Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie

Remember high school? I totally do! I played volleyball. I was an editor in journalism class. I took all the AP classes. I stressed out over Algebra and my hair was cut awkwardly short. Like really bad. I also didnt have a boyfriend. I didnt even have the prospect of a boyfriend. I had to ask out my dude prom date. I dunno. I had some of the best friends ever I wasnt really worried about too many things.

I feel like a good amount of high school girls read my blog. I know this because most of them write me emails asking how to get through high school. Usually the only answers I have for them include trying out for volleyball and journalism, and cutting their hair awkwardly short. Thats really the only experience I have, and I really shouldnt push that on strangers. Its rude and damaging.

I recently received a question from a dear and darling high school senior in Chicago. She called into the Homefries voicemail to ask us a question. She didnt have a Chicago accent I was listening.

The questions boils down to this:

Im in high school. Im a senior. Ive liked this dude since my freshman year. Weve texted a few times. I think he likes me. I just dont know if I should keep pursuing this guy because were never going to see each other again once I go to college.

My answer is this:

Youve liked the same dude since freshman year? Dang. Its too bad dudes in high school dont know how to act. Im 30 and most dudes my age dont know how to act. Heres the deal. You can sneak this dude behind the bungalows to make-out with him but dont do more than that. (Mom I didnt do any of this. Seriously. Thats not even a lie to spare you feelings). Mostly you just have to wait for this dude to gr! ow up. T hat will probably take a while. Sorry high school is so awkward and confusing. Weve all been there. except without the text messaging confusion. Make-out or dont but dont make it too complicated. In short, go to college, dont sleep around, learn how to be an awesome and independent woman. No biggie.

Oh! Also learn how to make an awesome cheesecake and feel good about your life.

Cheesecake is LONG overdue on this blog. Its because Im not a huge fan of cheesecake. Im not a huge fan of cheesecake because I dont own a spring form pan. Cheesecakes always felt out of reach because of equipment alone.

Lets start this cheesecake with gingersnap crust. Butter. Sugar. A pinch of salt and fluff. Crispy (store-bought) Gingersnap Cookies. I love this crust because it so simply pressed into the pie plate and baked until golden.

Cheesecake filling is an incredible mixture of cream cheese, eggs and sugar. Cream too! Adding a touch of lemon zest is dreamy also.

I want to swim in here. I really really do.

Youll lick the beaters. I did. Lay off.

Well top the creamy cheesecake with an almost bitter salted caramel. Its sweet and full of depth and it all starts with butter and sugar.

Caramel is so easy to make. Theres no need for a candy thermometer. All you need is the courage enough to boil sugar and water until it browns. It you have the balls to do that youre on the sweet sweet road to caramel.

Heres the trick with caramel. Remove the pan from heat just as it starts to brown. The bottom of the pan will retain heat and continue to cook the caramel. If you need it slightly more brown, you can always return it to the heat. Youve got the control. Take it totally easy.

Once cooked and cooled, pour caramel over cooled cheesecake. Cool the topped cheesecake with cool caramel. Do you see whats happening here? Are you freaking out? I am. No bigs.

Cat wants too.

ps. As soon as I have a kid Ill stop posting annoying cat pictures. Promise. (but my fingers are crossed behind my back).

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie

makes one 9-inch pie

adapted from Dorie Greenspan and Zoe Nathan

Print this Recipe!

For the Crust:

2 cups ginger snap cookie crumbs

2 ta! blespoon s brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake:

1 pound (2 blocks) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

For the Caramel:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Place two rack in the upper and bottom third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Youll need a 9-inch pie plate and a 913-inch pan for boiling water.

To make the crust, place cookies in the bowl of a food processor and grind to a fine crumb. If you dont have a food processor you can crumble cookies in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin. Once youve created a fine crumb, add brown sugar, salt, and butter. Toss together, moistening all of the ginger snap crumbs. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and press with fingers until sides and bottom are evenly coated with crust.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the cheesecake filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Place a tea kettle of water on the stove top to boil. Were going to add hot water to the 913-inch pan to place under the baking cheesecake.

To make the cheesecake filling: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in salt and vanilla extract until well incorporated. Add eggs, beating one at a time between each addition. Once creamy and smooth, slowly beat in the cream, beating on medium high until creamy and luscious. Add lemon zest if using.

Pour cheesecake mixture into the prepared cheesecake crust.

