Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Mini Rosemary Cheesecakes with Caramel Apple Topping

October 6, 2011

I’ve still got mini cheesecakes on my mind. You can never have too many around, right? Well, I suppose that’s not entirely true, but people are usually happy to help out with any surplus goodies!

For this version, I mixed some rosemary into the cheesecake batter. Our rosemary plant is super hearty and growing out of control, so I’m always brainstorming ways to use up some of its leaves. This is tougher than it sounds since a small bit of rosemary goes such a long way! I really enjoyed the little something special it added.

For the crust, I pulsed up some graham crackers and pine nuts, and then I smothered the cheesecakes with a nice layer of caramel that dripped down the sides. Finally, I topped the caramel layer with some finely chopped apples cooked down with a little bit of butter and brown sugar. These cute minis are the perfect fall treat to make after you’ve been apple picking!

Mini Rosemary Cheesecakes with Caramel Apple Topping
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Mini Rosemary Cheesecakes:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (5 crackers pulsed into crumbs in the food processor)
1/4 cup pine nuts, pulsed until finely ground in the food processor
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

Caramel Apple Topping:
2 apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup caramel sauce (this is my favorite recipe)

Directions:
To make the mini cheesecakes, heat oven to 350˚F. Spray a 12-cup mini cheesecake pan with cooking spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, pine nuts, and melted butter in a small bowl. Distribute evenly among the cups of the mini cheesecake pan and push down evenly with your fingers. Bake at 350˚F for 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Reduce oven heat to 300˚F. Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium-high speed with a mixer for 3 minutes or until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla extract and rosemary. Pour into the cups of the mini cheesecake pans and bake at 300˚F for 20 minutes or until edges are set and middle is slightly wobbly. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until chilled and remove from the pan.

Meanwhile, make the caramel apple topping by placing apples, butter, and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat; sauté for 10 to 12 minutes, or until apples are softened and lightly browned. To serve the cheesecakes, evenly top with caramel sauce and the apples. Makes 12 mini cheesecakes.

Nutrition: 298 calories, 19.9g fat, 1.3g fiber, 3.9g protein per mini cheesecake
Cost: $0.62 per mini cheesecake

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Mini Brownie Cheesecakes with Caramel Peanuts

October 2, 2011

A few weekends ago, I completed the Buzzard’s Bay Sprint Triathlon! This tri consisted of a 1/3 mile swim, 14.7 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run. My official time was 1:34:08, so my splits were almost exactly the same as the ones from the tri I did last year, but I felt so much stronger during this race! I definitely met my goals of really taking in every moment, enjoying the race, and not going out too fast.

The ocean swim was a little tough because it was pretty windy so there were a bunch of choppy waves. Luckily, I’m a confident swimmer, so I just went for it and finished in 10:43.

I usually swim sub-25 minute miles during practice, so this was actually a little on the slow side for me, but then again it’s hard to compare pool and open water swims. Along with the waves and chilly water (most people had on wetsuits, but I just toughed it out), the shore conditions also slowed us all down a bit because the beach was really rocky!

Next up was the bike section. The course was beautiful and although it was still a little windy, there were only a couple of hills and most of the course was pretty flat.

Since I’m a little uncoordinated, I’ve begun wearing a camelback when I ride, and I love it – no more fears of dropping my water bottles! I did much better on my passing this year too and averaged 17 miles per hour.

I felt nice and strong during the 5K run and even felt like I could have kept going! This was a huge contrast to my last tri so I was really happy about it. My feet were a little numb/cold during the first mile, but they warmed up quickly and I averaged 9:01 per mile. Yay, all done!

Races are so fun and I can’t wait to do another one next year! One of my favorite parts of racing is seeing how cute Apolinaras is about them. He takes a ton of pictures while he’s cheering and always rushes over with extra layers of clothes because he’s worried I’ll get too cold when I’m done. I also really love how supportive the women tend to be of each other. It’s not uncommon for us to encourage each other during the race!

Anyway, during high school, we usually headed to Dairy Queen after summer swim meets, where I always devoured a Peanut Buster Parfait. So, today’s recipe is a little twist on one of my favorite refueling treats. These little cups have a bottom brownie layer and middle cheesecake layer. Then I mixed caramel with some peanuts to top them off. So good!

