Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 Tbsp sugar
5 Tbsp butter (melted)

Filling:
24 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tsp clove
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
1/4 Tsp allspice

Topping:
Whipping cream to taste
Sugar to taste (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Mix sugar & crackers in a bowl; add melted butter; press mixture along bottom and 1 1/2" up the sides of a 9" springform pan
3. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; mix until very smooth; add pumpkin and spices; mix until smooth; finish by adding the eggs one at a time, mixing very well between egg
4. Pour filling into crust and set cheesecake in middle of oven; cook for 60 to 70 minutes (until filling is set)
5. Remove cheesecake and let cool on counter until room temprature; transfer to fridge until ready to serve
6. Immediately prior to serving, whip the cream (with sugar if using) and apply evenly to top of cake

Tiramisu

This is a classic Italian dessert. The name translates to "pick-me-up" (in the idiomatic sense).

Ingredients:

8 oz mascarpone (~225g)
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, divided
12-18 ladyfingers (Savoiardi, not lady's finger)
1 cup espresso (minimum)
1 Tbsp liqueur, typically marsala or rum (optional; I omit it)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (minimum)

1. Mix the egg yolks, sugar, and mascarpone until very smooth.
2. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
3. Briskly beat 1/5th of the meringued egg whites into the custard mixture; stir until an even texture is reached.
4. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the custard.
5. If using liqueur, mix it into the espresso.
   
6. One by one, soak the ladyfingers in the coffee, trying to make sure they absorb a fair amount of it without becoming soggy. Layer them in the bottom of the serving dish.
7. When a layer is complete, cover with a layer of the custard mixture.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the custard is gone, making sure to finish with a layer of custard.
9. Ideally, allow the tiramisu to be refrigerated for several hours before serving to allow the coffee to infuse into the custard.
10. Immediately prior to serving, dust the tiramisu with a medium-thick layer of cocoa powder.

Notes: this should serve 4-8, depending on serving sizes; the recipe doubles trivially. The most finicky portion of this relatively-simple preparation is the soaking of the ladyfingers; too little coffee and one ends up with spongy biscuits that are hard to cut, too much and one has a puddle of coffee in the bottom of the dish. It can be helpful to err ever-so-slightly on the side of caution and then let it sit overnight to allow the custard and coffee to more thoroughly soften the biscuits.

Fırında sütlaç

Fırında sütlaç (scorched Turkish rice pudding)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp rice (heaping)
1 1/8 cups water
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream*
1 tbsp cornstarch**
1/2 tbsp rice flour**
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
Cinnamon and/or pistachios to garnish (optional)

1. Place rice and 2/3 cup water in small saucepan; cook over medium heat until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat
2. Place milk and cream in medium saucepan with cooked rice and salt; bring to a boil over medium heat.***
3. Mix rice flour and cornstarch in a bowl; add 1/2 cup cold water, and stir until smooth.
4. Gradually stir starch mixture into boiling milk; stir constantly for 10 minutes.
5. Add sugar; continue stirring over medium-low-ish heat until desired thickness is achieved.****
6. Remove from heat, and pour into broiler-safe dish(es); place under broiler until surface is browned.
7. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours; if desired add garnish before serving.

* Base recipe calls for 4 cups milk and no cream. I have never gotten the pudding to set up with only milk.
** This can (and probably should) be increased in a manner directly proportional with the desired thickness, and inversely proportional with the preparer's time and patience.
*** If one is going for a long-cooked thick pudding (i.e., one that will properly set up), especially if one isn't going overboard with starches, it may be helpful to use a double broiler to avoid burning the rice and to minimize required stirring.
**** Cook until pudding approaches desired thickness or patience approaches end. Some further setting will occur while cooling, so this is subjective, especially given leeway with starches. Bare minimum is 20 minutes. I usually go 2-3 hours. Seriously. But then, getting baked items to set up properly is the bane of my culinary existence.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake à l'Ankrom

My standard cheesecake recipe, from which nigh all cheesecakes I make are derived. It's a New York style cheesecake, in that it contains cream and is cooked at two temperatures.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake à l'Ankrom

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 3/4 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter (melted)

Filling:
24 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
12 oz white chocolate (melted)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Mix sugar & crackers in a bowl; add melted butter; press mixture along bottom and 2" up the sides of a 9" springform pan
3. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and flour; mix very well; add eggs one at a time, mixing very well between eggs; finish by mixing in the cream; set filling aside
4. When all of the above is ready (including preheating), melt the white chocolate; as soon as it's melted it must be quickly mixed into the filling; pour filling into crust
5. Set cheesecake in middle of oven and bake at 400° for 10 minutes; reduce temp to 300° and cook for 55 to 65 minutes (until filling is set)
6. Remove cheesecake and let cool for 10 minutes; carefully run knife around the edge of the pan to loosen it; cool in fridge for 2 hours
7. Place raspberries, sugar, and cornstarch into a pan; stirring often, bring pan to a low boil and cook until raspberries are broken down; remove from heat and pour over the cheesecake
8. Replace cheesecake in fridge for 2 more hours

Note: this recipe can be made in a 7" springform pan simply by reducing crust ingredients to ~60%, and filling and topping ingredients to 50%.