Without question, one of my most favorite things to make, and eat, is bread. I get to make many types bread, 2 or 3 times per week, at the restaurant, including, but not limited to sour dough breads, white breads, wheat breads, quick breads, and sweet breads (not to be confused with the sweetbreads from the inside of a bovine, which I also like to cook and eat, but I digress). Man has been preparing breads for many thousands of years, and the baker trade is one of the oldest crafts in the world. Many places in the Bible talk of bread, both leavened and unleavened. There were arguments during the Greek and Roman times on whether white or brown bread was the best, an argument that apparently still goes on today. However, during the Roman times, only the rich ate the white bread, because sifting and collecting the ground white flour apparently took quite a bit of labor and resulted in small amounts. Loaves and rolls have even been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, some over 5000 years old. Probably not very tasty anymore, but impressive none-the-less. Needless to say, making bread is a very old trade. It is generally thought by archeological scholars that yeasts for leavening bread and brewing beer were discovered about the same time, and very likely by accident. Regardless of when or how, it is definitely to our benefit that both have been improved upon over time. I like bread and I like beer. Beer we will save for another blog (or two). Bread we will discuss now.
As I discussed above, bread baking dates back to ancient times, and not just the times of our grandparents (insert tasteless joke here). Over many centuries, bakers have learned to manipulate the basic ingredients of flour, water, salt and leavening to produce a vast variety of breads. Lucky for us as consumers, a renewed interest in the traditional craft of baking has seen a new rise in many new bakeries in recent years. We, as customers, are demanding an exciting new assortment of breads, and bakeries and restaurants, including the one where I work, are providing these new concoctions. I, for one, enjoy going to restaurants to investigate what they are serving in their bread course. Many times I’m either unimpressed, or quite disappointed. But on occasion, there is an opportunity to experience some wonderful and novel approach to using yeast and flour. Pure happiness. In all truthfulness, I can make an entertaining evening out of a crusty loaf of bread, cheese, fruit, dried meat or sausage and a wonderful bottle of wine or artisan beer. Life just doesn’t get much better than that.
Yeast breads can be dividing into two major categories; lean dough and rich dough. Lean dough, such as those used for crusty French and Italian breads; contain little or no sugar and fat. Traditional sourdough and rye breads are lean dough that requires special handling to bring out their unique flavor. Rich dough, such as brioche and challah, contain significantly more sugar and fat than lean dough breads. Finally, laminated or rolled-in dough, so called because the fat or butter is rolled into the dough in layers, are a type of rich dough used for baked goods such as croissants and sweetened Danish pastries. The egg and cream bread that we will discuss, and prepare, below falls into the classification of rich dough, though it can be used as an every day bread. I will also include a very nice wheat bread, the same one I use for my kid’s sandwich bread. This is also a very healthy and flavorful bread that is easy to make.
The first bread, which is an egg and cream bread, is pretty easy to make. You will notice that I refer to using my trusty KitchenAid mixer when making this bread. While you can, and I have, made this bread kneading the dough by hand (and my wife thinks it’s pretty sexy to watch me do, not sure why, buy I don’t ask), in the essence of time and cleanliness, I recommend using a mixer with a dough hook. Life becomes so absurdly easy when using one and the cleanup is a breeze. I got the base recipe for this bread from one of my many cookbooks, and I’m not even sure I remember which one. However, I have experimented and adjusted this recipe so many times, that it is truly my recipe. The same is true with the whole wheat bread recipe. Some things you do so many times and have so many adjustments, that it is OK to call it yours.
Finally a note on measurements. I do all, read ALL, my baking by weight measurement. One cup of flour packed down in a measuring cup is not the same as a cup of freshly sifted flour. Because the sifted flour is full of air pockets, it will have less flour in the cup. This really does count in baking, which is a chemistry experiment every time you do it. You will also find that doing the same recipe, even using the same brand of ingredients, will give you a noticeably different bread depending on the altitude where you are baking, the humidity levels and the temperature at which the dough will rise. I periodically address these issues as we move along, which I’m quite sure you are ready for me to do. I also will specify whether to use high gluten or bread flour as opposed to all-purpose flour. Sometimes I’ll use both.