Mini Brownie Cheesecakes with Caramel Peanuts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake Layer:
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Peanut Layer:
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 cup caramel sauce (this is my favorite recipe)

Directions:
To make the brownie layer, heat oven to 350˚F. Microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwavable bowl at high power until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir until combined, then mix in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and then add in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in flour and salt. Spread the brownie mixture evenly into 12 cups of a muffin pan lined with paper cups. Bake at 350˚F for 12 minutes .

Meanwhile, make the cheesecake layer. Place cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and mix with a mixer for 2 minutes or until well combined. Beat in two eggs and vanilla extract, scraping down bowl, until well combined.

Spread cheesecake mixture evenly over 12 partially baked brownie cups. Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set on edges and center is almost set but just slightly wiggly. Cool 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then remove from the tin and cool 15 minutes at room temperature on a wire rack. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour or until chilled.

To serve, remove paper muffin cups and place mini cheesecakes on serving plates. Place caramel sauce and roasted peanuts in a medium bowl and mix well. Spoon caramel coated nuts evenly over each mini brownie cheesecake. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 385 calories, 25.6g fat, 1.0g fiber, 6.7g protein per cup
Cost: $0.73 per cup

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Helmand Hamburgers

September 28, 2011

Way back in April, a few Boston bloggers and I had the pleasure of meeting Joanne, the hilarious voice behind Eats Well With Others, while she was in town to run the Boston Marathon. I know, I know, you’re jealous, right? She’s awesome! We enjoyed dinner at The Helmand, where I was very excited to try Afghani food for the first time. Everything was tasty, but I was especially blown away by the delicious Kaddo appetizer, which was pumpkin seasoned with sugar, served on a garlic yogurt sauce, and topped with a tomato ground beef sauce. The flavors just worked perfectly together, and I immediately thought it would be fun to twist this dish into a burger!

I settled on making spiced tomato ground beef burgers atop a sweet pumpkin and butternut squash pancake smothered in a garlic yogurt sauce. I actually waited for autumn to work on this recipe in anticipation of using pumpkin puree and shredded butternut squash in the pancakes! I also did a little research online to figure out which spices to use in the patties and ended up mixing in garlic, coriander, and turmeric. And, I discovered that dried mint is sometimes used in the Kaddo yogurt sauce, so I stirred some of that in as well. I really love how almost any dish can inspire a unique burger!

Helmand Hamburgers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried mint flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sweet Pumpkin and Squash Pancakes:
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 cups coarsely grated butternut squash
1 large egg, whisked
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons canola oil

Afghani Spiced Patties:
1/2 cup grated yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
2 teaspoons salt
2 pounds ground beef (I used organic 85/15)

Assembly:
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Directions:
To make the yogurt sauce, mix yogurt, garlic, mint flakes, and salt together in a small bowl until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the sweet pumpkin and squash pancakes, place pumpkin puree and sugar in a small nonstick stockpot over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring well. Place pumpkin in a large bowl and mix in grated butternut squash, egg, flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide into 6 equal portions. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and drop 3 of the divided mounds of the pumpkin/squash mixture into the pan. Press down slightly with a spatula until pancakes are about the same size as the hamburger buns. Fry 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 3 portions of the pumpkin/squash mixture.

Meanwhile, make the patties, place the onion, garlic, tomato paste, coriander, tumeric, and salt in a large bowl. Gently but thoroughly mix in the ground beef and shape the mixture into 6 patties. Place patties on a greased grill pan over medium high heat and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked to desired doneness.

To assemble the burgers, place a sweet pumpkin and squash pancake on the bottom piece of each bun. Place a patty on top of the pancake and evenly spread the yogurt spread on top of each burger and cut side of the burger tops. Add the burger tops and serve. Makes 6 burgers.

Nutrition: 811 calories, 43.5g fat, 7.8g fiber, 38.6g protein per burger
Cost: $2.65 per burger

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Apple Coffee Layer Cake

September 24, 2011

I’ve often wondered why I’ve never seen a layered coffee cake. It just seems like stacking coffee cakes on top of each other would make the presentation so much more festive! I recently couldn’t help but try out this idea when I was baking a birthday treat for us to enjoy during one of our weekly morning lab meetings.

