Turtle Cheesecake

My family was asked to make two desserts for my brother's wedding, and my new sister-in-law requested a turtle cheesecake. Neither my mom nor I had made a cheesecake before and we settled on this recipe because it looked relatively simple compared to others we found.

NOTES

• We used regular vanilla extract instead of clear imitation vanilla. (The clear stuff is only for looks, so that your cream cheese filling stays as white as possible.)
• Be sure your cookie crumbs are ground very finely and evenly. It will help the crust stay together. Definitely use a blender or food processor, and not just a rolling pin.
• We skipped the hot fudge sauce and used chocolate pieces to decorate the top instead.
• Our cake got a big crack in the top but we just filled it with caramel sauce since we were flooding the top of the cake.
• I think a from-scratch caramel sauce would really bring this to another level for just a small bit of extra effort. If you've never made your own, there is something incredible about how much flavor can result from something as simple as browning sugar. You could make it while the cheesecake bakes. I recommend this one, with or without the bourbon!

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RECIPE: Turtle Cheesecake

Pistachio Dessert

My family has always touted this as a very special treat fit for the likes of winter holidays. I think it's because of the bright green pistachio pudding layer and lots of nuts. Pistachio pudding was one of my favorite desserts growing up so I always enjoyed eating this very fancy version when it appeared in our house.

For my brother's wedding today, he requested that we make this and bring it to the dinner celebration, a perfectly reasonable feat given that the entire party was less than 20 people. I learned later that his wife's family also made this very same pistachio dessert for holidays growing up (a huge surprise to me since I had never met anyone else before who knew of it), so it was an especially fitting dessert to celebrate their marriage.

Notes:

• My mom prefers to make this with walnuts but you can also use pecans or even pistachios. Toast the nuts before using them if you can to deepen their flavor.
• If you are skeeved out by Cool Whip and want a more natural alternative, you would likely be able to use an equivalent volume of sweetened stabilized whipped cream (about 6 cups whipped, from 3 cups liquid heavy cream) instead. Most stabilized whipped cream recipes seem to involve gelatin but you can also use cornstarch or cream of tartar. Please note that I have not yet personally tried this substitution so I am not sure how well it will work.
• My mom most recently made this with 3 packages of pudding mix and 3 3/4 cups milk and she liked the larger volume of pudding in the dessert.
• Do not use non-dairy milk; the pudding will not set.
• You can also make this in individual servings in plastic wine cups as we did for the wedding, or glasses or jars (for "jarfaits" as a friend termed them once) if you want the containers to be reusable. My mom was making them big enough to fill the cups to the top so we ended up with 13, but I feel like that serving size was just a little too large. I would aim for 16 servings. If serving them in 8 oz/1 cup jars you could probably make 18-20. Bake the crust in the pan and then break it into crumbles after it has cooled, then layer the ingredients in the smaller containers as described.

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RECIPE:

Pistachio Dessert
Makes 1 9x13 pan; serves 16-20

4 oz (1/2 cup, 1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup finely ground walnuts or pistachios
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup powdered sugar
16 oz (1 large package) Cool Whip, divided
2 small packages (3.4 oz each) instant pistachio pudding mix
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pistachios

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl combine butter, flour, granulated sugar, and 3/4 cup ground nuts until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2 in rectangular pan and bake for 10 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together until well blended, then incorporate half of the Cool Whip in several additions until creamy. Spread over the cooled crust and place in the refrigerator to stay chilled. In a third medium bowl, beat the dry pudding mix and milk on low speed or stir with a whisk until thickened and well blended, about 3-5 minutes. Spread the pudding mixture evenly over the cream cheese layer in the pan. Spread the remaining Cool Whip evenly over the pistachio pudding layer and garnish with 1/4 cup chopped nuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until all layers are well chilled, then it is ready to serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Basil Vinaigrette

I first had basil vinaigrette at a college dining hall, of all places. I couldn't quite figure out why I liked the dressing on their green salad so much but I was so impressed with it I had to ask the staff what it was because the menu didn't say. Basil vinaigrette, they told me. I should have known. I love basil.