Egg and Cream Bread
- This should make about three good size loaves of bread if done in 4.5” x 9” x 2.5”loaf pans. Personally, I like to make either braided loaves, good size boules (large round rolls), artisan style round loaves or long loaves. This is strictly up to you, as it is fun to play with how the bread will look.
Recipe:
¾ oz yeast
1 lb. 5 oz high gluten or bread flour
½ oz salt (please do not use table salt, use kosher or sea salt)
2 oz sugar
1 oz butter (softened a bit)
2 fl. oz heavy cream
2 medium to large size eggs
10 fl. oz warm (110 degree) water (this may change a bit)
Method:
You will need a relatively warm, moist place to proof your dough. I turn on my over to its lowest setting (170 degrees). When it has preheated, I turn it off and leave the door open just a bit. Using my oven thermometer, I try to get it down to about 120 degrees, which I consider a good temp for proofing. I also heat an oven proof skillet on the burner to get it very, very hot. When I put the dough in the oven for its first proofing, I put the skillet on the lower rack, quickly add water and shut the oven door. This keeps a very moist and relatively constant temperature that the yeast will like.
I prepare the entire recipe in the mixing bowl. First I weigh or measure out all of my ingredients and have them ready to add (also called mise en place in the culinary world). I then proof the yeast by adding the sugar and yeast to the mixing bowl and about 8 fl. oz of the warm water. Stir it around for a bit, and let it bubble and foam. After about 5 or 10 minutes, when the yeast and sugar mixture is really foamy, add the flour and then the rest of the ingredients. Using your nifty dough hook that came with the mixer, begin kneading the dough on a slow speed until everything seems incorporated. Add a little more warm water as needed to get the dough into a ball. Sometimes you may add too much water. If this happens, and the dough does not ball up in a couple of minutes, add a bit of All-Purpose flour (by the tablespoon) until it balls up again. If the dough just doesn’t ball up and seems sticky, that is OK. It will still make a pretty good bread. You can speed the mixer up a number at this time. Let the mixer continue to churn and roll the dough for about 10 minutes or so. While this is happening, get a bowl for your dough to proof in. I prefer a large stainless steel bowl, but any heat resistant bowl will probably work. Add a small amount of olive or vegetable oil and use a paper towel to coat the side and bottom of the bowl. When the dough has mechanically kneaded for approximately 10 minutes, use a plastic dough scraper, or any kind of flexible scraper, to scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl into the proofing bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel, set it on the upper rack of the warmed oven (this rack should be on the middle level to give room for the bread to rise), put the hot skillet on the lower rack, and add about ¼ cup of water quickly to the hot skillet and shut the oven door. Clean up your equipment.
This first proofing should take anywhere from 45 minutes to just over an hour to double in size. After it has doubled in size, remove the bowl, punch down a bit and remove from the bowl to a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts, and roll them up into a log to put in a loaf pan, or a ball to put on a baking sheet. I recommend using a layer of parchment paper (NOT wax paper, they are not the same) on the baking sheet if making rolls or artisan loaves. Put the formed bread dough back into the oven on the upper rack to proof a bit more, this time for probably 15 or 20 minutes. After this time, you should see a noticeable growth in the dough. Take the dough out of the oven, leave the skillet (hopefully ovenproof) in the oven, and turn the oven on to 425 degrees to preheat. As it preheats, get an egg out of the fridge, beat it in a bowl until well homogenized, get a basting brush or paint brush (I use a silicon brush), and a sharp knife or razor blade. Using the knife, cut some distinguishing marks on the top of the bread. For example, I either do three angled parallel lines, about ¼” deep, or two lines crossed in the middle. This makes the loaf look very artisan and interesting. Afterward, brush the entire visible part of the loaf with the egg wash. This will aid in the browning of the bread. When the oven is at the proper temperature, put the bread on the upper rack, and toss a bit more water, ¼ cup or so, into the skillet, and quickly shut the oven door. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until the top is GBD (Golden, Brown, and Delicious). When done, remove to a cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes or so. Slice and enjoy.
As with the cheesecake recipe, I will need to get some pictures added to this blog posting the next time I do bread at home, and my wife can capture the sequence on film.
Whole Wheat Bread
This recipe is prepared the same as above, so I’ll give the recipe and let you all experiment.
