No place like home

Post-thesis submission (5 days ahead of the deadline, thank you very much) and pre-employment (scheduled to begin next week), I have been in transit, first to M’s lair and then home, where I entered a household bursting to the brim with out-of-town guests. A wildly busy and often hilarious week ensued, and I am just now getting used to the quiet of my Montreal 3 ½ .

On of my favorite things about going home is the availability of cupboard upon cupboard of spices, powders, extracts and flours, many of which are required in ¼ teaspoon amounts in the recipes I like to try my hand at. My mother, the avid cook that she is, loves to experiment with cuisines, and she has an enthusiastic tasting panel in my brother and my dad (and occasionally me). Unfortunately, I have no such luxury; every recipe essentially serves one, which limits my experimentation with cooking to healthy foods that can be consumed guilt-free for 5 days. And the occasionally chocolate pear cake…

So, you can imagine this Squid’s elation when my mom announced that she wanted to make a cheesecake! I am not a cheesecake lover normally, but I definitely have a soft spot for the richness and creaminess of the homemade stuff. The recipe that I’ve included here is rather involved, as the crust is a sponge cake made from scratch, as opposed to a standard graham base, and the whole process, from start to serve, is about 24 hours (but the final chilling step can be shortened to 4 hours if you are pressed for time). Overall, the cheesecake is smooth and lightly sweet and the crust’s fine, airy texture that complements nicely the delicate vanilla flavor that lingers in your mouth long after the last bite. It can easily be enjoyed without any type of sauce, but I chose to make a quick mixed berry sauce - I could see this cake tasting divine with caramel drizzled on top as well.

Junior’s New York Style Cheesecake

From “The Best of Fine Cooking’s Holiday Baking” Issue, January 2011

Sponge cake crust

Ingredients

½ cup sifted cake flour

¼ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 extra large eggs, separated

½ cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 drops pure lemon extract

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

¼ tsp cream of tartar

Special equipment

9-inch springform pan

1.     Preheat oven to 350 F and generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (preferably a non-stick one). Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides.

2.     In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together

3.     Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. With the mixer running slowly, add 2 tbsp of the sugar and beat until thick light yellow ribbons form, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

4.     Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir by hand, just until no more white flecks appear. Now, blend in the melted butter.

5.     Wash the mixing bowl and beater very well (even if a little fat is left, this can cause the egg white not to whip). Put the egg whiles and cream of tartar into the bowl and beat with the mixer on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites will stand up and look glossy, not dry). Fold about 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then the remaining whites. Don’t worry if you still see a few white flecks, as they’ll disappear during the baking.

6.     Gradually spread out the batter over the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden (not wet or sticky), about 10 minutes. Touch the cake gently in the center. If it springs back, it’s done. Watch carefully and don’t let the top brown. Leave the crust in the pan and place the pan on a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on while you prepare the batter.

Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 recipe sponge cake crust (above)

4 packages (8 oz each) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1 2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs

¾ cup heavy or whipping cream

1.     Keep the oven pre-heated at 350F.

2.     Put on package of cream cheese, ½ cup of sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one.

3.     Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the cream just until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix. Gently spoon batter over the crust.

4.     Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform. Bake until the edges are light brown and the top is slightly golden tan, about 1 ¼ hours. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours (just walk away – don’t move it). Then, leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold, preferably overnight, but for at least 4 hours.

5.     To serve, release and remove the sides of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the bottom of the pan, making sure to loosen the sides of the cake before releasing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slice the cold cake with a sharp straight-edged knife, not a serrated one. I find that dipping the blade of the knife in cold water helps the slices to come out cleaner. Cover any leftover cake and refrigerate, or wrap and freeze for up to a month.

Mixed berry sauce

From foodnetwork.ca

Ingredients

2 cups of mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

¼ cup sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp orange juice

1. Combine berries, sugar, cornstarch and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Over low heat, cook mixture until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly – serve warm. 

Serves 10.