Satsuma Orange Cheesecake

This is by far my favorite cheesecake! Not too sweet, not too heavy and amazingly delicious. The orange and cream cheese combine into a complex orange cream flavor. I took this recipe one step beyond by making homemade whipped cream (with just a bit of sweetness) to dollop on the top. While not needed it is an awesome addition. I would not recommend store bought whipped cream as it would be too sweet for this cheesecake and overwhelm the delicate flavors.

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

3 TBS sugar

3 1/2 TBS butter, softened

1 large egg yolk

Filling:

12 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened

8 oz. full fat cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 TBS grated satsuma orange rind

1/4 cup fresh satsuma orange juice

4 large eggs

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

2. To prepare crust, lightly coat bottom of springform pan with butter.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Combine 3 TBS sugar and butter in a food processor, process until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, process until smooth.

Add flour mixture to food processor, process until just combined.

Firmly press mixture into bottom of springform pan. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.

4. Combine cream cheeses in a food processor, process 30 seconds until smooth. Add 3/4 cup sugar, process 30 seconds. Add sour cream, rind and juice; process 30 seconds. Add eggs 1 at a time, processing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, process 10 seconds.

Pour mixture into prepared crust.

Place pan in large baking pan. Add hot water to baking pan to a depth of 1 inch to form a water bath. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes until cheese cake center barely moves when touched. Turn off oven, let stand 30 minutes before removing. Remove cheesecake from oven and water bath. Run a knife around the outside edge. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill.

* optional whipped cream topping can be added just before serving.

Chocolate Puddin' Pie

This is for all you chocolate lovers out there. Get ready because this chocolate puddin' pie is AMAZING and rich and smooth and deeeeeelicious! Coo'king Li'ght inspired!

Crust:

Chocolate wafers (I estimated 3 - 4 hand fulls ... the recipe calls for 30 but it really depends on the size of the wafer - I used the chocolate kitty cookies from Trader Joes)

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

2 TBS butter, melted

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup reduced fat milk, divided

2 large egg yolks

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 TBS rum (I used dark but the recipe calls for white)

whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp sugar

1. To prepare crust, place wafers in food processor, process until finely ground. Add 3 oz melted chocolate and butter, process until blended. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze the plate 15minutes or until set.

2. To prepare the filling, combine sugar, cornstarch, coca, and salt in a large saucepan. Stir with a whisk. Add half of milk and 2 yolks, stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir in the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes OR until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 4 oz chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in rum. Pour filling into prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving sides loose to vent. Chill 4 hours or until set.

3. While pie cools, make whipped cream by pouring the whipping cream into a bowl, add vanilla and sugar, beat on high until fluffy. Cover and set in fridge until dessert time then top pie with whip cream!

Roasted Banana Puddin'

If you love banana puddin' as much as I do, you have to try this recipe. It's amazing. Really. I had never roasted bananas before but it was easy so don't be put off by this unusual step. The bananas will turn black on the outside and soft on the inside.

This recipe appeared in Cookin.g Ligh.t August 2011. I made some alterations including making my own whipped cream rather than use frozen whipped topping. I also used slightly less sugar than is listed below as well as deciding it is not worth the time to roast the remaining bananas for an additional 20 minutes. If you like sweet use the full 2/3 cups sugar, if you like a little-bit sweet use less. I also listed the specific kind of vanilla wafers and whipping cream I used but understand those folks who are not local will have to use whatever brand they can find.

Roasted Banana Puddin'

6 ripe unpeeled bananas

2 cups 2% milk

2/3 cup sugar, divided

2 TBS cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 TBS butter

3 tsp vanilla extract, divided

1 pint whipping cream (Maple View dairy)

vanilla wafers (Trader Jo.es)

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place 4 bananas on a jelly-roll pan covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Carefully peel and place the bananas in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.

(the recipe calls for removing 3 of the bananas and to continue to roast the remaining bananas for an additional 20 minutes. I did this but could not really tell the difference in taste or texture and recommend removing all the bananas at this time)

3. Peel remaining 2 un-roasted bananas and slice. Set aside.

4. Combine milk and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly (do NOT boil). I used a scant 1/3 cup of sugar.

5. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Gradually add hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Return mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 3 minutes). Add mashed bananas, butter and 2 tsp. vanilla, stirring until butter melts. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until mixture comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

6. Spread 1 cup custard evening over the bottom of 11X7 inch baking dish. Top with some vanilla wafers and some banana slices. Repeat layers ending with wafers. Refrigerate for 1 hour until chilled.

