Monday 30 July 2012

Swirl cheesecake

Ingredients :
Cream cheese - 3 packets ( 8 ounce each ) or 680 gms at room temperature,
Granulated sugar -  1 cup or 180 - 200 gms ( powdered ),
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp or 12 gms ( sieved ),
Egg - 4 - room temperature,
Cream - 1 tbsp,
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp.


Crust ingredients:
Digestive biscuits - 1 pkt - 230 gms,
Butter -  1/2 cup or 113 gms ( melted ),
Sugar - 2 tbsp or 25 gms ( powdered ).


Jamun filling - 1/2 cup( you can use any  fruit filling or chocolate sauce  to swirl )


Ingredients for jamun filling :
Jamun - 500 gms,
Sugar - 300 gms,
Lemon juice - 1tsp,
Water - 2 cups or 500 ml.


Method: ( Jamun filling - I have made this filling using 500 gms jamun .
You only require 1/2 cup .
You can half the amount and follow the recipe.
Make the filling a day before you plan to use it.
Wash and boil  the jamun in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes.
Sieve and discard the seeds and skin.
Boil the juice with 300 gms of sugar for 20 minutes .
Add 1 tsp of lemon juice.
After 20 to 25 minutes the filling will thicken. 
To test the consistency,put a drop of sauce on a plate .
If the filling does not move then the consistency is right if it spreads then more time is required.
Close the gas and transfer the filling to a bowl and leave it to cool .
Cover with a cling film and put the bowl in the fridge.




Cream cheese filling and crust.
Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
Pre heat oven to 350 F or 177 C .

Crust - Put the biscuits in a zip lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin .
Transfer to a bowl.
Add sugar and melted butter.
Spread the biscuit mixture on the greased pan.
Up the sides first to an inch and then spread it on the bottom. Pat with your fingers to set.
Cover with a cling film and put it in the fridge to firm .
As the crust sets we can make the cheese filling.

Place cream cheese in a mixer and on medium speed beat till smooth ( 1 minute ).
Add sugar and flour and beat on medium speed until smooth ( 2 minutes ).
Scraping down the sides of the bowl as you beat.
Add the eggs ,one at a time beating well ( 30 seconds ) after each addition.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the cream and vanilla essence and beat until well incorporated.
Remove the crust from the fridge and pour the cheese cream into the pan.
Take 1/2 cup of jamun filling and with a spoon pour the filling ,making round circles  on the cheese cake.
With a knife swirl gently around the circle making a pattern on the cheese cake .
Next time I will try making this swirl using a different filling and see the outcome.
Place the cheese cake pan on a baking tray and place it on medium rack in the oven.
Let it bake for 15 minutes in 350 F or 177 C ,then lower the temperature to 250 F or  120 C 
and continue to bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the center of the cheese cake looks a little wet and wobbly.
Remove from oven and carefully run a knife around the inside edges of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. ( helps  prevent the surface from cracking as it cools )
Let it cool and come to room temperature.
 ( You will see some butter spill over from the pan into the baking tray .
No need to worry as this was the reason for using the tray )
As the cheesecake cools down remove the pan from the baking tray.
Put the pan on a plate and cover with a cling film.
 Put the cheesecake in the fridge to set overnight or 8 hours.
Take out the cheese cake from the fridge and loosen the clip around the pan.
Slicing the cheesecake into individual pieces has to be taken care of.
Dip the knife in warm  water and then wipe it with a cloth and then slice the cheese cake.
Wipe it again and then dip and then wipe and then slice.
A clean cut is required while slicing the cheese cake.
It can be kept in the fridge covered with a cling film for several days.
Serves - 12 


Saturday 28 July 2012

Stromboli

Ingredients for dough: ( pizza dough ) - for 2 ,
All purpose flour - 3 cups or 300 gms,
Salt - 1 tsp,
Sugar - 1 tsp ,
Olive oil - 1 tbsp and 1and 1/2 tsp,
warm water - 1cup,
Dry active  yeast - 2 tsp or 1/4 ounce packet.