Recipe
½ oz yeast
2 ¼ cups warm water
1/3 cup honey
1 tb kosher or sea salt
4 tb butter
1 lb whole wheat flour
1 lb 2 oz high gluten or bread flour
Method:
Proof yeast with honey and 1 ¼ cup water. After it is all foamy, add the remaining ingredients and prepare as above. I make loaves with this bread, and use it strictly for making sandwiches and grilled cheeses. It is a very tasty bread that is quite healthy as well. Enjoy!
I hope you have enjoyed the long dissertation on basic bread making. These bread recipes will help you quite a bit when entertaining guests. I have used the egg and cream recipe to make the most magnificent pull-apart rolls for Thanksgiving Dinner. Instead of using an egg wash, you can just brush them with melted butter right before you put them in the oven. Small braided loaves look pretty awesome as well. Just take one of the three sections you have after the initial dough proofing, break it into three more sections and roll into equal length ropes. Braid them and pinch the ends together and down. Egg wash, and bake as above. Looks impressive.
Please leave any questions or comments in the comment area on the blog. I’ll do my best to answer them in a reasonably and timely manner.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Cheesecake in Paradise
Please forgive the lame attempt to adlib the refrain of a Jimmy Buffett song, but I just couldn't help myself. When I so cruelly teased everyone by sharing my daily tasks, I decided that I would create this blog so that I could pass along the recipes and methods for the many things I like to prepare. This blog, will not be limited to just food, but I will also share what I know, and what I learn, about beverages as well. Those that read my blogs will find that I like to cook. I really like to cook. I also like to make beer and cheese, and will attempt to make wine one of these days. To help grow my love for cooking, I also am a gentlemen farmer with a small (yet chaotic) organic farm (currently more of a weed farm than anything else, but that is another story), and I also am a hunter and fisherman. While I love most all foods, I prefer to have home grown or self harvested vegetables and meats. It is, without question, a healthier way to eat.
Enough about why, so let’s get into the what!
Cheesecake!
From the first time I put a bite of this silky, rich and creamy custard pie in my mouth, I was hooked. A good cheesecake melts in your mouth, with lingering sweetness rolling down the back of your tongue. The depth of how richly it coats your mouth allows you to hold the flavor for a long time, at least until you sip on that crispy, acidic Sauvignon Blanc you ordered to balance it out. Almost everyone loves a cheesecake. It is definitely one of those desserts that finish off a grand meal by filling up any and every spare open space in your tummy.
So how many different cheesecakes are there? More flavors than The Cheesecake Factory could even grasp. The possibilities are infinite. There are many different styles of cheesecakes as well, such as Italian, French, or New York Style. Almost every culture that uses cheese has some form of dessert that resembles what we Americans think of as cheesecake. However, because I am still an American, I will focus on our own famous New York Style Cheesecake. This cheesecake is an intensely rich and filling dessert, made almost exclusively from cream cheese, with a handful of eggs and flavorings thrown in. One thing you should make note of when finding your favorite cheesecake recipe. Find a good base recipe, then make adjustments when you wish to add new flavors. I’ll provide a good base recipe, the method for building and cooking it, and then how I will adjust it to create a phenomenal cheesecake that taste like a pina colada on a plate.
If you don’t have a KitchenAid or comparable type mixer, you might just want to buy yourself one for your Birthday or Christmas, or for some other occasion. It was, and still is, the most important piece of equipment in my home and restaurant kitchen. This is a big cheesecake recipe and will completely wear you out if you try to do it by hand with a whisk. I have the large, professional 6 quart size, but I have made worlds of desserts and breads with the smaller 4 ½ quart size, which is quite affordable.
Let’s get on to the base recipe. I have gone through many cheesecake bases over the years, but the one I purloined (as all good chefs do) from my current executive chef, James Ramsey at Silver and Stone in Georgetown (shameless plug for the restaurant), has become my mainstay recipe. I have changed it up somewhat to suit my style, but I like to give credit where credit is due. This base makes a very dense and luscious custard that will go along way at a party.
I use a 9” cake pan with 3” sides because I am of the opinion that all spring-form pans leak. No use in arguing the point with me, as I have argued it relentlessly with many chefs with years and years of experience. However, I will stick to my guns on this one because it is so much easier to use a pan that I know beyond any doubt will not leak. Enough of that rant.