! Place 91 3-inch pan in the bottom shelf of the hot oven. Carefully pout in hot water, and fill to 1/2 full. Push into oven.

Place cheesecake on the upper oven shelf. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until cheesecake is browned and puffed. When cheesecake is puffed and doesnt have loose giggle in the center, turn oven off and use a towel to prop the oven open slightly. Let cheesecake rest for another 45 minutes in the cooling oven. Remove from the oven and cool completely, for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.

While the cheesecake cools, make the caramel so it can cool as well.

To make the caramel, add sugar, water, and corn syrup to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice. Bring to a boil and allow to brown. Once sugar has browned to a medium amber color, remove from heat and immediately add heavy cream and butter. Mixture will boil and foam. Stir well. Add salt and stir well to incorporate. Caramel may seem thin thats ok. Place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

Pour the cooled caramel over the cooled cheesecake, return to the refrigerator until ready to serve. Sprinkle with a dash of sea salt then slice and serve.

Cheese will last for up to 4 days, well wrapped in the refrigerator.

Aglio Olio with fresh pasta

Ok well, it isnt entirely aglio olio with the addition of bacon and basil. But it has the characteristics of being a no sauce pasta.

Its my first time making fresh pasta. ever. Ive never made pan mee before too, or any noodle dough. So I dont exactly know if I got the right texture or the right consistency. Its like kinkin chilli pan mees noodles. It wasnt as silky as I thought it would be, maybe i did it wrongly LOL. Ah well, just the first try (ops, 2nd actually. 1st time was with a rolling pin. It was a nightmare to roll, the pasta machine is like magic) Looking forward to make raviolis and tortellinis and lasagne with this!! wheee

Since there were only 2 types of cutters, spaghetti and fettuccine, I made both. I cooked aglio olio with the spaghetti and my mum cooked the fettuccine in XO sauce or something.After watching so many shows of people making fresh pasta on tv, I finally decided its time to make mine. I ve had this pasta machine since my years in Sydney but I have never used it there. Right until the other day when I made this dish.

Fresh Pasta

200g flour
2 eggs
oil

Basically I worked with 100g flour : 1 egg ratio per person. I think perhaps it can go with 200g flour : 3 eggs

!

1. Ma ke a well in the centre of the flour then crack eggs in. Use a fork to mix it till it resembles breadcrumbs. Then pour out onto working surface then knead till it forms into a ball. I added some basil oil in it as I find it a little dry and rough.

2. Wrap and cover with cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.

3. When ready, cut half of the dough, covering one. Press flat then pass through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Fold and roll out with the same settings a few times till its smooth.

4. Then gradually reduce the thickeness of the dough, then pass through whichever cutter you need and cover with a damp towel till ready to use.

5. Continue with the other halved dough.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio.

(for 1)

1 anchovies
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 strip bacon, cut (or 2 hehe)
1 tbsp dried chili flakes (or depending on your spiciness level)
dash of white wine
olive oil
salt and pepper
basil leaves, opt

100g spaghetti

1. In a pan, lightly fry bacon. Dish out and set aside. In the meantime, bring a pot of water, with salt to boil. Cook spaghetti (only takes about 3-4 minutes)

2. In the same pan, pour more olive oil then add in anchovies and garlic. Mash them all up and add in the bacon. Pour in a dash of white wine and let it reduce a bit.

3. Drain the spaghetti, save some of the pasta water. Toss spaghetti into the pan and add some chilli flakes. Add some of the pasta water if it looks dry. Season with salt and pepper (although I think salt wasnt needed cause of the anchovies)

4. Tear some basic leaves and scatter on top. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top. Serve immediately.

Best Curry Puff from Singapore on Old Klang Road?

Just a quick toe-dip back into the scheme of things:

We were drifting by Bloom Season Bakery at Scott Garden on Old Klang Road after a particularly underwhelming breakfast at Lorong Seratus Tahun when this caught my eye:

Tip Top's claim of offering the best chicken curry puff from Singapore got me all hot and bothered. The average Malaysian would know the feeling - that instant biological reaction to the combination of the words "Best" and "Curry Puff" only savoury curry filling encased in a greasy flaky pocket can mollify. In we went...

The puff came piping hot out from the kitchen (as it was barely 11AM) and certainly very impressive in size. But upon the first bite, the filling punctured my pastry craving, a blow to the gut. Overpowering with curry-powder and not much else. Even the generous quarter of hard-boiled egg failed to lift the package from the league of highway rest stop curry puffs.