I immediately went looking for a recipe and found this one. I don't normally have this much basil on hand, but went to the farmer's market to get some. The other time I unexpectedly had a lot left in my garden box at the end of the summer and picked it all to make this.

Notes:

• I like putting this on spring mix + cherry tomatoes + small fresh mozzarella balls for a caprese-inspired type of salad but it's great on just greens, too.
• Make sure to pick as much of the stem off the leaves as possible because it can give the dressing an unpleasantly bitter flavor.
• I have made this twice now and have used a slightly smaller amount of red onion instead of shallot in a pinch.
• It starts to oxidize after a bit so make sure to eat it within 3-5 days before it turns brown and gross.

Verdict: This turned out a bit thicker and more tart than the basil vinaigrette I was trying to recreate but it's still quite good. Debating adding more olive oil to it to make it a little looser, maybe decreasing the vinegar a little too.

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RECIPE: Basil Vinaigrette

 

Update: I also like this recipe from What's Gaby Cooking and it doesn't brown as easily. 

Spiced Poached Plums

 

Pumpkin spice who? It's all about spiced plums for me this fall.

I was looking for a quick way to use up some prune plums to clean out the refrigerator, and while this recipe calls for the more readily available red or black plums, it looked like it would work with smaller fruit so I gave it a try. Despite the fact that the recipe calls them "stewed" you don't really have to cook them long at all, maybe 10 minutes at most (even less for prune plums since they are smaller) because you want them to stay mostly whole rather than turn into a mush. It's warm and comforting like applesauce but much easier because you don't have to peel or chop the fruit.

I ate them with sweetened whipped cream with just a bit of almond extract mixed in since almond and stone fruit tend to pair nicely. I also ate them with plain Greek yogurt for breakfast. Both were lovely. I loved their delicious sweet-tart flavor and definitely want to make this again as we head into fall and the temperatures start to dip.

Notes:

• I love these with a minimum of sugar, lemon, and cinnamon so as to let the fruit's flavor shine. The levels in the recipe were quite good but next time I may try just a tiny bit less sugar and lemon than it calls for. Edit: a tiny bit less sugar is fine but I'd definitely stick to the amount in the recipe for the best flavor.
• Because it's such a simple recipe, fresh squeezed lemon juice really elevates this. Definitely go to the trouble of getting a fresh lemon.
• If you don't have a cinnamon stick, about 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon should be enough. You don't want to put in too much because its flavor gets slightly stronger as it stands.

UPDATE 10/8/19: About a week ago I had something like this served in a glass at a hotel in Germany with freshly whipped cream and raspberry sauce on top. I am not entirely sure what the plums were flavored with, but it was SO GOOD. My guess is nutmeg, and I plan to put nutmeg in my next batch to see if it comes anywhere close to the German plum dessert I had.

UPDATE 10/15/19:  Since coming home from Europe I have made two more batches of this (hi yes I am obsessed) with President plums, which look like prune plums but are bigger (still smaller than the standard black and red plums in US grocery stores though) because it seems prune plum season is done here. I tried them both halved and in quarters and found the quarters easier to eat, though for really small ones halves are fine. The President plums tasted good but I think the prune plums tasted better. I tried one batch with just nutmeg and while it tasted fine and I do like the combination of plums and nutmeg, I decided I greatly prefer it with at least some cinnamon. I wonder if the dessert I had in Germany might have contained a different type of cinnamon than I usually use. Maybe I'll try cardamom next? Or just leave well enough alone since I'd need to taste the German dessert again to know for sure what I was missing.

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RECIPE: Stewed Plums

White Bean and Chicken Chili

My mom started making this after I left for college, but it reminds me strongly of her. I had it once during a visit home and couldn't get enough of it so I had to get her recipe.

Notes:

• The original recipe called for 1 tsp ground white pepper but I found that a little too much for my tastes. 1/2 tsp is good for my mild-end-of-medium preference.
• If you can find canned Hatch chiles, they are particularly good in this! I accidentally bought the spicy/hot ones rather than mild ones but found that they're not terribly spicy and I was able to handle them.