I felt it was important to cram as many apples as possible into the cake since it’s apple season. I also thought it would ideal to have the apples at the top of each cake layer, so I baked the cakes in two different pans. For the bottom layer, I made an upside down apple cake, similar to this one (but I was somehow out of butter so I used some oil in this version, along with less cardamom and a cup of buttermilk that I needed to use up instead of sour cream – feel free to use either cake variation!), so there was a layer of apples at the bottom of a 9-inch round pan and batter on top. Then when I flipped the pan over, the apples were nicely baked into the top of the cake. I spread a bit of cream cheese frosting on this apple layer. Next, I whipped up the top layer of the cake in a 9-inch springform pan, so first I put in the batter, then a layer of apples, and finally the perfect amount of streusel. I even got the top cake layer out of the pan nicely without having to use my dental floss trick! I don’t usually gravitate towards sweets for breakfast, but who can resist apples, streusel, and cream cheese frosting?

Apple Coffee Layer Cake
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Apple Layer for Bottom Cake:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Cake Layers:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Apple and Streusel Layer for Top Cake:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the apple layer for the bottom cake, mix butter and brown sugar together in a small bowl. Spread mixture evenly in greased 9-inch round cake pan. Fan apple slices in two concentric circles on top of the sugar mixture.

To make the cake layers, heat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan for the top cake layer. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the canola oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and eggs until well combined. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the large bowl with the wet ingredients until smooth.

To make the top layer cake streusel layer, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, almond meal, and flour in a small bowl.

To prepare the cakes, pour half the batter into the bottom layer cake pan with the apples. Pour the other half into the prepared 9-inch springform top layer pan. Fan apple slices in two concentric circles on top of batter and top evenly with streusel layer. Bake cakes at 350˚F for 35-40 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes or until the cake comes away from the edges of the pan, then run a knife around the outside of the pan, and immediately invert the bottom layer cake on a serving platter. Remove the sides of the springform pan for the top layer cake and allow to cool completely.

To make the cream cheese frosting, place the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.

To assemble the cake, spread frosting evenly over the bottom layer cake on the serving platter. Place top layer cake on top. Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition: 420 calories, 19.5g fat, 1.7g fiber, 4.4g protein per serving
Cost: $0.80 per serving

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French Onion Mac & Cheese

September 20, 2011

Umm, so if you’re watching your weight, you may want to click back to the last page you viewed right about now…. I tend to cook healthy dishes most of the time, but decided to go all in on this one and it was so worth it! I was in the mood for some comfort food this week, and my cute little French Onion Soup bowls were begging to be used again, so I dreamed up this French Onion Mac & Cheese!

Uh huh, cavatappi pasta mixed with a creamy fontina, asiago, and mascarpone cheese sauce and a healthy dose of caramelized onions (which just make everything better!). I didn’t stop there though. In order to mimic the soup, I filled up the bowls with my mac & cheese and topped them with some croutons and grated gruyere cheese. So rich and indulgent and definitely my favorite mac & cheese recipe so far. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

French Onion Mac & Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large yellow onions, sliced (9 cups)
1 pound cavatappi pasta
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
2 cups shredded asiago cheese
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups croutons
3 cups shredded gruyere cheese

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until caramelized.

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in a large pot with the caramelized onions.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and mix in fontina, asiago, and mascarpone cheeses, and salt. Heat 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, whisking occasionally. Mix cheese sauce with cooked pasta and caramelized onions in the large pot. Pour pasta into 8 oven-safe dishes, preferably French Onion soup bowls! Place dishes on a large cookie sheet.

Heat oven broiler. Top bowls filled with mac & cheese evenly with croutons and shredded gruyere cheese. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 993 calories, 60.2g fat, 5.8g fiber, 42.2g protein per serving
Cost: $2.50 per serving

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Roasted Fig Arugula Salad with Cornbread Croutons

September 16, 2011

I recently checked out Upstairs on the Square with these lovely ladies and enjoyed a grilled halumi and fig salad nestled in a cornmeal crepe. I loved this combination of flavors and when I scored some fresh figs the other day at Costco, I immediately put them to use in this plate of greens.

My salad was a mix of arugula, sweet honey roasted figs, and salty pecorino romano cheese with a light balsamic vinaigrette. To add some crunch, I made a batch of cornbread croutons with pecorino romano mixed in the batter. Only half the batch made it in the salad (oops..), but I think any more would have been overkill anyway. I can’t remember where I first saw cornbread croutons, but it’s such a great idea and now I want to experiment with other quick bread croutons – maybe pumpkin now that there’s a chill in the air!