For the cake pan you will need:
Melted butter
A basting or paint brush (preferably a silicon one)
Parchment paper (wax paper will NOT WORK!)
Method: paint the entire inside of the cake pan with the butter, cover the bottom with parchment paper, and put a strip of parchment paper along the sides all the way around and at least 1 or 2 inches above the rim for easy removal later. There is an easy technique for getting a reasonably circular cutout for the bottom. Cut a piece of parchment paper just bigger than the cake pan. Fold it like you are making a paper airplane, but keep folding it a few more times. Turn the cake pan over and place the point of the paper in the middle. Cut the paper at the edge by the cake pan, unfold, and you have a pretty good circle that will fit in the bottom.
The Crust:
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
Method: Mix everything together really well. I use a silicon spatula and make sure the butter completely coats all of the crumbs. When you feel that you have stirred the butter, sugar and cinnamon into the crumbs well enough, pour about ¾ of the mixture into the bottom of the parchment lined cake pan. Get something round with straight sides. I have a coffee cup that works perfectly. Smooth the crumbs out with the spatula, and then pack down the crumb mixture with the round something, moving from the inside of the pan to the outside. You need not push down hard. The weight of the something (coffee cup in my case) should be sufficient to pack the crumbs down enough. When this is smooth and packed down, bake the crust in the parchment lined cake pan for 10 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove and cool completely before adding the cream cheese base.
The Filling:
3 lbs of cream cheese (6 of those cute, little 8 oz. blocks at the store)
2 2/3 cups of sugar
5 whole eggs
2 tbs vanilla bean paste
* I like to use real vanilla beans, but if you are not sure how to remove the seeds, don’t waste the bean. You can also use straight vanilla extract at the same amount.
Method:
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Soften the cream cheese for a couple of hours. Cut it up and put it in the mixer. If by chance you have a food processor (Cuisinart, Robo Coupe, etc) that can handle 3 lbs. of cream cheese, then by all means use it. Chances are you do not, as that is industrial size and hard to get for the home cook and a bit expensive. Add the sugar and beat until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. You cannot over mix this cream cheese mixture, so don’t worry. Keep it going until the mixture is very creamy and smooth. Pour into the crust and lightly bounce it a couple of times to get the bubbles to the top. Poke them with a toothpick to get rid of them.
Now for the fun part. You will put the cheesecake in a Bain Marie, or a water bath. I recommend a pan that has a 2” side that will hold the entire cake pan with a little room to spare. Lay a small cotton towel down first. Put the cheesecake on top of that, then add boiling water about ½ way up the side of the cake pan. This will keep the temperature somewhat constant throughout the cooking time, which will be about 2 to 2 ½ hours. I check doneness by the jiggle test. Using a dry towel or hot pad, lightly tap on the side of the cake pan to see how much the cheesecake jiggles in the middle. Long, slow wavy jiggle, cake not done. Quick, firm jiggle, cake read to take out. I like to remove the cake from the Bain Marie, and leave the water bath in the oven to cool down. I hate, repeat, hate spilling almost boiling water on myself, so I just remove the cake and leave the water. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight. You want the cake well chilled.
Removing the cheese cake from the cakepan:
This is, without question, the fun and easy part. First, remove the cake from the refrigerator, and do not be tempted to start digging in. Fill your kitchen sink with hot tap water about 2 or 3 inches deep. Hold the pan in the hot water and count slowly to 10 or so. Have two things immediately available; a platter or cardboard cut out to place the cake on, and a cake pan that is larger than the cheesecake’s diameter. You will want to place a piece of wax paper over the bottom of the larger cake pan. Use a small knife to cut around the outer edge of the cheesecake between the cake and the parchment paper on the edge. Slowly pull out the parchment paper. If you must taste the cake, eat the remnants left on the parchment paper. I do. Now place the wax paper and the bottom of the larger cake pan over the top of the cheesecake. Quickly invert all and set on the counter. Slowly pull the cake pan off of the cheesecake, and replace with either the cardboard cutout, or the platter. Invert again, remove the larger cake pan, and slowly peel off the wax paper. You now have a very pretty cheesecake. If you like, you can use the remaining graham cracker crumb mixture to pat a coating on the sides of the cheesecake. Looks good, and tastes pretty good as well. Slice the cake however you like. I use a very long, thin slicing knife and cut completely across the cake until I have 10 or 12 pieces. You can cut a piece at a time also. We do this at the restaurant per order, and then jazz it up with many accoutrements, including fresh whipped cream (crème chantilly), strawberries, raspberries, or whatever else is available. I also like to make a silky Amaretto Chocolate Ganache to drizzle over the top as well. Be inventive and make something up. Almost anything will work with a New York Style Cheesecake.
