Just an Old Fashioned Cheese Cake {Recipe: Cheese Cake}

This recipe comes from my husband's grandmother. It is the only recipe we have of hers. The recipe is written as a "Cheese Cake" as opposed to cheesecake. It is very different from the cheesecakes I grew up with. Until I tried this cake, I had only had cheesecake made with cream cheese. This recipe uses pot cheese or farmer cheese. This cheese gives the cake a very different texture. 

My mother-in-law gave me a handwritten and illustrated cookbook of family recipes which I treasure. This recipe is included in the book. Because it is the only recipe we have from my husband's grandmother, I want to preserve it here as well. 

This recipe is good, but after making it, I will likely make a few changes to suit our tastes. Mainly, I will cut down on the sugar next time, maybe to 1 cup. In addition, I think lemon zest from 1 lemon would be good in this. My husband's family always served it plain, but I think berries are a must. As shown, I topped it with a bit of blackberry compote and fresh berries. 

Cheese Cake

This recipe is written as my mother-in-law wrote it. The italicized notations I made are to clarify and modify slightly. 

Ingredients

6 eggs

2 cups sugar

little salt (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

1-1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons vanilla 

2 pounds pot cheese* 

1 pint sour cream

Beat eggs, add sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add cheese, sour cream, and vanilla. Pour into a buttered spring mold** and bake at about a 250ºF until done. Test by inserting a silver knife in the center of the cake. It will take about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours.***Turn off hear and let cake remain in oven for another hour. Remove and allow to cool. Baking time is tricky, you may have to bake it longer. The recipe does not state this, but, after cooling, it should be refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before serving. 

*Pot cheese is difficult to find. Farmer cheese can be used instead. It should be put through a foley mill. (If you don't have a foley mill, I would think putting it in a food processor would work. The cheese can be used as is, but the cake would have more texture to it). 

**I lined the pan with parchment. 

***This cake took over 4 hours to bake before I turned the oven off for the additional hour. It took this long for the cake to set. After doing a little research, apparently this is okay. Cooking a cheesecake low and slow can prevent cracking. It didn't have any cracks!

This is the note my mother-in-law wrote at the bottom of the recipe:

"This is a heavy old fashioned cheese cake but good"

Enjoy!

Discontinued? No Problem {Recipe: Bakery Style Honey-Glazed Bran Muffins}

Our local donut shop used to make the best honey bran muffins, but discontinued making them. They were one of my favorites, so I decided to figure out how to make them at home. They are not exactly like the muffins from the donut shop, but they are really good and will satisfy any cravings for them!

Bakery Style Honey-Glazed Bran Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran or wheat bran

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon molasses

Honey Glaze:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

6 tablespoons slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Coat the wells of a large (6 well) muffin tin with non-stick baking spray; set aside. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, bran, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium size bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, oil, honey, and molasses. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well combined, but be careful not to over mix. 

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the honey glaze, except for the almonds. Distribute the glaze between the muffin wells. Sprinkle a tablespoon of slivered almonds on top of the glaze. Divide the muffin batter on top of the glaze and almonds. 

Place the prepared muffin on baking sheet to catch any glaze that may cook over.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Once the muffins are removed from the oven, loosen around each muffin with a knife (be careful of any baked over glaze, it is HOT!). Place a parchment lined baking sheet or cooling rack* on top of the muffins and careful flip over. The should come right out. If not, tapping the bottom of the muffin tin should help. Remove the muffin tin and if there are any remaining glaze or almonds, scoop them out and put on top of the muffins.  

*The parchment is for easier clean-up. The honey glaze becomes caramelized in the oven and can be hard to remove.

Makes 6 large muffins. 

Note: This recipe would work with a standard 12-well muffin tin, but reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes. 

Enjoy

Dessert of the Summer {Recipe: Mini Pavlovas for Two}

This is such an easy dessert to make, but looks impressive. It's perfect for summer when fresh in season berries are available, and it doesn't require too hot of an oven. This dessert will be on repeat this summer!