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RECIPE:

White Bean and Chicken Chili
Adapted slightly from the recipe from the Appleton Post-Crescent, early 2000s
Serves 4

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2-3 breast halves)
1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion
1 tbsp bottled minced garlic
15 oz Great Northern white beans
19 oz cannellini beans
4.5 oz chopped green chilies
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp pepper, preferably white (use less)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
14.5 oz chicken broth
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional, for topping)
Sour cream (optional, for topping)

Partially defrost chicken. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop onion, adding to the pot as you chop. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks, add to the pot and stir occasionally. Add garlic and continue to cook. While the chicken cooks, rinse and drain both types of beans and drain the chilies. Add the chilies to the pot along with the cumin, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Raise the heat to high and add the broth and drained beans. Cover the pot and bring the chili to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and water in a small container that has a lid. Shake well to remove any lumps. When the chili boils, the chicken should be cooked through. Add the cornstarch mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly. Continue to boil until the chili reaches the desired thickness. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I am unsure of the provenance of this recipe, but thank Sarah forever for bringing it into my life. We have frosted our holiday gingerbread cookies with it for a good long time and I have also used it to frost cakes. It has a nice tang to it that makes it taste a little less sugary sweet than regular buttercream.

Notes

• As listed, the recipe is enough to frost and pipe decorations onto a large batch of the gingerbread cookies with some left over depending on how you decorate, and I believe enough to frost an 8 or 9 inch round cake. Halve the recipe if you are making a 6 inch round cake.
• Update 9/22/22: Half a recipe will generously frost a 6 inch cake with 2 layers, and would probably be a perfect amount for a 3 or even 4 layer cake. However, it's pretty rich in large quantities so it may be too heavy if the cake is also quite sweet. Structure wise it is really nice and sets up firm in the fridge (probably thanks to all the butter).
  
• This pipes well but gets pretty loose when it's warm; if it gets too soft and won't hold its shape, place the bag in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm up.

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RECIPE:

Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

8 oz (1 cup, 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
16 oz (2 bricks) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 lb powdered sugar (about 1 bag)
Milk, to thin if needed
Food coloring (optional, to tint the frosting)
Sprinkles (optional, to put on top of the frosting)

Cream butter and cream cheese together in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Mix in powdered sugar in several additions, mixing well after each one, until completely combined.

Persian Love Cake

 

After hearing about and seeing the combination of rose + pistachio + cardamom several times (hi Great British Baking Show!) I decided I really wanted to try it for myself, and settled on this cake while looking for recipes because it seemed relatively simple to make. I already know I like cardamom and I'm still trying to figure out how to use rose flavor in cooking and baking, and I thought this would be a low-risk way to try it out.

I am so pleased with how it turned out. The almond flour gives it this lovely plush texture. The contrast of sweet glaze + salted pistachios was really great. It was sweet but not too sweet, you could taste the rose but were not overwhelmed by it. It was my favorite thing at the tea party I served it at and I will definitely be making it again.

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for an 8-inch round pan. I made it in an 8-inch square pan and cut it into 16 2x2 inch squares for a tea party. The cake squares surprisingly did not dry out much at all despite being cut and uncovered for ~6 hours before serving.
• I couldn't find the rose water brand that was recommended, but I did find Ziyad brand rose water at the Asian grocery store and it worked well. Amazon reviews suggest it is low quality though so if you can find better you should probably use that instead.
• The glaze hardens quickly so you want to work fast if you want it to be smooth, and you may need to push the rose petals and pistachios in a little bit to get them to stick.
• You might like to make additional glaze if you're cutting the cake into small pieces like I did, especially if you want to cover the entire top of each piece. It didn't look like enough to me but it tasted like just enough. It thickened pretty quickly while I was pouring it so you may need to microwave it a few times.
• I omitted the candied ginger because I'm not a big fan of it, and I didn't miss it.
• I got the dried edible rose petals from a health food/alternative medicine type store that sells dried herbs by weight.

RECIPE: Persian Love Cake