7. While dish is cooling, make the whipped cream. Pour whipping cream into a large bowl, add ~ 1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste) and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, whip on med-high or high until fluffy and peaks can be formed. Spread over banana puddin' before serving.

ENJOY!

Phyllo dough fried figs and apples

This is a modified, Amy-made version of a similar recipe I found on-line a few weeks ago.

Ingredients:
phyllo dough, thawed and ready to use
dried figs, stems cut off
finely cubed fresh peeled apple
smoked mozzarella or provolone cheese, small thinnish pieces
brown sugar
melted butter (for spreading on phyllo dough layers)
oil (for frying)

1. Cut phyllo dough into squares - roughly 3x3 seemed to work but no need to bust out a ruler!
2. Pace small piece of cheese, about 1/8 - 1/4 tsp brown sugar and either a piece of dried fig or apple on top
3. Gently wrap phyllo dough around ingredients, adding 2 or 3 more phyllo dough layers
4. Heat oil in non-stick skillet over med-high heat and fry phyllo dough bundles 2min on each side until golden brown.

Frozen sorbet pie

Here is a super simple and extra yummy desert that is perfect for the hot days of summer.

Frozen sorbet pie

1 pint raspberry sorbet (or strawberry or whatever flavor you like)
1 Oreo cookie pie crust
1 - 2 cups whipped topping (cool whip)
dark chocolate shavings

Soften the sorbet and whipped topping enough to be able to spread into the pie crust but make sure it is not melted

1. Smooth sorbet into the bottom of chocolate pie crust.
2. Smooth whip topping on top of sorbet
3. Sprinkle dark chocolate shavings on top of whip topping
4. Freeze for about 1 hour or longer.

EAT!!!!!

Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte

This was my first attempt at making a fancy dessert for the holidays. I usually make some sort of cheese cake, which are always my favorite, but this year I decided to go a different route and everyone appreciated the deviation. This dessert is not difficult to make but demands patients and time. It can and needs to be made ahead, which is nice for the busy holiday season.

I made some minor adjustments to the original recipe found in Cook.ing Li.ght because the pumpkin ice cream was too pumpkiny for my taste. I am posting the directions as I made it.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup ginger snap cookie crumbs
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS finely chopped pecans
4 TBS butter, melted
3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
9 cups vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cup reduced fat Coolwhip
jarred caramel topping

1. Preheat oven 350
2. Combine first 5 ingredients (mixture will be crumbly). Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom of a 9 - inch springform pan lightly coated with oil or cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Combine pumpkin and the next 4 ingredients (through cloves) in a bowl. Soften 7 cups ice cream, add to pumpkin mixture, stirring to blend. Spoon half mixture into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, freeze 1 hour until firm (this took alot longer because I softened the ice cream too much). Refreeze remaining pumpkin icecream.
4. Soften remaining 3 cups vanilla ice cream. Spread over pumpkin ice cream layer in pan. Cover then freeze 1 hour until firm.
5. Soften remaining pumpkin ice cream ADDING 1 1/2 cups Coolwhip. Spread over vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze 8 hours until firm.

Let sit out 10 minutes or so before serving. Heat jarred caramel topping and drizzle over the top of each slice before serving. YUMMY!!!!!

Anger Cookies

I took two nights off from cooking, hence the lack of recipes posted here. Well, that would actually be three nights off because we went out to dinner with some friends last night. We ate really bad veggie burgers on Thursday night and much better veggie burgers Friday night. Thursday is my late night at work, so Jason usually cooks burgers or some other easy meal. I chose a new kind of burger to try, and they were pretty bad. Friday I was in a terrible mood - angry at the world - and did not feel like making dinner. So, we used up our easy meal again, and ate veggie burgers which were thankfully better.

As an effort to deal with my anger on Friday, I went into the kitchen to make cookies. For some reason baking seemed like an appropriate action to take - I needed to channel my negative energy into something before risking spontaneous combustion! There was cocoa powder in the pantry and dark chocolate chips waiting to be used. I found a recipe on line for double chocolate chip cookies and got started.

I am historically an awful cookie maker. Actually, if it is sweet and needs to enter into the oven, I should not try to make it. But, my anger seems to be the secret to good baking, and the cookies are fabulous! No love in these chocolate delights, but they are extra tasty!

Amy's Angry Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter at room temp

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 bag Ghiordeli 60% cocoa chocolate chips (How do you spell that?)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugars in a bowl with mixer on high speed.

Lower to medium and add egg and vanilla.

Mix flour and remaining dry ingredients through salt with a whisk.

With mixer on low, add dry ingredients to butter mix. Beat until combined.

Add entire bag of chocolate chips.

Spoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes.