cup / 210 g sugar
3 Large eggs
1 Cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 Tbsp. Rum, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake (*)
3 Tbsp. flour (*)
1 Cup banana's puree --Three regular ones-- (*)



DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside. (For the shortbread crust, do not forget to click on the link mentioned above)

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the bananas and flour. Mix until well combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. (I used a sieve before this step to make sure not to have any chunks of bananas neither cream cheese). Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. If you have an instant reading thermometer the temperature should be 175º. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. (I left a kitchen towel to prevent a complete closing of the oven door). This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!



(I topped my cheesecake with Vanilla Chantilly cream, Caramel Sauce and Chopped Pecans)




Some variations from the recipe creator:

** Lavender-scented cheesecake w/ blueberries - heat the cup of heavy cream in the microwave or a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Add 2 tbsp of lavender flowers and stir. Let lavender steep in the cream for about 10-15 minutes, then strain the flowers out. Add strained cream to cheesecake batter as normal. Top with fresh blueberries, or make a quick stovetop blueberry sauce (splash of orange juice, blueberries, a little bit of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon - cook until berries burst, then cool)

** Cafe au lait cheesecake with caramel - take 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and heat it in the microwave for a short amount of time until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp. instant espresso or instant coffee; stir to dissolve. Add this to the remainder of cream and use as normal. Top cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce (I usually find one on the food network website - just make sure it has heavy cream in it. You can use store-bought in a pinch, but the flavor is just not the same since its usually just sugar and corn syrup with no dairy).

** Tropical – add about a half cup of chopped macadamias to the crust, then top the cake with a mango-raspberry-mandarin orange puree.

** Mexican Turtle - add a bar of melted dark chocolate (between 3 and 5 oz., to taste) to the batter, along with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper (about 1/8 tsp.). Top it with pecan halves and a homemade caramel sauce.

** Honey-cinnamon with port-pomegranate poached pears – replace 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey, add about a teaspoon or more (to taste) of cinnamon. Take 2 pears (any variety you like or whatever is in season), peeled and cored, and poach them in a boiling poaching liquid of port wine, pomegranate juice/seeds, a couple of "coins" of fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick, and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. Poach them until tender, then let cool. Strain the poaching liquid and simmer until reduced to a syrupy-glaze consistency, then cool. Thinly slice the cooled pears and fan them out atop the cooled cheesecake. Pour the cooled poaching syrup over the pears, then sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts and fresh pomegranate seeds.

Some variations from Jenny:

**Key lime - add zest from one lime to sugar before mixing with cream cheese. Substitute lemon juice, alcohol, and vanilla with key lime juice.

**Cheesecakelets - put in muffin tins, ramekins, or custard cups. Try baking 20-35 minutes, or until still a little jiggly, and cool as before.

White Chocolate - Mocha Cheesecake, Topped with Dulce de Leche and Vanilla Chantilly Cream

This is another variation of the April's DB Challenge. This is a White Chocolate - Mocha cheesecake, topped with Vanilla Chantilly Cream and Dulce de Leche drizzle. Since I already posted the original recipe, I'll do a shorter version for this post. But, do not worry, I won't forget any of the directions!


Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg

Filling
3 Sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 Cup / 210 g sugar
3 Large eggs
1 Cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. Rum
3 Tbsp. flour
1 Cup white chocolate morsels
1/4 cup heavy cream (for the mocha flavor)
2 Tbsp. Instant Expresso
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. sugar

Topping:
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche
1/8 cup hot milk
Vanilla Chantilly Cream (you can make it with regular whipped cream plus sugar and vanilla to taste)



Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan.

2. For the crust: In a mixing bowl with a paddle, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Mix until the mixture is crumbly, then add the egg and continue to mix until a soft dough forms.

3. Press the dough on the bottom and an inch up the sides of the prepared pan; dock with a fork, and bake for 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

4. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, rum and flour and blend until smooth and creamy. Set 1/3 of the batter aside in a small mixing bowl and reserve for the mocha mixture. In the meantime, melt the white chocolate morsels and pour into the main batter.