Best Curry Puff from Singapore on Old Klang Road? I don't think so!! Keep looking, folks!

Tip Top The Puff Factory

Bloom Season Bakery

Ground Floor (next to Lorong Seratus Tahun)

289 Old Klang Road

58000 Kuala Lumpur

Winner Of Olympus Camera!

My Internet connection was restored by re-wiring the Internet and phone lines but the IP number was changed by the previous technician that I had engaged so the line was connected to the phone instead, which means I didn't have wi-fi service. The technician came tonight and hooked up the IP thing and all's well now. I am just thankful that the Internet disruption happened around Day 20 of the Jelliriffic! Challenge. I very nearly went crazy running between my Hub's office and home some nights, trying to post before midnight.

I thought of getting my son Wey to draw the number for the lucky winner of the Olympus camera but he and I are upset with each other. He's writing his SPM next Monday. Anyway. Today's a special date, 11.11.11, so I thought that I'll give the camera to the person who made the 111th comment. As I scrolled down the comments, I could see a friend from Melbourne, a reader who makes regular comments, another blogger in the Jelliriffic! Challenge--all people to whomI wish I could give a camera! Comment No. 110 was from someone I know and the winner would've been her if a comment before that was not deleted by the writer. Comment No. 112 was from a friend with whom I car pool. So guess who the 111th comment writer is? I'm so happy for her!

Zurinsaid...

Hey I missed this! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the colours and the idea behind it :))))) youre really on a roll :P

October 6, 2011 12:58 PM

Zurin is ! the blog ger behind Cherry On A Cake, a beautiful blog of true and tried recipes. You must visit her blog! Congrats, Zurin!

Vanilla Cupcakes Bake Off

Hummingbird's vanilla cupcakes on the left, Magnolia's on the right.


Hummingbird's cupcake pulled away unevenly because the batter was coarse while Magnolia's cupcake didn't stick so much to the paper.

Yes, it's cupcakes bake off of the recipes from two of the most famous bakeries in the world, Hummingbird Bakery in London, England and Magnolia Bakery in New York, USA.

I was fortunate to be able to squeeze myself into the Hummingbird Bakery in Portobello Street, London last year. Unfortunately, I had no idea that they were that famous so I didn't bother to queue for their most famous product, the red velvet cupcake. The bakery was so packed with tourists--Americans and Koreans--that I figured that it was one of those tourist wonders, you know the kind of establishments that tourists break their backs for but the locals wouldn't touch. Magnoli! a Bakery in New York is another one of those top bakeries the world is mad about. My top bakery is Miette in San Francisco even though I've never eaten any of their cakes. I am in love with Miette's Vanilla Tomboy, a beautiful, simple but elegant cake of chocolate layers sandwiched with vanilla frosting, with a single pink icing rose on top. Miette's cakes are the closest to my ideas of how cakes should be decorated--plain, simple but elegant. I was delighted that Rose Levy Beranbaum's Heavenly Cakes, a book I just received last month, had the recipe for Miette's Tomboy. Turned out that the girls behind Miette started baking with Rose's first cake cookbook, The Cake Bible. I've made one of Rose's choc cakes and it was superb. Get the book if you like baking.

Just by looking at the recipes, I knew that Magnolia's cupcakes would turn out better than Hummingbird's. I am biased towards, I admit, all things American (don't even get me started on Canadian). It wasn't the Brits who put a man on the moon or invented the computer or win the most Nobel Prizes for the last half century. Oops. Then again, I think Brit pop music is by far more superior than American music. The world's been getting rubbish music from America during the last ten years. Beatles, Queens, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and dozens more of top bands are all British. Okay, I know this is dangerous territory so let's go back to cupcakes.

Magnolia's vanilla cupcakes batter was fluffy and stiff while Hummingbird's batter was watery and flat. Also, Hummingbird's method was of mixing the flour and butter together was unusual because what you get is lumps which were hard to incorporate smoothly with the liqu! id. If I were to make Hummingbird's vanilla cupcakes again, I'd put everything into the mixer all at once. Magnolia's method of beating the butter and sugar and then adding the flour and milk was more conventional and ensured a smooth batter. However, there's nearly 3 times more butter in Magnolia's cupcakes and oddly, Hummingbird's cupcake batter though watery, rose more than Magnolia's and didn't fall.

