momofuku milk bar's carrot layer cake

I've baked more than I have blogged this past week and I've got some sweet stuff lined up for future posts. But today's post I REALLY wanted to share (or should I say brag) because it was THAT good!!! 


If you live in New York City or Brooklyn, go to a Momofuku Milk Bar and try something!!! ANYTHING!!! My faves are any of the Cake Truffles, Birthday Cake, Corn Cookies, Cereal Milk, Cereal Milk Ice Cream, Blueberry & Cream Cookies, Chocolate-Chocolate Cookies, Cornflake-Chocolate-Chip-Marshmallow Cookies, and obviously Crack Pie which I blogged about here. And now I can add to my list...Carrot Layer Cake. I will not be attaching a recipe to this blog post mainly because the level of difficulty involved in making this cake. I'm always up for a challenge and frankly, a little obsessed. And if you are too, drop me a comment or go out and buy this cookbook!!!

Oh yes, I am completely obsessed!!! I'm currently making my way through this cookbook and if you plan on seeing me in the near future you will forced into eating a plethora of yummy goodness.

So let's just take a look at the Carrot Layer Cake recipe.....First component to the recipe is Carrot Cake. OK. That sounds reasonable. Next? Plain old milk. No problem.

Third component....Liquid Cheesecake????? What??? What??? What???

Next comes Milk Crumbs. I've made these before for the Blueberry & Cream Cookies, but that's a whole other post. 

And finally Graham Frosting!!! 




Can you see why I DIDN'T include the recipe????? This as well as the other cakes listed in the book are super special cakes. They are extremely time consuming but worth every delicious morsel. My husband and I met up with his cousin and his partner for dinner last night and of course I brought the dessert.....

pumpkin cheesecake & happy thanksgiving!!!

Not pumpkin pie. But pumpkin cheesecake. It's probably too late in the day to make this, but save the recipe for next year. Or what the heck? Make it this weekend!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake I got this recipe from my sister. Who knows where she got it and how old it is. The last time I made this we were living in San Francisco.....

makes one 10-inch cake 

for the CRUST

1 1/2 cup gingersnap crumbs ***I use Nabisco's Gingersnaps - about 30 cookies***

1  1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter @ room temperature

pinch of salt

for the FILLING

4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese @ room temperature

***OR for a lighter cheesecake - use 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream***

1 2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin ***I only had 1 15-ounce can and it worked perfectly fine***

9 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg ***grind some fresh stuff***

4 large eggs @ room temperature

Prep your springform pan by wrapping the bottom and sides with foil making sure that the sides are completely covered. The cheesecake will be placed in a water bath for baking. 

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Find a shallow baking dish at least 2 inches wider than your cheesecake pan. Set aside.

In a bowl of a food processor grind gingersnap cookies, pecans, light brown sugar, unsalted butter and salt until it looks like wet sand.

Press this mixture into your pan with a removable bottom. You can just press it on the bottom or I like to go up the sides slightly. Set aside. 

Bring a kettle of water to a boil for the water bath.

In your bowl of your stand mixer, cream the cream cheese so that it's smooth and not lumpy. Add the sugar, pumpkin, all spices and vanilla. Mix on LOW until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and add the heavy cream. Mix on LOW. Add eggs 1 @ a time on LOW speed, incorporating each one before adding the other. Careful not to mix too much, especially at a high speed, because you do not want to incorporate air into it. Scrape down sides to make sure everything is mixed in thoroughly.

Set your prepared crusted pan into shallow baking dish. Pour your cheesecake mixture in. Carefully place this on the middle rack of your oven. Gently pour hot water into the shallow pan so that the water level is halfway up the foiled cheesecake pan; making sure you don't get any into your cheesecake.

Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Carefully "jiggle" the cheesecake. It should "wiggle" in the middle when it's done. Remove from water bath and cool completely before placing it in the frig. Refrigerate for 4 - 6 hours or overnight before consuming.

