Cheesecake

Here's another winter favorite. It's rich and decadent, plus, you don't need any seasonal fruit for it! Perfect for dinner parties because it's baked the day before. This is one of the more complicated recipes I've shared but it looks harder than it is. Be sure to cook the crust through, and be sure to scrape the bowl often so the filling is homogenous. Do not overmix or it will rise and collapse, but this hasn't happened to me yet. The author warns not to use a convection oven or your cake will overcolor and overrise.

Yield: one 9" cake of 12 slices
Baking Temperature: starts at 350°
Note: bake the day before serving
Source: How to Bake by Nick Malgieri

Ingredients: Crust

3 TB unsalted butter, softened
3 TB sugar
1 egg yolk
1 C AP flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Instructions: Crust

1. Bring all ingredients to room temperature (especially cream cheese and eggs).
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Prepare a round, nine-inch, springform pan by buttering, then cover the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
4. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in the yolk until smooth.
6. In a second bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
7. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a rubber spatula. The mixture will be crumbly.
8. Pat the dough down into the pan evenly and firmly.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes until the dough is golden and baked through.
10. Lower the temperature of the oven to 325°F.

Nut Variation

Add 1/2 C (2.25oz) finely chopped sliced or slivered almonds, or finely chopped pecans, to the dry ingredients. Make sure to bake through.

Ingredients: Filling

2 lb (32 oz) cream cheese
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
4 eggs

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, using your mixer's lowest speed, beat the cream chese smooth (with the paddle attachment), about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and beater.
2. Add the sugar in a stream, mixing for another 30 seconds (or less). Scrape the bowl and beater.
3. Add one egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing only until absorbed. Scrape the bowl and beater.
4. Add the remaining eggs one at a time mixing only until absorbed, scraping the bowl after each addition.
5. Wrap aluminum foil around the bottom of the pan (with the cooked crust in it).
6. Pour the filling into the pan over the crust.
7. Fill a large dish or roasting pan with water to a depth of 1/2 an inch.
8. Place your springform pan in the water bath.
9. Bake the cheesecake in it's bath for 60 minutes at 325°F, or until lightly colored and firm except for the very center.
10. Remove pan from water when the cake is done, remove foil, and cool on a rack.
11. Release the top of the cake from the sides of the pan with the point of a sharp paring knife to prevent cracks.
12. Once cool, wrap the cheesecake in plastic and chill overnight before unmolding.
13. Bring the cake out to warm to room tempterature one hour before serving. Serve plain or with berries.

No-Flour Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Today's recipe is pretty special because it won my husband and I second place in a cookie competition at Chico Natural Foods! The picture of our fork-pressed cookie at the bottom here is courtesy Chico Natural (the top picture is mine).

No Flour Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Source: bakingbites.com
Baking Temperature: 350°F

Ingredients

1 C peanut butter
3/4 C brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp water
1/2 to 3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In small cup mix together cocoa and water.
3. In a large bowl place peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and cocoa/water; stir well.
4. Fold in chips.
5. Drop by tablespoonfuls (or form balls with hands) onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Flatten slightly with fork, if you wish.
7. Bake 10-13 minutes until golden brown at edges.
8. Cool on pan 2 minutes then remove to rack to continue cooling.

Tips

• Keeps well when wrapped individually in plastic and refrigerated or frozen.
• For larger cookies make 2 inch balls (makes 1 dozen).
• If you take care to select gluten-free ingredients, this recipe can be gluten-free.
• Using white sugar or natural cane sugar will not affect the flavor much.
• Use any kind of peanut butter: homogenized or natural, smooth or chunky. I use freshly ground peanut butter such as is available at natural and bulk stores.
• For a flavor leaning more peanut, omit the cocoa and water and use chunky peanut butter. You can also omit the choc chips and keep the cocoa.

Apple Crumble

What a great winter standby. There's hardly any other fruit available so let's use it in a very easy dish to cap off a special meal.
I recommend Granny Smith apples as they are firm and tart, and remain so after cooking. Do not use a soft apple but feel free to experiment with your favorite cooking apples. Apples are in season in fall and remain in stores in great variety in winter. Apples are available year round because of the amazing things they can do with irradiating, cold storage, and international shipping! I recommend using fruits in season and with the bounty of choices in spring and summer there's no reason to use apples any other time than the colder months.
This recipe uses two large Granny Smiths or three to four smaller apples. It's easier to peel, core, and slice larger apples but if you have very fresh fruit don't let size be your guide.
I have a suspicion that this dish would work fine with peaches with no adjustment, or with pears using a little nutmeg instead of the cinnamon.

Apple Crumble

Yield:  6 servings
Baking Temperature: 400°F
Baking Time:  30 min

Ingredients

4 C apples: peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
3 TB orange juice
1/4 C white sugar
1 TB corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon (divided)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C AP flour
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)

Instructions 

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 qt baking dish.
2. In large bowl, combile apples, orange juice, and vanilla.
3. In medium bowl, blend sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add to apple mixture tossing to coat.
4. Spoon apples into dish.
5. In same medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, mixing well.
6. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This is easiest if you use your fingers.
7. Stir in oats.
8. Sprinkle over apples.
9. Bake 25-30 minutes until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
10. Serve plain or with cream or vanilla ice cream. 

Notes: While a hit warm it's pretty good straight out of the fridge, too.
Any other thickener can be used instead of corn starch, such as arrowroot.