Mini Pavlovas for Two

For meringue:

2 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 white vinegar

Preheat oven to 225ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and cream of tartar in a small mixing bowl; set aside. In a small prep bowl, mix together vanilla and vinegar; set aside.   In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites. Beat the egg white on high until frothy, about 30 seconds. Lower the mixer speed to medium and slowly add the sugar mixture. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to beat until firm, satiny peaks form; about 10 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and add vanilla mixture. Mix until just combined, about 10 seconds. Using a spoon, divide the meringue into 2 portions onto the prepared baking sheet. Use the back of the spoon to smooth the meringue and create a shallow indentation in the center for filling. Bake for 1 hour. Without opening the oven door, turn the oven off and let the meringues cool in the oven for about 1 hour. 

For whipping cream:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. On medium speed, whip until firm and soft peaks form. Be careful not to over mix. 

To assemble pavlovas:

Fill the meringues with about a teaspoon of lemon curd, store-bought or homemade (I like this one: https://www.norinesnest.com/easy-microwave-lemon-curd/), divide the whipped cream between the two meringues, and top with fresh berries.

Enjoy!

Simple Pastries at Home {Recipe: Easy Bostock}

 

Bostock is a French pastry similar to an almond croissant, but made with day-old brioche. Although it can be made with day-old croissants as well.

This recipe is very easy. It can be served for breakfast, brunch or tea and is a nice change from French toast. 

Easy Bostock

Preheat oven to 350ºF

4 thick sliced day-old brioche*, challah, or 2 large day-old croissants sliced in            half. (If not using day-old, bread can be lightly toasted in the oven or toaster.)

1/4 cup vanilla simple syrup

4 tablespoons of your favorite jam

Almond Cream

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Powdered sugar

*I used Trader Joe's Brioche (not an ad, just a fan).

For Vanilla Simple Syrup:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pour water and sugar into a small saucepan. Heat over medium low, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla; let cool. 

For Almond Cream:

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1cup almond flour or meal

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon flour

sliced almonds

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spit croissants in half and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and salt. Add almond flour and mix well. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour and mix until well combined. 

To assemble Bostock:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush each side of the bread* with vanilla simple syrup; place on prepared baking sheet. Spread a tablespoon of jam on each slice to about a 1/2 inch from the edge of the bread. Cover the jam with about 3 tablespoons of Almond Cream per slice. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the Almond Cream. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan, and bake for 10 more minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

*If using croissants, treat each 1/2 as a slice of bread. 

Bon appéti!

Fresh Twist on an Old Favorite {Recipes: Cookie Butter Granola and Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait}

Usually I use cooked apples for making apple yogurt parfait (see http://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2024/02/better-late-than-never-recipes-graham.html), but this time I decided to try it with raw apples. Using Cookie Butter Granola sounded it would make for a good combo and it is!

Cookie Butter Granola

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (make sure to use gluten free, if needed)
1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup cookie butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat liner; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats and ground flax seed. Set aside

3. In a small sauce pan, heat the cookie butter, honey and water over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Once the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon until well incorporated.

4. Pour the cookie butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated. 

5. Spread the mixture onto the lined baking sheet in an even layer. 

6. Bake at 300°F for 35-45 minutes. After baking for 15 minutes, using a spatula, flip large pieces of the granola over (this promotes getting nice big chunks of granola). Then repeat after 10 minutes. Check the granola again after 10 minutes. If it is starting to get too browned, pull it from the oven. If not, give it another stir and bake it for another 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it too it doesn't over bake. 

7. The granola may be a little soft coming out of the oven. Let it cool completely, uncovered, for at least an hour on the baking sheet. It should crisp up and become crunchy.

 

For Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait:

Chop up 1/2 honeycrisp apple or your favorite apple and place in a small serving container. In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon brown sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; add to apple and stir. A splash of maple syrup can be added as well. On top of the apples, add a small container of vanilla yogurt (I like Siggi's because it is not very sweet). Top with Cookie Butter Granola and a Biscoff cookie (optional).
 

Enjoy!