We were doing some pre-Thanksgiving Day dinner quality control so we thought we'd give it a try for lunch. I made a simple caramel sauce with sugar and heavy cream and drizzled it on top. A little smokey sea salt didn't hurt it either.....Have a happy and healthy one!!! gobble gobble

icebox strawberry pie

I've lived in New York for 10 years now and it's been years since I've really felt spring.....The winter season seems incredibly long and before you know it, it's hot & humid and with a blink of an eye.....it's Memorial Day and summer!!!

A couple of weeks ago I spent some much needed quality time with my family in San Diego, CA. Luckily I was there during the perfect time of the year.....strawberry season!!! This icebox strawberry pie tasted like cool springtime. The organic strawberries were bright red and super duper sweet. It was kind of a shame that I mixed them into this pie when the fruit was good as-is.....

icebox strawberry pie

courtesy of Cook's Country via Cook's Illustrated

FILLING
2 pounds frozen strawberries ***I used TJ's organic frozen strawberries***
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water ***If I make this pie again, I would omit one of the tablespoons of water. The berries release enough of their own juices, that I feel this added liquid is not necessary***
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin ***If you're using packets, 1 packet is just shy of a tablespoon. The pie in the end could use a little "firmness", so increase the amount of gelatin to 2 tablespoons or 2 packets. I need to make this pie again to test the increase of gelatin, but I am confident that "more" will be just ay-oh-kay....***
1 cup of sugar
pinch of salt


1 pound of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin ***I saved half of the berries for the top of the pie/tart. You can do the same and make it pretty, or just fold all of them in***
1 (9-inch) pie shell, baked and cooled ***I used a shortbread-like crust by Martha Stewart, doubled the recipe and used a shallow tart pan instead of a pie pan*** 


1. COOK FROZEN BERRIES Cook frozen berries in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jam-like, about 25 minutes. The mixture should measure 2 cups. Cool. ***It is super important that you reduce this mixture to 2 cups, even less if possible***


2. ADD GELATIN Combine lemon juice, water and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar and salt into cooled berry mixture and return to simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 - 45 minutes.


3. ADD FRESH BERRIES Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.


Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or make the following topping from the original recipe.


TOPPING
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream


4. MAKE TOPPING With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth, about 30 seconds, With mixer running, add cream and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.


Some helpful hints from Cook's Country

• We used 2 pounds of frozen berries (which worked well for cooking and cost less than fresh) and cooked them down in a dry saucepan until they released their juices and the mixture was thick, concentrated, and flavorful.
• Be sure that the reduced berries measure 2 cups exactly; if the mixture measures any more, the filling will be loose.
• Because strawberries are low in pectin, the natural thickener found in citrus fruits and many other plants, we added some lemon juice, which perked up the flavor and tightened the texture of the filling a little. To thicken the filling further, we added a bit of unflavored gelatin, which produced a clean-slicing, not-too-bouncy pie.
• After stirring in the gelatin—which we combined with the lemon juice and water—along with sugar and salt, we then stirred in fresh strawberries off the heat. This gave us the big berry flavor we wanted.
• Diner strawberry pies typically get a squirt of Reddi-wip, but we made our own. We whipped cream cheese into real whipped cream along with vanilla and sugar for a slightly tangy topping that balanced the sweetness of the berries.
• Use our No-Fear Pie Crust recipe or use your own.

We've just returned from vacation and throughout many German cities/towns, there were strawberry stands with some of the brightest and juiciest strawberries we've ever had.......

no bake cheesecake

So I've just returned from Ottawa, Canada (for work not play) and before I left my hubby for a few days, I made him his most favorite dessert. AND since I'm feeling a bit peckish and there's a tiny piece left in the frig I'll have to munch it down to give me some energy to get through the rest of the afternoon.....

In a pinch the Jello-O brand cheesecake is just OK......THIS no bake cheesecake is more than OK, it's deeeeeelicious!!!

I'm a food tv junkie, food blog stalker and a life-long subscriber to many food related mags. I LOVE FOOD!!! And I particularly LOVE "fresh, quick and simple" recipes. I know I've posted about a few semi-difficult ones, but I just LOVE the simplicity of some of Nigella Lawson's dishes that this one I just had to share. She is the ultimate "queen of food porn". Not to mention she's pretty gorgeous too......She is neither a trained chef nor cook but a food writer and journalist and can write and describe food as if you're actually sitting down and eating it. So let's hear it.....