5. In a measuring cup, heat the heavy whip (1/4 cup) in the microwave. It has to be very warm in order to melt the expresso but not boiling. Add the expresso, vanilla and sugar. Add this liquid mixture to the reserved 1/3 of cheesecake batter. Mix well.


To Assemble the cheesecake over the crust:

6. (I personally used a sieve on top of the crust to prevent any lumps of the main batter). Pour half of the main batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Pour the mocha mixture on top of it. Add the rest of the white chocolate mixture. Tap the pan a couple times again and let it rest for 15 minutes before baking. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

7. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. If you have an instant reading thermometer the temperature should be 175º. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. (I left a kitchen towel to prevent a complete closing of the oven door). This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Toppings:

I let the cheesecake rest and cool overnight. The next morning, I microwaved the Dulce de Leche with the milk until the mixture looks runny and ready to drizzle (1 minute over half power is enough). Drizzle on top of the cheesecake.



If you are making the Vanilla Chantilly Cream, use chilled heavy whip (1 cup) in a medium mixing bowl. Beat until you get soft picks. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Once done, put in a bag with a star attachment and pipe as you desire.

American Sandwich Bread

I've made American Sandwich bread before and it was good, but this recipe is even better! It comes from my favorite book, "The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book". The consistency of this bread is really soft and it has a very nice flavor, ideal for your favorite lunch sandwiches.


Ingredients:

1 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for brushing.
3 Tbsp. honey
3 1/2 - 4 cups bread flour
1 envelope instant or rapid-rise yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
2 tsp. salt



Directions:

1. Whisk the milk, water, butter, and honey together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 3 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

2. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and, gently press into a 9-inch square. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch the seam closed. Place the loaf seam side down, in the prepared pan. Mist the loaf with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size and the dough barely springs back when poked with a knuckle, 45 to 75 minutes).

5. Adjust an over rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the loaf lightly with melted butter, sprinkle with the oats, then spray lightly with water. Bake until golden and the center of the bread registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the loaf halfway through baking. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours before serving.


TO MAKE AHEAD:

In step 3, do not let the dough rise, but refrigerate it overnight or up to 16 hours; let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then continue with step 5.

Homemade Ravioli of Spinach and Ricotta, Béchamel Sauce with a twist and Toasted Macadamia Nuts

I love pasta. My whole family loves pasta. The other day I wanted to surprise my husband for lunch. So, I made this delicious dish for him.

Here we go!


Ingredients:

For the pasta dough:
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting.
3 large egg yolks
2 large whole eggs
1 Tbsp. extra virgen olive oil


For the ravioli filling:
4 tspn. olive oil
1 package frozen spinach thawed
1 container ricotta cheese (almost two cups)
salt and freshly ground black pepper


For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cup heavy whip cream
1 heaping Tbsp. rubbed sage (or about 25 fresh sage leaves)
1/2 tsp. garlic (powder or granulated)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg


For the Topping:
1/2 cup toasted and chopped macadamia nuts (You can replace this for Pine Nuts)
Asiago shredded cheese
Mint leaves
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste


Directions:


To make the pasta dough:

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and form a well in the center of the flour. Place the egg yolks, eggs and olive oil in the center of the well. Using a fork, whisk the eggs and oil to blend.

Gradually whisk the flour into the egg mixture until a thick batter forms. Using your hands, gradually mix in enough of the remaining flour to form a shaggy dough (you won't need all of the flour).

DO NOT incorporate any hardened bits of the flour into the dough. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and semi-soft. Wrap the dough in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.


To make the ravioli filling:

Place a large sauté pan over moderate to high heat. Once the pan is hot, drizzle the olive oil into the pan and add the spinach (make sure to eliminate the excess of liquid from the spinach before you put them in the pan). Season with a little salt and pepper.

Sauté for two minutes or just until the spinach looks wilted. Transfer it to a strainer or colander to cool. Gently squeeze it and eliminate the excess of oil.

Once the spinach is cold, mix it with the ricotta. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.


To make the ravioli:


Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Keep three of them wrapped in the plastic wrap so that they do not dry out.