But wait, Will. You said you were going to explain how to make the Mango, Pineapple Cheesecake!
Ah yes, and so I shall.
To make things interesting, you can add all sorts of flavorings to your base. I sometimes will pour ½ of my cheesecake base into the crust, add ganache to what is left in the mixer and beat it in, and then pour that in with the other already in the crust. Using a spatula I swirl it around a bit and cook as before. Tastes good, and presents well. What more could you want.
The Mango, Pineapple is what I want.
Oh yeah. OK, here goes. One thing you need to know about cooking with fresh pineapple is that it contains the enzyme bromelain, which is fantastice for breaking down tissue (makes a nice addition to a beef marinade). However, we do NOT want that in our cheesecake, so we must cook out the bromelain. Dice up a fresh pineapple to a small or medium dice, add 1 ½ cups to a small skillet or sauce pan, add ¼ of sugar, 1 fl. Oz. of a nice Rum, and cook over medium heat until the pineapple softens up, approximately 15 or 20 minutes. Let it cool completely. If you are going to use fresh mango, you can cook a cup of it, small dice, with an additional ¼ cup of sugar with the pineapple. I like to use a Mango puree and add approximately ¼ cup to the cheesecake cream cheese mix. This is completely up to you. When it is all said and done, you should add the cooked pineapple mix (1 ½ cups) and the mango puree ( ¼ cup) to the mix, and ½ cup of fresh grated coconut to the cream cheese mix. Mix it in really well, then bake as before.
This cheesecake really does taste like a pina colada on a plate. Garnish with heavy cream whipped with sugar and lime juice. 1 pint heavy cream, 2 or 3 Tbs granulated sugar, and 1 Tbs fresh lime juice should be the proper amounts. I also like to use the cooked pineapple, pureed and drizzled just over the cheesecake before I dollop a bit of the whipped cream. Add a fresh cut pineapple wedge as additional garnish.
While my directions may be a bit long and drawn out, it is really very simple. Alton Brown has a very good episode of Good Eats where he prepares a cheesecake. While his mix is very French, and very tasty, it is not very sturdy. However, he shows how to un-mold the cheesecake and gives good pointers on cooking. His cooking temps and times will NOT work with the above cheesecake method. Just thought I’d point that out.
This is a great cheesecake for a summer dinner party. Please give it a try and enjoy.
Leave me a comment, and let me know how it turned out. Also, don’t hesitate to email me any questions you may have.
Bon Appetit!
Chef Will
Enough about why, so let’s get into the what!
Cheesecake!
From the first time I put a bite of this silky, rich and creamy custard pie in my mouth, I was hooked. A good cheesecake melts in your mouth, with lingering sweetness rolling down the back of your tongue. The depth of how richly it coats your mouth allows you to hold the flavor for a long time, at least until you sip on that crispy, acidic Sauvignon Blanc you ordered to balance it out. Almost everyone loves a cheesecake. It is definitely one of those desserts that finish off a grand meal by filling up any and every spare open space in your tummy.
So how many different cheesecakes are there? More flavors than The Cheesecake Factory could even grasp. The possibilities are infinite. There are many different styles of cheesecakes as well, such as Italian, French, or New York Style. Almost every culture that uses cheese has some form of dessert that resembles what we Americans think of as cheesecake. However, because I am still an American, I will focus on our own famous New York Style Cheesecake. This cheesecake is an intensely rich and filling dessert, made almost exclusively from cream cheese, with a handful of eggs and flavorings thrown in. One thing you should make note of when finding your favorite cheesecake recipe. Find a good base recipe, then make adjustments when you wish to add new flavors. I’ll provide a good base recipe, the method for building and cooking it, and then how I will adjust it to create a phenomenal cheesecake that taste like a pina colada on a plate.