Although both Magnolia's and Hummingbird's vanilla cupcakes tasted good, I declare Magnolia Bakery'svanilla cupcakes way better than Hummingbird's because the texture was soft and smooth and the cake was moist. However, if you like your cupcakes coarse and rustic (a useful word), then you'll be okay with Hummingbird's cupcakes. The only thing is when you serve Hummingbird's cupcakes to your friends, they might insist that their cupcakes are way better than yours.

Hummingbird's vanilla cupcakes.

Magnolia's vanilla cupcakes.

Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes (makes 2 dozens muffin-sized cupcakes/3 dozens cupcakes)
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose/plain flour
1 cup/2 sticks/225 gm unsalted butter, softened but still firm
2 cups sugar (I reduced by 1/2 cup and it was still too sweet for me)
4 large eggs, room temp
1 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven @ 170 C. Line two 12-cup muffin pans or 3 cupcake pans with paper cups.
2. Cream butter with the sugar until light and f! luffy.3. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift the flours together. Mix the milk with the vanilla extract.
5. Add the flour in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl.
6. Spoon batter into the lined cupcakes/muffins pan, 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Hummingbird Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes)
120 gm plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
140 gm caster sugar (I reduced to 120 gm)
pinch of salt
40 gm butter, room temp
120 ml whole milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven @ 170 C. Line a 12-hole cupcake pan with paper cups.
2. Sieve flour and baking powder into a mixer bowl, add sugar, salt and butter and beat with a paddle attachment at low speed until sandy and combined.
3. Gradually pour in 1/2 the milk and beat until just incorporated.
4. Put the remaining milk, egg and vanilla into a small beaker or bowl and whisk until well-combined.
5. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the flour mixture and beat until smooth; don't overbeat.
6. Spoon batter into paper cases 2/3 full and bake 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Note: I think it's even better to put everything into the mixer and beat until smooth.

Cupcakes Bake Off

Hummingbird's vanilla cupcakes on the left, Magnolia's on the right.


Hummingbird's cupcake pulled away unevenly because the batter was coarse while Magnolia's cupcake didn't stick so much to the paper.

Yes, it's cupcakes bake off of the recipes from two of the most famous bakeries in the world, Hummingbird Bakery in London, England and Magnolia Bakery in New York, USA.

I was fortunate to be able to squeeze myself into the Hummingbird Bakery in Portobello Street, London last year. Unfortunately, I had no idea that they were that famous so I didn't bother to queue for their most famous product, the red velvet cupcake. The bakery was so packed with tourists--Americans and Koreans--that I figured that it was one of those tourist wonders, you know the kind of establishments that tourists break their backs for but the locals wouldn't touch. Magnoli! a Bakery in New York is another one of those top bakeries the world is mad about. My top bakery is Miette in San Francisco even though I've never eaten any of their cakes. I am in love with Miette's Vanilla Tomboy, a beautiful, simple but elegant cake of chocolate layers sandwiched with vanilla frosting, with a single pink icing rose on top. Miette's cakes are the closest to my ideas of how cakes should be decorated--plain, simple but elegant. I was delighted that Rose Levy Beranbaum's Heavenly Cakes, a book I just received last month, had the recipe for Miette's Tomboy. Turned out that the girls behind Miette started baking with Rose's first cake cookbook, The Cake Bible. I've made one of Rose's choc cakes and it was superb. Get the book if you like baking.

Just by looking at the recipes, I knew that Magnolia's cupcakes would turn out better than Hummingbird's. I am biased towards, I admit, all things American (don't even get me started on Canadian). But there's a reason why it wasn't the Brits who put a man on the moon or invented the computer or win the most Nobel Prizes for the last half century. Oops. Then again, I think Brit pop music is by far more superior than American music. The world's been getting rubbish music from America during the last ten years. Beatles, Queens, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and dozens more of top bands are all British. Okay, I know this is dangerous territory so let's go back to cupcakes.

Magnolia's vanilla cupcakes batter was fluffy and stiff while Hummingbird's batter was watery and flat. Also, Hummingbird's method was of mixing the flour and butter together was unusual because what you get is lumps which were hard to incorpora! te smoot hly with the liquid. Magnolia's method of beating the butter and sugar and then adding the flour and milk was more conventional and ensured a smooth batter. However, there's nearly 3 times more butter in Magnolia's cupcakes and oddly, Hummingbird's cupcake batter though watery, rose more than Magnolia's and didn't fall.

Although both Magnolia's and Hummingbird's vanilla cupcakes tasted good, I declare Magnolia Bakery'svanilla cupcakes way better than Hummingbird's because the texture was soft and smooth and the cake was moist. However, if you like your cupcakes coarse and rustic (a useful word), then you'll be okay with Hummingbird's cupcakes. The only thing is when you serve Hummingbird's cupcakes to your friends, they might insist that their cupcakes are way better than yours.

Hummingbird's vanilla cupcakes.

Magnolia's vanilla cupcakes.

Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes (makes 2 dozens muffin-sized cupcakes/3 dozens cupcakes)
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose/plain flour
1 cup/2 sticks/225 gm unsalted butter, softened but still firm
2 cups sugar (I reduced by 1/2 cup and it was still too sweet for me)
4 large eggs, room temp
1 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven @ 170 C. Line two 12-cup muffin pans or 3 cupcake pans with paper cups.
2. Cream butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift! the flo urs together. Mix the milk with the vanilla extract.
5. Add the flour in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture. Scarpe bown sides of bowl.
6. Spoon batter into the lined cupcakes/muffins pan, 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Hummingbird Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes)
120 gm plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
140 gm caster sugar (I reduced to 120 gm)
pinch of salt
40 gm butter, room temp
120 ml whole milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven @ 170 C. Line a 12-hole cupcake pan with paper cups.
2. Put flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter into a mixer bowl and beat with a paddle attachment at low speed until sandy and combined.
3. Gradually pour in 1/2 the milk and beat until just incorporated.
4. Put the remaining milk, egg and vanilla into a small beaker or bowl and whisk until well-combined.
5. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the flour mixture and beat until smooth; don't overbeat.
6. Spoon batter into paper cases 2/3 full and bale 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

CARAMELIZED CAULIFLOWER SOUP

I had a nice big head of cauliflower in the fridge, knowing it would make for a nice soup or a puree of some sort, something easy. Im partial to roasting most vegetables this time of year, and there is something about the crusty edges and nutty taste of a roasted cauliflower floret that certainly shames any past habits of steaming. The high heat of the oven brings out the natural sugars in the vegetable and rounds them out, caramelizing them with charming flecks of brown, hence the color of my soup.

There are two ways to go with a cauliflower soup, depending how rich you want it. While the rainy days passed, I scribbled notes of browned butter, a bit of cream, maybe some shaved grano padano cheese on top. Then we went to San Francisco for a few days, and ate some pretty wonderful food, so I decided to scale back that decadence just a bit. Im all for those ingredients in moderation, but my favorite jeans were feeling snug, so here we are with a broth base and I dont feel like Im missing too much. If you want more richness, replace some of the broth with cream and dress it up with cheese or browned butter as you wish. Even after a good run in the food processor, there is some texture to this soup, so enjoy it for what it is.

In other news, weve been married a year this Sunday, so thats really exciting. Time flies when youre trying to figure out how to make a book together. I love, love. Like really love it.

CARAMELIZED CAULIFLOWER SOUP // Serves 4

I was eating some leftovers today and was thinking that if you halved the broth, this would make a nice puree underneath your protein of choice sort of a nice alternative to mashed potatoes. Just a thought.

1 Head Cauliflower (! about 3 lbs.)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Broth//
2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Shallot, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
3 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
1 tsp. Dried Thyme
1 Tbsp. White Balsamic Vinegar

Toppings//
1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Fresh Torn Bread, roughly 1 pieces
Ground Pepper
1/2 Cup Toasted Hazelnuts, Chopped
Fresh Thyme Leaves
Shaved Parmesan, optional

Preheat the oven to 450.
Cut the cauliflower into florets and spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle the fresh nutmeg and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper and toss everything to coat. Bake on the middle rack for about 35-45 minutes, tossing the cauliflower halfway through, until they are fully roasted and you see a good amount of brown edges. There is a pretty wide grace period here. Remove to cool.
While the cauliflower roasts, start the broth. Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes to soften. Add the vegetable broth, dried thyme and vinegar and warm through.
When the cauliflower is cool to touch, add it and the broth mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Taste for salt and pepper. If you want more contrast, add a bit more vinegar. Add it back to the saucepan to keep warm.
To make the croutons, heat the remaining oil in a small pan, add the torn bread and a pinch of ground pepper and stir it around for 5-8 minutes until crisp and the edges are browned.
Serve each portion with a few croutons, chopped hazelnuts and a pinch of fresh thyme leaves and shaved parmesan, if using.