Roasted Fig Arugula Salad with Cornbread Croutons
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Cornbread Croutons
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Roasted Figs
2 pounds figs, stemmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Salad Assembly
10 ounces baby arugula
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette
4 ounces shaved pecorino romano cheese

Directions:
To make the cornbread croutons, heat oven to 350˚F. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together butter, eggs, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until most of the lumps are dissolved and then stir in cheese. Pour the batter into a greased 8×8-inch square pan. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about an hour, and cut into crouton-sized cubes. Heat oven to 400˚F and place cubes on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 400˚F, then flip over the cubes and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

To make the roasted figs, heat oven to 400˚F. Place figs on a large cookie sheet cut side up. Drizzle figs evenly with honey and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Roast at 400˚F for 15 to 20 minutes.

To assemble the salad, place arugula, balsamic vinaigrette, shaved pecorino romano, roasted figs, and half the cornbread croutons in a large bowl and toss until well mixed. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 510 calories, 20.5g fat, 5.5g fiber, 15.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.45 per serving

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Indian Spiced Chicken and Potato Cakes

September 12, 2011

Whew, what a week! We moved and are finally mostly unpacked, although the guest bedroom is still a bit of a disaster and we need to go shopping for a few accessories (rugs, mirrors, etc). The most important room is completely organized and fully functional already though – the kitchen, of course! I made a super easy meal the third night in our new place – Mediterranean Couscous with chicken sausage, and it was so nice to have a home cooked meal after too many nights of takeout. And tonight, I finally found enough time to whip something up for my blog!

I made golden mashed potato cakes stuffed with shredded chicken, peas, and a bunch of Indian spices. The chicken addition was inspired by my Avocado Chicken Cakes. Can’t wait to cook again!

Indian Spiced Chicken and Potato Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups cooked shredded chicken (I poached 4 chicken breasts)
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
7 tablespoons of your favorite chutney or Greek yogurt (I mixed a bit of tamarind sauce with Greek yogurt)

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add ginger and garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Add coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and salt. Immediately remove from heat and stir until spices are fragrant.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato chunks to the pot and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl; stir in milk and butter until smooth. Mix in cooked onion mixture and flour until smooth. Stir in chicken and peas. Shape mixture into 14 cakes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet. Add 3 cakes and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining oil and cakes. Drizzle chutney evenly over cakes. Makes 7 servings of 2 cakes each.

Nutrition: 608 calories, 21.2g fat, 6.0g fiber, 39.2g protein per serving
Cost: $1.73 per serving

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Creamy French Onion Soup

September 5, 2011

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! We celebrated by splurging on the tasting menu at Craigie on Main and enjoyed every bite. I also recently got a little present from the Fairy Hobmother. I left a comment on Joanne’s post that I needed a new immersion blender and was delighted that the Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online granted my wish! She is spreading cheer throughout the blogging world and if you leave a comment on this post and make a wish, she might also visit you!

I wanted to make a soup first with my new gadget because I was also itching to use my adorable new soup bowls. I love French Onion soup, but hate it when the slices of onion slip off my spoon, so I decided to puree the red and yellow caramelized onions in my soup with the immersion blender. I also poured in a bottle of beer (Allagash White!) to add an extra layer of flavor along with the traditional beef broth. I topped the soup with a layer of croutons and creamy fontina cheese – yum!

The fine print: The Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online sent me a complimentary immersion blender, but I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are mine.

Creamy French Onion Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions, sliced (6 cups)
2 large yellow onions, sliced (6 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 12-ounce Allagash White beer (or a Belgian style wheat beer)
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups croutons
2 cups shredded fontina cheese

Directions:
Heat butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large nonstick stockpot. Add onions, cover, and cook 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until caramelized. Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Add beer and simmer 5 minutes. Add beef broth and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth and stir in apple cider vinegar.

Heat oven broiler. Place four heat safe bowls on a large cookie sheet and ladle soup into the bowls. Top evenly with crotons and shredded cheese. Broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 590 calories, 16.8g fat, 7.2g fiber, 21.3g protein per serving
Cost: $3.20 per serving

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