If you don’t have a KitchenAid or comparable type mixer, you might just want to buy yourself one for your Birthday or Christmas, or for some other occasion. It was, and still is, the most important piece of equipment in my home and restaurant kitchen. This is a big cheesecake recipe and will completely wear you out if you try to do it by hand with a whisk. I have the large, professional 6 quart size, but I have made worlds of desserts and breads with the smaller 4 ½ quart size, which is quite affordable.
Let’s get on to the base recipe. I have gone through many cheesecake bases over the years, but the one I purloined (as all good chefs do) from my current executive chef, James Ramsey at Silver and Stone in Georgetown (shameless plug for the restaurant), has become my mainstay recipe. I have changed it up somewhat to suit my style, but I like to give credit where credit is due. This base makes a very dense and luscious custard that will go along way at a party.
I use a 9” cake pan with 3” sides because I am of the opinion that all spring-form pans leak. No use in arguing the point with me, as I have argued it relentlessly with many chefs with years and years of experience. However, I will stick to my guns on this one because it is so much easier to use a pan that I know beyond any doubt will not leak. Enough of that rant.
For the cake pan you will need:
Melted butter
A basting or paint brush (preferably a silicon one)
Parchment paper (wax paper will NOT WORK!)
Method: paint the entire inside of the cake pan with the butter, cover the bottom with parchment paper, and put a strip of parchment paper along the sides all the way around and at least 1 or 2 inches above the rim for easy removal later. There is an easy technique for getting a reasonably circular cutout for the bottom. Cut a piece of parchment paper just bigger than the cake pan. Fold it like you are making a paper airplane, but keep folding it a few more times. Turn the cake pan over and place the point of the paper in the middle. Cut the paper at the edge by the cake pan, unfold, and you have a pretty good circle that will fit in the bottom.
The Crust:
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
Method: Mix everything together really well. I use a silicon spatula and make sure the butter completely coats all of the crumbs. When you feel that you have stirred the butter, sugar and cinnamon into the crumbs well enough, pour about ¾ of the mixture into the bottom of the parchment lined cake pan. Get something round with straight sides. I have a coffee cup that works perfectly. Smooth the crumbs out with the spatula, and then pack down the crumb mixture with the round something, moving from the inside of the pan to the outside. You need not push down hard. The weight of the something (coffee cup in my case) should be sufficient to pack the crumbs down enough. When this is smooth and packed down, bake the crust in the parchment lined cake pan for 10 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove and cool completely before adding the cream cheese base.
The Filling:
3 lbs of cream cheese (6 of those cute, little 8 oz. blocks at the store)
2 2/3 cups of sugar
5 whole eggs
2 tbs vanilla bean paste
* I like to use real vanilla beans, but if you are not sure how to remove the seeds, don’t waste the bean. You can also use straight vanilla extract at the same amount.
Method:
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Soften the cream cheese for a couple of hours. Cut it up and put it in the mixer. If by chance you have a food processor (Cuisinart, Robo Coupe, etc) that can handle 3 lbs. of cream cheese, then by all means use it. Chances are you do not, as that is industrial size and hard to get for the home cook and a bit expensive. Add the sugar and beat until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. You cannot over mix this cream cheese mixture, so don’t worry. Keep it going until the mixture is very creamy and smooth. Pour into the crust and lightly bounce it a couple of times to get the bubbles to the top. Poke them with a toothpick to get rid of them.
Now for the fun part. You will put the cheesecake in a Bain Marie, or a water bath. I recommend a pan that has a 2” side that will hold the entire cake pan with a little room to spare. Lay a small cotton towel down first. Put the cheesecake on top of that, then add boiling water about ½ way up the side of the cake pan. This will keep the temperature somewhat constant throughout the cooking time, which will be about 2 to 2 ½ hours. I check doneness by the jiggle test. Using a dry towel or hot pad, lightly tap on the side of the cake pan to see how much the cheesecake jiggles in the middle. Long, slow wavy jiggle, cake not done. Quick, firm jiggle, cake read to take out. I like to remove the cake from the Bain Marie, and leave the water bath in the oven to cool down. I hate, repeat, hate spilling almost boiling water on myself, so I just remove the cake and leave the water. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight. You want the cake well chilled.
