Anyway to prove that I too can take those artistic food shots – here is some food porn from when I am not in the kitchen and just stuffing my face or touristing.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
How do they do it?!?
Seriously – there are some amazing cooking and baking blogs out there. And then there are some that are just food porn – I just drool over the pictures of the process these people take while working. But seriously – how in god’s name do these people do it?!?!?! When I am baking or prepping a meal – I’m on a strict timeline. And because I live in a city apartment, my kitchen is the size of some people’s third guest bathrooms – so there is the need to continuously clean my measuring cups, cutting boards, knives, etc as I move along. There is no way that I am able to bake and remember what my next 2 steps are suppose to be and frame a shot at the same time with the background tidy. I’M ONLY HUMAN WITH ONLY 2 HANDS AND A SEMI-FUNCTIONING BRIAN … BRAIN!!!! See I can’t even post correctly!
Anyway to prove that I too can take those artistic food shots – here is some food porn from when I am not in the kitchen and just stuffing my face or touristing.
Anyway to prove that I too can take those artistic food shots – here is some food porn from when I am not in the kitchen and just stuffing my face or touristing.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Perfection is over rated … right?
One problem with being an OCD-equse perfectionist is the fact that my baked goods aren’t coming out perfect. I made this amazing pumpkin cheesecake for an office potluck – but one problem that I have with cheesecake is the simple fact that I’ve never had one not crack on me. I studied my Joy of Cooking closer than any regulation or textbook on various styles of cheesecakes and various tricks to keep a cheesecake from cracking.
So this time I was aware and armed with what I needed to do. I had my spring form pan to make sure when I took the cake out of the pan that I would have minimal issued. I had 2 loaf pans in the oven to keep the oven a bit humid to keep it from drying out. I also made sure not to over beat my mixture prior to pouring to make sure that it doesn’t get too much air beaten into it. And when I took it out I cooled it overnight in the pan, on a rack, and a pot over it to slow the cooling process down to prevent it from cracking from a rapid decrease in temperature.
But with all these precaution the cheesecake cracked in transport to the office.
Sigh. While everyone raved about how fabulous the cheesecake was, and even I will admit that it was amazing, all I could obese over was that damn crack.
But here is the amazing recipe. Hope that your cheesecake is crackless.
PS – My baking time was much longer to achieve the right consistency. So use the baking time as reference.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Serves 10 to 12
1 graham cracker crust (recipe follows)
2/3 cup packed light of dark brown sugar + 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1 lb cream cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1. Firmly press the graham cracker crust into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Combine 2/3 of brown sugar, and all of the spices in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds. Gradually add the sugar mixture until smooth and creamy, about 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time until well-blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
5. Add pumpkin puree and beat until just blended.
6. Scrape the batter over the crust and smooth the top.
7. Place a cake pan or loaf pan of water in the oven to moisten the air. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325ºF and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center still looks moist and jiggles when the pan is tapped, about 10 minutes more.
8. Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and vanilla until well-blended. Pour on top of hot cake and tilt the pan to spread the topping evenly. Return to the oven for 7 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack and cover the pan and rack with a large inverted bowl or post so that the cake cools slowly. Let cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably 24 hours before serving.
Graham Cracker Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsp butter, melted, warm or cool
1/4 cup sugar
1. With a fork or a food processor, mix the ingredients well.
From The Joy of Cooking by Marion Rombauer Becker et. al. (1997, Scribner)
So this time I was aware and armed with what I needed to do. I had my spring form pan to make sure when I took the cake out of the pan that I would have minimal issued. I had 2 loaf pans in the oven to keep the oven a bit humid to keep it from drying out. I also made sure not to over beat my mixture prior to pouring to make sure that it doesn’t get too much air beaten into it. And when I took it out I cooled it overnight in the pan, on a rack, and a pot over it to slow the cooling process down to prevent it from cracking from a rapid decrease in temperature.
But with all these precaution the cheesecake cracked in transport to the office.
Sigh. While everyone raved about how fabulous the cheesecake was, and even I will admit that it was amazing, all I could obese over was that damn crack.
But here is the amazing recipe. Hope that your cheesecake is crackless.
PS – My baking time was much longer to achieve the right consistency. So use the baking time as reference.
The finished product looks like this ... I was too crushed about the crack that no pictures of the cheesecake were taken.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Serves 10 to 12
1 graham cracker crust (recipe follows)
2/3 cup packed light of dark brown sugar + 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1 lb cream cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1. Firmly press the graham cracker crust into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Combine 2/3 of brown sugar, and all of the spices in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds. Gradually add the sugar mixture until smooth and creamy, about 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time until well-blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
5. Add pumpkin puree and beat until just blended.
6. Scrape the batter over the crust and smooth the top.
7. Place a cake pan or loaf pan of water in the oven to moisten the air. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325ºF and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center still looks moist and jiggles when the pan is tapped, about 10 minutes more.
8. Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and vanilla until well-blended. Pour on top of hot cake and tilt the pan to spread the topping evenly. Return to the oven for 7 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack and cover the pan and rack with a large inverted bowl or post so that the cake cools slowly. Let cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably 24 hours before serving.
Graham Cracker Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsp butter, melted, warm or cool
1/4 cup sugar
1. With a fork or a food processor, mix the ingredients well.
From The Joy of Cooking by Marion Rombauer Becker et. al. (1997, Scribner)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Amazing or Craptastic?
Hello my poor neglected food blog. I’ve been going to eat at some amazing places lately and taking some amazing pictures. But I have been just too lazy lately to post them up. I also tend to forget what I want to post about so.
But right now a recap of places that I’ve eaten at that were amazing or craptastic.
Ray’s Steaks – OMG, Amazing! And their desserts are also amazing! If you go there, their chocolate mousse is a must. And if you are a fan of coconut – their coconut cream pie is the best I’ve ever had. A recap is coming.
Red Velvet – I’m sad to say that their Halloween Cupcake of the Day, Candy Bar Cake, was craptastic. I thought baking bits of kit kats, M&M’s, and snicker’s bars would be good. But it was dry and not tasty as well. And for my second favorite cupcake shop in DC, it was very disappointing.
Red Hook – AMAZING! The lobster rolls were super tasty and I didn’t feel like I was getting jibbed in the amount of lobster or anything. The fact that they had both the mayo based and butter drawn is also a very big plus. The shrimp rolls were okay, not a show stopper but something I won’t get again on purpose. Also the whoopee pies that they carry is also amazing – not too sweet and not dry for something that was stored in the freezer.
Larry’s Ice Cream – Mix. The Baklava was craptastic. I like it lighter and crisper. It was too soggy and dense. But the one ice cream that I had a bite of was almost amazing. It was a flavor that I would never pick, Cinnamon Raisin, but it did taste like an oatmeal raisin in an ice cream form. I will go back to explore this Dupont Circle ice cream shop better.
Ben’s Chili Bowl – As always amazing. It might seem like screwing up a chili cheese fries might seem hard, but it’s possible my friend. And for going there for dinner after the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, the line was quick.
My attempt at making cheese pop-overs – CRAPTASTIC! All I could think about were the amazing cheese pop-overs that Fogo de Chao gives their patrons for a while. So one morning I attempted to make them. And they were not poppy, cheesy, nor overy. L But I have an idea of where I went wrong and another attempt is in the future.
My attempt at making Apple Pie – AMAZING! It was the first time I’ve made a pie crust with my standing mixer. And this joy of cooking recipe is going to be making rotations in apple seasons.
And on this note – I’m going to bed. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to make it home in time to bake loaves of honey wheat bread. Hmmmmm …
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