Dessert – Page 4 – From My Table…to Yours

Sugar High Friday: Gemstone Cheesecake

Sugar High Fridays really raised the bar this month. Rather than picking an ingredient to work with, the host for this month, Susan from the Well-Seasoned Cook, picked an adjective: sparkling. The theme this time is “All that Glitters”, and the submitted desserts (see them here next Friday, 11/28) should look as dazzling as they taste!

Now, this has rarely ever happened, but I am actually getting to one of my saved recipes in a timely manner. I stumbled upon this absolutely beautiful creation on Esi’s blog, and I simply had to make it. What’s more, she made two mini-cheesecakes, rather than one big one, so I could modify the topping to RJ’s taste – plain or with caramel, thank you very much. As soon as I read the SHF topic for the month, my mind immediately went to this recipe which was at the top of my recipe pile. What food product, naturally produced, sparkles more than the garnet colored, translucent arils of the pomegranate? The answer is a sweet and shimmering pomegranate glaze dotted with them! My final product looked like a christmas ornament – a treat which would certainly entice Santa to unload some gifts on Christmas eve.
Enjoy this dessert, as I did so thoroughly this week, and don’t forget to peruse the numerous and undoubtedly creative results of the other participating bloggers on the Round-up page.

Gemstone Cheesecake
(Adapted from ‘Pom Wonderful’ by Esi from Dishing Up Delights)
Makes one 9-inch cake (or two 4.5-inch cakes)

For the Crust:
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. butter, melted

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, well softened (this is important!)
5 Tbs. sugar
1 egg
3 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt

For the glaze:
6 Tbs. pomegranate juice
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
Pomegranate arils

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
To make the crust, stir together crumbs, sugar and butter until moistened. Press evenly into bottom of two 4.5 inch spring form pans or one 9 inch baking dish.
To make the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk, vanilla and salt just until blended. Pour over crust in pan; spread evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until cake is firm at sides and soft-set (jiggles slightly) in the center. Do not over-bake. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for up to 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours before serving. (Refrigerate cake for up to 1 week.)

To make the topping, combine juice with sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Cool slightly; mix in pomegranate arils, then spread glaze over cake.

Magazine Review: “Gourmet” and Pumpkin Souffles

This is the third installment of my series of Thanksgiving magazine reviews. You can see my evaluative criteria here. Today’s review is of GOURMET — a venerable publication directed by non other than Ruth Reichl. For years I have avoided Gourmet, thinking of it as the imperious matriarch lording over its more accessible and friendly sister magazine, Bon Appetit. My impression was that the recipes were too esoteric for me, the ingredients too rarified. Below, I take another look.

180 pages total : 80 pages of ads (44%)
73 Recipes (interesting that a misleading heading on the cover of the magazine claims: “212 recipes, wines, tips, complete menus, and techniques”)
News-stand price: $4.50
Price per recipe: $0.06
# of ads pretending to be articles: HA! Hahahaha! I found 13! I think that Conde Nast, who publishes Gourmet and Bon Appetit, invented the concept. One of these “special advertising sections” even carries the title “The Good Life”, adapted from (and in the same font as) a Gourmet regular section “Good Living”
Recipe Index? One index at the back of the magazine sorts the recipes by course (Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dishes) and separates out a list of Vegetarian and Quick recipes. I did not find the index particularly helpful here, and I still don’t understand why the Cauliflower Risotto was listed under “Main Course: Vegetarian”, but not under “Vegetarian Dishes” when many other recipes were double-listed.

Photos: Right proper food porn, if you ask me. In the special Thanksgiving section, the photos are in a group, followed by the recipes, so you can drool and then get down to business. Definitely could benefit from more pictures, though. Gimme more, I need my fix!

Best Sections:
• Good Living: Kitchen. I am not sure if this is a regular section of the magazine (as I said, I don’t pick this one up often), but I love looking into gorgeous kitchens. I have a major jones for a two-oven kitchen with a substantial butcher-block island in the middle.
• Cookbook Club — If you are like me and you have a serious cookbook addiction, this is just bad for you.
• In theory, “One or Two for Dinner” is perfect for me. I’m always working to scale-down recipes to accommodate the fact that RJ and I are having dinner, just the two of us, 90% of the time.

Best Features:
• Many recipes include a “Cook’s Note” which refers readers to the web to find out how to make use of leftovers. I, for one, don’t love having a half-head of cabbage rotting in my crisper drawer for weeks after making a special dish. “Cook’s notes” also let readers know what aspects of a recipe, if any, can be made ahead.
• Each of the 4 (!!) Thanksgiving menu sections includes a “Game Plan” outlining the dishes, or aspects of dishes, that can be done ahead, and in what order they should be tackled.