Removing the cheese cake from the cakepan:
This is, without question, the fun and easy part. First, remove the cake from the refrigerator, and do not be tempted to start digging in. Fill your kitchen sink with hot tap water about 2 or 3 inches deep. Hold the pan in the hot water and count slowly to 10 or so. Have two things immediately available; a platter or cardboard cut out to place the cake on, and a cake pan that is larger than the cheesecake’s diameter. You will want to place a piece of wax paper over the bottom of the larger cake pan. Use a small knife to cut around the outer edge of the cheesecake between the cake and the parchment paper on the edge. Slowly pull out the parchment paper. If you must taste the cake, eat the remnants left on the parchment paper. I do. Now place the wax paper and the bottom of the larger cake pan over the top of the cheesecake. Quickly invert all and set on the counter. Slowly pull the cake pan off of the cheesecake, and replace with either the cardboard cutout, or the platter. Invert again, remove the larger cake pan, and slowly peel off the wax paper. You now have a very pretty cheesecake. If you like, you can use the remaining graham cracker crumb mixture to pat a coating on the sides of the cheesecake. Looks good, and tastes pretty good as well. Slice the cake however you like. I use a very long, thin slicing knife and cut completely across the cake until I have 10 or 12 pieces. You can cut a piece at a time also. We do this at the restaurant per order, and then jazz it up with many accoutrements, including fresh whipped cream (crème chantilly), strawberries, raspberries, or whatever else is available. I also like to make a silky Amaretto Chocolate Ganache to drizzle over the top as well. Be inventive and make something up. Almost anything will work with a New York Style Cheesecake.
But wait, Will. You said you were going to explain how to make the Mango, Pineapple Cheesecake!
Ah yes, and so I shall.
To make things interesting, you can add all sorts of flavorings to your base. I sometimes will pour ½ of my cheesecake base into the crust, add ganache to what is left in the mixer and beat it in, and then pour that in with the other already in the crust. Using a spatula I swirl it around a bit and cook as before. Tastes good, and presents well. What more could you want.
The Mango, Pineapple is what I want.
Oh yeah. OK, here goes. One thing you need to know about cooking with fresh pineapple is that it contains the enzyme bromelain, which is fantastice for breaking down tissue (makes a nice addition to a beef marinade). However, we do NOT want that in our cheesecake, so we must cook out the bromelain. Dice up a fresh pineapple to a small or medium dice, add 1 ½ cups to a small skillet or sauce pan, add ¼ of sugar, 1 fl. Oz. of a nice Rum, and cook over medium heat until the pineapple softens up, approximately 15 or 20 minutes. Let it cool completely. If you are going to use fresh mango, you can cook a cup of it, small dice, with an additional ¼ cup of sugar with the pineapple. I like to use a Mango puree and add approximately ¼ cup to the cheesecake cream cheese mix. This is completely up to you. When it is all said and done, you should add the cooked pineapple mix (1 ½ cups) and the mango puree ( ¼ cup) to the mix, and ½ cup of fresh grated coconut to the cream cheese mix. Mix it in really well, then bake as before.
This cheesecake really does taste like a pina colada on a plate. Garnish with heavy cream whipped with sugar and lime juice. 1 pint heavy cream, 2 or 3 Tbs granulated sugar, and 1 Tbs fresh lime juice should be the proper amounts. I also like to use the cooked pineapple, pureed and drizzled just over the cheesecake before I dollop a bit of the whipped cream. Add a fresh cut pineapple wedge as additional garnish.
While my directions may be a bit long and drawn out, it is really very simple. Alton Brown has a very good episode of Good Eats where he prepares a cheesecake. While his mix is very French, and very tasty, it is not very sturdy. However, he shows how to un-mold the cheesecake and gives good pointers on cooking. His cooking temps and times will NOT work with the above cheesecake method. Just thought I’d point that out.
This is a great cheesecake for a summer dinner party. Please give it a try and enjoy.
Leave me a comment, and let me know how it turned out. Also, don’t hesitate to email me any questions you may have.
Bon Appetit!
Chef Will
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