  
Ingredients for filling: for 2
Chicken ham -   slices,
Chicken salami- slices ,
Garlic clove - 5 or 6 ( small ),
Onion- 2 sliced,
Mushroom - 200 gms - sliced,
Oregano - 1/4 tsp,
Pepper - 1/4 tsp,
Chilli flakes -  a pinch,
Salt - a pinch.
Mozzarella cheese ,
Parmesan cheese,
Olives and jalapeno.


Egg - 1 ( egg wash ).


Method :
Sieve flour and salt and keep aside in a bowl.
Warm water in microwave for 20 seconds and then put 2 tsp of yeast and 1 tsp of sugar. 

Stir with a spoon and leave it for 10 minutes to foam.
After 10 minutes add olive oil.
Make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture.
Take a fork and stir the flour mixture in circular motion bring all the flour to the center of the bowl.
Gather the dough and then knead by pressing with the back of your palm and then folding and right turning and again pressing ,folding  and right turn process.
 Knead  for 10 minutes till the dough is smooth and will spring back if you poke it.
Initially the dough will be  sticky but kneading will smoothen it.
Take a bowl and put 1 tsp of olive oil  in it and spread  it around.
After kneading the dough for 10 minutes, place it in the greased bowl and toss it around so that all sides is evenly coated  with oil.
Cover with a damp cloth and put in warm place ( oven  )for 1 hour .
The dough will double in size.
When the dough has risen after an hour ,punch to take out air.
Put the dough on the counter and make it into a log .
Divide it into half with a knife and make 2 balls.

Wrap the balls with a cling film and keep  one in the fridge and leave the other one to rest for 10 minutes on a greased tray or counter .
If you plan to use the other dough ball ,take out from the fridge and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature and then roll and follow the same process.


Filling :
Heat 1 tsp of oil in pan and lightly brown the garlic.
Raise the heat to medium high ,add then add the sliced onions.
Stir fry till the onions are slightly caramalized, ( light colour 
Add a pinch of salt to make the process faster.
Add the sliced mushrooms.
As  the mushroom  shrinks in size and leaves moisture ,add pepper ,oregano and red chilli flakes.
Close the gas when there is no moisture in the mushroom and it is dry.
Transfer to a bowl to cool .
Grate  cheese and chop the olives and jalapeno.


Assemble:
Pre heat oven to 350 F or 177 C .
Baking time is 35 to 40 minutes.


After the ball has been rested for 10 minutes, unwrap .
Sprinkle some flour on the counter and put the dough ball on it .
Roll the dough into 12 inch x10 inch  rectangle sheet .
Leaving 1 inch along the edges, place the chicken  ham slices, salami ,onion mushroom mix on the dough .
Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese and some parmesan cheese.
 Brush the edges with egg wash except the long side where the rolling will start.
Start rolling from the long side .
Pinch the  seam side to seal and tuck ends under.
Place the seam side down on greased tray sprinkled with bread crumbs.
Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes .
After 30 minutes make  slight slits and make a hole in the center with a knife .
Slits make it easier to slice the stromboli.
Brush with egg wash.
Transfer the tray to bake for 35 to 40 minutes or till light brown.
When the crust is slightly brown after 35 minutes ,take out the tray and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on the crust.
Put back the tray to bake for another 5 minutes.
Take our the tray after 40 and leave for 10 minutes to rest.
With a sharp broad knife or spatula remove the stromboli to a wooden board and slice into thick slices.
Enjoy while still warm .
Stromboli is very similiar to calzone.
Only difference is that  calzone is  folded but stromboli  is rolled like pinwheel and takes few minutes longer to bake.
Since the dough sheet has to be thin in stromboli  because  it is rolled ,so the crust is tastier  and crispper than clazone . More like patties :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...