Thanksgiving at the Gourmet house:
•Four separate versions of the Thanksgiving feast are provided. “Over the Top” is just that, and very typical of most Gourmet issues: Foie Gras Toasts with Sauternes Gelee; Smoked-Sable Tartare with Beets and Watercress; Seckel Pear Tart with Poire William Cream. “Come Together” gives a Latino version of Thanksgiving: Clementine Jicama Salad, Adobo Turkey with Red Chile Gravy; Sweet-Potato Coconut Puree. “Four Hour Feast” attempts a ‘faster’ Thanksgiving (what’s the point of that?!?): Cranberry Tangerine Conserve; Roasted Potatoes and Shallots; Cider-Poached Apples with Candied Walnuts, Rum Cream, and Cider Syrup. Finally, “Harvest’s Home” – a vegetarian version of the holiday: Mushroom and Farro Pie; Moscatel-Glazed Parsnips; Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil. Ruling? Not your grandmother’s Thanksgiving.

Particularly Unappetizing:
• Celery Apple Granita (ew!)
• Pumpkin and Cod Fritters with Creole Sauce (double, nay, triple ew!)
• Sauteed Lemon Maple Frisee
• Mango Pomegranate Guacamole (I like all three separately, but together?)

I’m looking forward to cooking:
• Roast Pumpkin with Cheese Fondue (I’m not the only one!)
• Haricots Verts with Bacon and Chestnuts
• Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds with Garlic Oil and Fried Sage
• *Spiced-Pumpkin Souffles with Bourbon Molasses Sauce
• Parsnip Puree with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts Leaves

Gourmet is analogous, in a way, to Vanity Fair – it looks like an easy, fun read from the outside (who doesn’t like Nicole Kidman or roast turkey?) but ends up requiring a lot more brainpower than you expected. I am not in any way against revving up the ol’ gray matter – I love spending a few hours with the New Yorker or the Times on a Sunday – but when I pick up a food magazine, or a fashion magazine for that matter, I am looking for instant satisfaction. The articles in Gourmet are long and wordy, without many pictures. I am constantly skimming and thinking “blah, blah, blah.” This is a good magazine for those who want to bring a stand-out, crowd-awing dish to a Thanksgiving party, or for someone who has a pretty established and fixed family menu and wants to offer a fancy alternative to one of the ho-hum annual dishes. Also good for vegetarians, obviously, or maybe a gourmande group cooking club. I cannot, however, see how it would be possible for one, or even two cooks to pull together any of these elaborate menus on Thanksgiving day.

I also think that in most circles, if you tried to put on a ‘Latino Thanksgiving’ with hot spices and tropical fruits in every dish, you would experience mass revolt. The realities of Thanksgiving, at least as I have experienced it, is that you have a lot of people, of all ages, gathered together for one meal after not having seen each other for some time. That means varied diets, preoccupied moms and dads, family catch-up talks, and very busy kitchens. Timing and assembling 8 or more individual pumpkin souffles for Thanksgiving dessert seems unlikely and unnecessarily difficult. My past Thanksgivings have involved several aunts hocking their various pie specialties (or purchases) and me and my cousins trying to convince our parents that four 1-inch slices of different pies is equal to one normal-sized slice of a single pie. However, I am well aware that Thanksgiving can go down any number of ways. If you have the time for these elaborate and very Gourmet menus, I would like an invitation for next year.

*Spiced-Pumpkin Souffles with Bourbon Molasses Sauce [printable recipe]
1/2 c. whole milk
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
pinch of ground cloves
3/4 c. plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar, divided, plus additional for coating ramekins
3/4 c. canned pure pumpkin (from a 15 oz. can, not pie filling)
10 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt

Whisk together milk, cornstarch, spices, and 1 Tbs. granulated sugar in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking, then simmer, whisking, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in pumpkin. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. (can be made ahead to this point and chilled for up to 1 day)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in lower third. Butter ramekins and coat with granulated sugar, knocking out excess, then put in a large shallow baking pan.
Beat egg whites with salt in another large bowl using an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Add remaining 3/4 c. granulated sugar a little at a time, beating, then beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, 1-2 minutes more. Fold one third of the whites into cooled pumpkin mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Divide mixture among ramekins, mounding it.
Bake souffles until puffed and golden, 18-20 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve immediately.

Bourbon Molasses Sauce (in case you are wondering, this is NOT OPTIONAL – it makes the dessert!)