No Bake Cheesecake
via Nigella's website


***In honor of the Will & Kate's Royal Wedding today, please read the following with your best British accent***


This is not the trad baked cheesecake that requires patience and lots of spare time. No, this is fresh, quick, simple and - best of all - irresistibly scrumptious!

Even in the spirit of retro-accuracy, please do not be tempted to open up a jar of cherry pie filling over the cake. I use some French cherry concoction that seems to be pretty universally available and has no added sugar, but anything labeled "conserve" as opposed to "jam" should be safe. And, if you feel like it, when cherries are in season, strew the top with a couple of handfuls of beautiful fruit.  

Serves 6 - 8
INGREDIENTS
125 grams digestive biscuits OR 1/3 of a box of graham crackers (1 package of 9 whole crackers)
75 grams soft unsalted butter OR 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) soft unsalted butter
300 grams cream cheese OR 10 ounces cream cheese
60 grams icing sugar OR 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
250 milliliters double cream OR 1 cup heavy cream


1 - 284 grams jar of St. Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruit Black Cherry Spread ***As I said earlier, blueberry cheesecake is my husband's favorite dessert, so I make a blueberry topping instead***See below for recipe***


METHOD 
Blitz the biscuits/graham crackers with a pinch of salt in a food processor until beginning to turn to crumbs, then add the butter and whiz again to make the mixture clump.


Press this mixture into a 20cm (8-inch) spring-form tin; press a little up the sides to form a slight edge.


Beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar (powdered sugar), vanilla extract and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.


Lightly whip the double cream (heavy cream), and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture,


Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit (graham) base and smooth with a spatula. Put in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.


When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, release it from it's pan and spread the black cherry jam over the top.




Blueberry compote
3 cups blueberries - fresh or frozen
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Over medium-high heat, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer, 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool and refrigerate.

carrot cake whoopie pies

Do you love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting??? 
Wanna have it smooshed into a whoopie pie??? 
Hell, yeah!!! 


I know a couple of lovers of this tasty creation and if you answered "yes" (or hell, yeah!) then you better head into your kitchen and bake up a batch of these monster-sized sandwich cookies.


Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies
this recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's Carrot Cake Cookies
makes 18 small sandwich cookies or 6 - 8 large ones  


FOR THE COOKIES
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup packed, brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup rolled oats ***toasted in 1 tablespoon of butter*** 
3/4 cup packed, finely grated carrots
1/3 cup dried currants (or raisins)
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts


FOR THE FILLING
2 ounces cream cheese @ room temperature
2 ounces (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter @ room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice


Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.


Make filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat until combined. Cover; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Make cookies: In a medium-sized cast iron pan or skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium low heat. Add the 1 cup of rolled oats and stir to coat. Toast until the oats are fragrant and slightly browned, 3 - 5 minutes. Spread out onto one of your baking pans to cool. 


In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, spices and salt. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla.  Add flour mixture to butter & sugar mixture. Mix to combine. Do not over mix. Fold in toasted oats, carrots and currants. ***If you want to add raisins here you can. Chop into small-like pieces***


Using a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. ***I use a 1 1/2 inch diameter cookie scoop for this step*** Dampen your hand with water and flatten slightly with your fingers/palm of hand. Sprinkle the tops of cookies with chopped walnuts. ***No need to pre-toast them because they will toast up in the oven while the cookies are baking***


Bake until edges are crisp, rotating sheets halfway through baking, 15 - 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.


Turn half of the cookies over, bottom side up. Dollop each with about 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon (depending on the size of cookie you made) of chilled cream-cheese filling. Top with remaining cookies, pressing gently to spread filling to edges. Serve immediately or chill for 15 minutes in fridge.




***I would like to give a shout out and a huge THANK YOU to Betsy & Jeff McCue of La Vida Creations Photography for capturing every delicious morsel of these hand-held carrot cakes. These creative geniuses are my website photogs and most importantly my friends. BTW.....They photograph people too!!!***