Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust, Salted Caramel Drizzle

1 Comment November 5, 2020 thecooksisters

For the Gingersnap Crust

1 C ground gingersnaps (about 2 C whole cookies)

1/3 C flour

¼ C unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

12oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

½ C light brown sugar

2 eggs

8oz. pumpkin purée

¼ C sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)

1 t ground ginger

1 t pumpkin pie spice (or substitute ¼ t EACH nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cinnamon)

1 t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8×8” baking pan with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the gingersnaps until finely crushed. Add the flour, pulse again and then add the melted butter. Process until mixture resembles wet sand. Press gingersnap mixture evenly into the baking pan and set aside.

With a hand-held beater or with a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese with the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the pumpkin puree, sour cream, spices and vanilla. Beat again until everything is combined and smooth. Pour the mixture into prepared pan. Bake until set and golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Leave the cheesecake to begin to cool in the oven another 20 minutes with the door ajar, then remove and cool completely. Once cheesecake is at room temperature place in the fridge to set, several hours or overnight. (You can also freeze the cheesecake for up to one month.) Before serving, cut into squares and drizzle with Salted Caramel. Makes 16 squares.

Homemade Salted Caramel

Double the recipe so you’ll have extra on hand for ice cream! Caramel is made from so few ingredients that using high quality butter and cream will shine through.

½ C granulated sugar

3 T high quality unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ C heavy cream, room temperature

½ t sea salt

In a very clean heavy bottom saucepan, heat the sugar on medium low heat until completely melted, swirling the pan gently every 20 seconds or so. Watch the sugar carefully, as it will turn dark and caramelize quickly, but you don’t want it to burn. Once melted and nicely dark, remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the butter. The mixture will violently bubble – don’t worry, you’re doing it right. Continue whisking quickly until all the butter is absorbed. Next, pour in the heavy cream and whisk until combined, then add the salt. Allow the caramel to cool completely before using. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for one or two days, or in the refrigerator for up to one month. Microwave if necessary to make it pourable. Yield ¾ cup.

Summer Melon Cake

Leave a comment August 27, 2020 thecooksisters

3 C flour

4 t baking powder

1 t salt

¾ C butter, at room temperature

1 C granulated sugar

3 eggs

2 ¼ C puréed cantaloupe or orange-fleshed muskmelon (about 4 C melon chunks)

Glaze

1¼ C powdered sugar

¼ C fresh Meyer lemon juice or orange juice

Strips of lemon zest from Meyer lemon, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. In a medium bowl and with an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Place the melon chunks in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients in two parts to the butter mixture, alternating twice with the melon purée. After each addition, stir the mixture until smooth, making sure to clean the batter from the edges and bottom of the bowl. Mix the batter again on medium-high for about 2 min. Pour the batter into a greased and floured tube cake pan. Bake 40-50 min., or just until a cake tester comes out clean.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar with the Meyer lemon juice or orange juice until smooth. Cool the cake in its pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack. Spoon or pour glaze over the warm cake. Garnish with strips of lemon zest, if desired.

Blueberry Clafoutis

Leave a comment July 6, 2020 thecooksisters

Don’t limit yourself to blueberries – any berry or summer stone fruit is delicious, such as cherries or plums. In the fall try this with apples or pears.

5 heaping T flour

4 T sugar

3 T milk, whole or lowfat

2 T safflower oil

1 egg

1 T baking powder

1/4 t salt

2-3 cups berries, washed and sliced as necessary, tossed in 2 T sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (add if it’s needed, a little milk); the batter should be very thick. Pour the batter into a buttered 9″ cake pan or quiche dish. Spread the fruit on top of the batter; it should fill the pan & spill over a bit.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake in the oven about 15 minutes or until the cake begins to set. Spread the following mixture on top of the batter:

4 teaspoons sugar

         1 egg

         1 tablespoon of melted butter

Bake again about 15- 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve with fresh whipped cream if desired. Serves 6.

Mini Strawberry Tarts in Pretzel Crust

Leave a comment July 6, 2020 thecooksisters

Makes 6 mini tarts

Crust

2 ½ C mini pretzels, finely crushed (yield 1 ¼ cups)

¼ C light brown sugar, packed

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling

4oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T light brown sugar, packed

1 t vanilla extract

Topping

1 ½ C strawberries, hulled and quartered, divided

½ C light brown sugar, packed

4 t cornstarch

¼ C water

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat 6 wells of a large muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Prepare the crust: process the pretzels in a food processor until very finely crushed, add the sugar and pulse to mix, then add the melted butter and pulse until well mixed and resembling wet sand. Divide the mixture among the prepared wells and press very firmly into the bottom and up the sides of each well. (Make sure the crust is well packed on all sides as this will keep the shells from breaking once baked). Bake the crusts until the cups are set and browned, 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool in the muffin pan.

Prepare the Filling: cream together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing well with a rubber spatula. Set aside (but do not refrigerate yet).

Prepare the Topping: put ¾ cup of strawberries in a bowl and mash them with a fork (or crush with a potato masher), enough to yield ½ cup. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar and cornstarch then add the water and crushed strawberries. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until it thickens, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining ¾ cup sliced strawberries. If the remaining strawberries are large, cut them into smaller pieces.

Assemble the tarts: carefully wedge the tip of a paring knife between the top of each crust and the inside of the well, gently sliding each crust out of the well of the muffin pan; transfer to a platter. Spoon and spread some of the cream cheese filling in the bottom, then carefully spoon the strawberry topping on top. Refrigerate uncovered until thoroughly chilled and set, at least 3 hours. Garnish with mint if desired.

Oranges with Caramel, Ginger and Mint

1 Comment December 21, 2015 thecooksisters

 

 

 

Growing up in Europe, the Cook Sisters have childhood memories of Christmas dinner ending with a fiery plum pudding. It was made a year ahead of time, then steamed for a couple of hours before arriving at the table doused with flaming rum and served up warm with rum butter and Christmas crackers. The fact that we never actually liked the pudding itself never stopped this Old World tradition from being our favorite part of the meal. Scroll forward a few decades, and today we have our own traditions. We offer up this dessert for consideration. It makes a great dinner-party dessert because it’s not heavy, and it’s healthy, which leaves diners feeling virtuous. What could be better to end a Christmas dinner? Don’t answer that. Just enjoy this. We demoed this for Brookside back in 2011. 

5 seedless oranges, such as navel
2 T crystalized ginger
1/3 C sugar
8-10 mint leaves (optional)

Zest one orange and reserve. Trim oranges of their skin and white pith; reserve top and bottom for juice. Cut trimmed orange in half lengthwise and remove core. Lay the halves flat and cut into half-moons. Arrange orange slices on a platter. Using a small paring knife, dice crystalized ginger; mix with orange zest and scatter over orange slices. In a small, heavy saucepan, heat 2 T water and the sugar until they begin to boil. Turn the heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes until sugar turns to medium brown; remove from heat. Carefully drizzle caramelized sugar over prepared orange slices; the sugar will bubble and sizzle and harden in place. Squeeze juice from reserved orange ends over the caramel. Scatter mint over all and serve within an hour for maximum crunchiness.