3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbs. water, divided
3 Tbs. bourbon
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbs. molasses (not blackstrap or robust)
1/4 tsp. salt

Bring sugar and 2 Tbs. water to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from the side of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until caramel is dark amber. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/4 c. water, then stir in bourbon, butter, molasses, and salt. Return to heat and simmer, stirring, to dissolve any hardened caramel if necessary. Sauce can be made one day ahead and chilled. Reheat in a microwave or double boiler until liquefied.

Results: Oh, how I love Gourmet magazine. To anyone who doubts the supremacy of this magazine, including whatever whack-job wrote the above review, please have a bite of this souffle. This was absolutely divine. The souffle was light and fluffy – perfect after a full meal. It puffed up over the rim of the ramekin nearly doubling in size – a beautiful presentation. Plus, the sauce was truly magical – I would drench ice cream or pumpkin pie or cheesecake with this. I would take a bath in it. As RJ says, “if they made it a toothpaste, I’d brush my teeth with it.” I’m still not sure you could make a souffle on Thanksgiving day, despite the fact that the sauce and part of the pumpkin mixture can be done ahead of time, but please remember: the fall season lasts for three months!

Sunday Morning Crepes

Mmm…Sunday Mornings: usually the one time of the week when I can sleep in for a couple hours, then drowsily rise to eat a leisurely full breakfast from my couch with a full mug of tea and a warm blanket draped over my lap.

Recently, however, various trips and family obligations have kept me from this decadent routine. This past weekend, I stayed at a friend’s house on Saturday night, and while I knew that the sleeping-in part would not be a problem, the breakfast was up in the air.

Most everyone who loves food and eating has some sort of routine that they hold sacred. I have my Sunday Mornings, others have “Roast Chicken Thursdays” or make their salad the same way for every lunch. Caroline, the friend with whom I was staying this weekend, has a breakfast routine of her own. She pours cereal – usually mixing two or three different brands – into a pasta bowl and douses it with about a quart of milk, leaving it to sit for a bit before sitting down to the table with a carton of fresh berries and diluted O.J. Far be it from me to cast aspersions on her breakfast – everyone has their own comforting food traditions – but I was craving my own form of Sunday Morning catharsis.

As we wandered into the kitchen that morning, she went into the pantry to grab her cereals, and I went into her closet to grab the Joy of Cooking. She shook her head at me with a smile and we went our separate ways. As she got out a bowl and a spoon, I took down her food processor from the shelf; as she grabbed berries and milk from the fridge, I withdrew eggs, lemons and apple cider.

Eventually, my friend’s husband wandered into the kitchen and I think I lured him to my side of the battlefield, because soon he was flipping crepes alongside me. When all was said and done, however, and I took my seat at the breakfast table, Caroline passed me a big mug of steaming hot tea and all was right with the world.

Crepes with Apple Cider Syrup, adapted from the Joy of Cooking

For the Crepes:
2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. lukewarm water
2 Tbs. melted butter
2 tsp. sugar
salt

For the syrup:
1 1/4 c. Apple Cider
1 Tbs. Light Corn Syrup
2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Add all of the ingredients for the crepes into the bowl of a food processor or the pitcher of a blender. Mix until fully blended and a bit frothy at the top. If using a food processor, pour mixture into a pitcher – or leave it in the blender pitcher – and let sit for 30 minutes so that the liquids absorb the flour.

In the meantime, pour all of the ingredients for the syrup into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir until blended. Turn the burner on medium until the mixture comes to a boil, then turn down the heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Reduce until mixture reaches a syrupy consistency.

When the syrup is where you like it, warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Wrap a tablespoon of butter in one sheet of paper towel, and rub the bundle over the pan to grease it.

Pour some batter into the pan (1/4 cup should be plenty, but it depends on the size of your pan) and immediately tilt the pan around in a circle to spread the batter across the surface. If you have a wooden crepe-spreader-thingy, all the better.

Cook for about 1 minute or until the edges of the crepe easily separate from the pan when you pass a thin metal spatula around the perimeter of the skillet. Flip the crepe and briefly cook it on the other side. The crepe should be lightly browned.

Remove the crepe to a plate and drizzle with the apple cider syrup and (if you like the crunch) some demerara sugar. Other winning toppings: lemon juice and sugar; jam of preference; and sweetened cream cheese with cinnamon or finely zested orange peel. Then, what I like to do is fold the crepe in half and then in half again so it looks like a triangle. Top it with some berries or whipped cream and voilà – the perfect Sunday Morning!