Dust the unwrapped piece of dough with some flour and flatten it with your hand. Roll it back and forth until it gets really thin (almost transparent). If you have a pasta maker, this step will be much faster and effortless!. If not, get some good muscles with me and roll that pasta dough!

Once you have finished to roll the piece of dough, place it on a floured surface and start to spoon the spinach filling over the pasta sheet, using about 2 teaspoons of the mixture in each mound and spacing them evenly apart. I made mine shaped like a rectangle and put the mixture close to the bottom part)

Lightly brush with egg wash (I used the left over egg whites from the dough) that surrounds the filling. Lightly brush the second pasta sheet (the one you will put on top, in my case I simply covered the mounds with the top of my sheet).



Press the edges together to seal, squeezing out any air pockets. Cut out the raviolis. (I used a big biscuit cutter, you can use a pasta tool, or cut them into squares).





Transfer the ravioli to a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough and filling. Depending on the size and shape you choose to use, you may have between 24 to 35 ravioli total. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.



Bring a large pot to boil with salted water over high heat. Add the ravioli to the boiling salted water and cook for about 3 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the filling is heated through (A good hint is that the cooked ravioli with pop to the top of the water)


To make the sauce:

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan add the flour and stir until is well incorporated. Add the heavy whip cream very slowly and let it thicken. Add the nutmeg, rubbed sage and garlic. Let it cook on low heat until gets the right consistency (creamy but not too thick). Once is done turn the heat off and season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper.


To assemble the plate:

Place about 5 to 6 ravioli (depending on the size and shape) into a extended plate, spoon some sauce over the pasta and sprinkle cheese and toasted macadamia nuts on top. Decorate with a mint sprig.

Banana Cream Pie... with a twist!

This is one the recipes I wasn't sure if it was going to be that good. I was wrong. It was delicious! Beside the fact is a pretty easy one too.


Ingredients:

For the Custard:
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar, pressed through a sieve
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
3 ripe but firm bananas

1 9-inch single crust, fully baked and cooled

For the Topping:
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sour cream


Directions:

To Make the Custard:
Bring the milk to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well blended and thick. Whisking without stopping, drizzle in about ¼ cup of the hot milk – this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won’t curdle – then, still whisking, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking constantly (make sure to get into the edge of the pan), bring the mixture to a boil. Boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes before removing from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the custard is smooth and silky. You can either press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the custard to create an
airtight seal and refrigerate the custard until cold or, if you want to cool the custard quickly – as I always do – put the bowl into a large bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and stir occasionally until the custard is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes. (If it’s more convenient, you can refrigerate the custard, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.)

When you are ready to assemble the pie, peel the bananas and cut them on a shallow diagonal into ¼-inch-thick slices.

Whisk the cold custard vigorously to loosen it, and spread about one quarter of it over the bottom of the piecrust – it will be a thin layer. Top with half of the banana slices. Repeat, adding a thin layer of pastry cream and the remaining bananas, then smooth the rest of the pastry cream over the last layer bananas.

To Make the Topping:
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream until it just starts to thicken. Beat in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until the cream holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the sour cream.

To Finish:
Spoon the whipped cream over the filling and spread it evenly to the edges of the custard. Serve, or refrigerate until needed.



Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, pages 342-343

Cappellini with garlic, lemon and parsley

This is one of my boys favorite pasta dish. They love the garlic and lemon flavor which make the pasta so light and fresh. It is also a delicious side dish for fish or grilled chicken.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves minced
Lemon zest from one lemon
Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb. Cappellini or spaghettini
Fresh flat-leaf (italian) parsley

Variations:
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes or 3 plumb tomatoes (diced).
1/2 cup chopped, pitted black or green olives
1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. minced sage

(You add these ingredients when you add the parsley to the original recipe)


Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. In a large frying pan over low heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant but not golden (1-2 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Season to taste with pepper. Transfer to a large serving bowl.

Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons of salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce along with the minced parsley and toss to combine. (If you are using variations, now is the time to incorporate those ingredients).

Add as much of the cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.




Source: Williams-Sonoma "Pasta Cookbook"