Camille’s Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake
I made this delicious holiday Pumpkin Cheesecake. It is a great alternative to pumpkin pie.
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter
Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours, but overnight is best. Serves 8
Chocolate Truffle Cake
If you love chocolate then this cake is for you! It is dense and pure chocolate. Chocolate Truffle Cake is great for special occasions and especially birthdays!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Butter
14 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate
2 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
9 Large Separated Eggs
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
Almonds for Garnish (Optional)
Preheat the oven to 300° F. Remove the bottom from a 9×3 inch springform pan and cover the bottom with foil. Wrap the foil around to the underside. This will make it easier to remove the cake from the pan. Replace the bottom. Grease and flour the foil bottom and side of the pan. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter with all of the chocolate over a low heat. Stir constantly. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes with a mixer and 10 minutes by hand. The goal is to get the mixture very thick and lemon colored. With a rubber spatula, stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. In a separate large bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Make sure that the beaters are clean before beating the egg whites. With a wire whisk or rubber spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites one third at a time. Do not mix them in. We want to be gentle with the egg whites. Now, spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Do not over bake because the cake will firm up when chilled. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight in the pan. To remove the cake from the pan run a hot knife around the edge of the cake. Remove the side of the pan and invert the cake onto a cake plate. Unwrap the foil on the bottom and lift off the bottom of the pan. Carefully peel the foil from the cake. Garnish with almonds or other nuts if you like. Makes 20 servings
Sauerkraut Pork Chops
This dish is so very easy to make. It goes well with potatoes and a green salad.
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Sauerkraut
½ Cup Chicken Broth
½ Pound Sliced Bacon
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Grain Mustard
½ Teaspoon Dried Oregano
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
6 (1 Inch Thick) Pork Chops
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Chopped Garlic Cloves
2 Chopped Shallots
1 Chopped Yellow Onion
¼ Teaspoon Paprika
In a Dutch oven heat the olive oil. Place the garlic, shallots and onion in the heated oil and sauté for 1 minute. Add the pork chops to brown on both sides. Add the uncooked bacon and sauté for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let stand for a few minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken broth and mustard. Pour chicken broth mixture over the pork chops and other ingredients that have been standing in the Dutch oven. Add the salt, thyme, oregano, pepper and paprika. Finally place the sauerkraut (with the juice) on top to help keep the pork chops moist. Place the covered Dutch oven in a preheated 350° F. oven and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6
Blondies
These bar cookies are great if you are in a rush. I can throw these babies together in about 10 minutes and have an instant dessert. The brown sugar gives these bar cookies a butterscotch flavor. This recipe calls for nuts, but you can certainly leave the nuts out if you want to.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Butter
3 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ Cups Chopped Almonds, Pecans or Cashews
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir the brown sugar and butter over a medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Spread the batter in the parchment lined baking pan. Sprinkle with the nuts. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars while warm. Makes 36 blondies.
Pumpkin Soup
Not sure what to do with those Halloween pumpkins? Make pumpkin soup! It is a nice change of pace and goes well on a crisp fall day.
INGREDIENTS
2 Pounds Pumpkin
1 Large Onion
1 Large Potato
1 Large Carrot
1 Celery Stalk
3 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Cream
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives or Italian Parsley To Garnish
Cut open the pumpkin(s) and remove the seeds. Cut out the meat of the pumpkin making sure not to use the skin. Chop up the pumpkin into chunks. Peel and chop the onion, potato and carrot. Remove any strings from the celery and then chop into pieces. Melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and add all of the vegetables (including the pumpkin). Cook gently over a medium low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and don’t allow the vegetables to brown. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the vegetable stock cube. Stir. Simmer for 25 minutes over a low heat until the vegetables are just cooked. Turn off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a food processor and pulse until the soup is a purée. If you don’t have a food processor you can use a blender. Return the puréed vegetables to the saucepan and add both the salt & pepper. Add the cream and gently heat the soup for 10 minutes over a low heat. Add more vegetable stock if you would like to thin the soup out a bit. Remove from the heat and ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with chopped chives or Italian parsley. Serves 4
Cheese Bread
This cheese bread is so good. I am certain that you will get hooked on this bread! You can make dinner rolls out of this recipe by simply dividing into smaller pieces.
INGREDIENTS
¾ Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Yeast
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Softened Butter
½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Cottage Cheese
4 Tablespoons Grate Parmesan Cheese
Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of lukewarm water. Make sure that the water is NOT hot or it will kill the yeast. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Knead by hand. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes. This is a great workout for your arms! Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour until doubled. Punch down the dough and form into a 9 inch log. Place it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Loosely cover with greased plastic and let it rise until the bread is one inch above the rim of the pan.
If you are making dinner rolls divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Bake the risen dough in a preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes for the rolls and 30 minutes for a loaf. Remove from the oven and serve the rolls warm or let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes removing from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 rolls or 1 loaf (16 slices).
Lemon Pudding
INGREDIENTS
2/3 Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 ½ Cups Milk
2 Large Egg Yolks
1/3 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
Whipping Cream For Garnish
In a large saucepan stir the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and salt with a wire whisk. Make sure that the ingredients are well blended. Stir in a small amount of milk until smooth and then stir in the remaining milk. Cook over a medium high heat. Wisk constantly until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil for one minute and continue to whisk. Remove from the heat. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and lemon juice. Into the yolks whisk half of the hot milk mixture and then pour the yolk mixture back into the milk mixture in the saucepan. Stir rapidly to prevent lumping. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes until very thick. Make sure to stir constantly. You don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs. Remove from the heat and spoon the pudding into shallow bowls or parfait glasses. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming as the pudding cools. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve topped with whipped cream. Makes 6 servings.
Chopped Endive & Gorgonzola Salad
I had a version of this salad in a Boston restaurant recently and thought that I would try and duplicate it. I made it tonight for dinner and it turned out perfect! It was actually better than what I had in the restaurant.
INGREDIENTS
1 Small Red Onion
4 Heads Endive
¼ Pound Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
¼ Cup Oil & Vinegar Dressing
Juice of 2 Lemons
Chop 1 small red onion and place into a medium bowl. Squeeze the lemons over the chopped onions and let sit for 45 minutes. Soaking the onions in lemon juice will take the edge off quite a bit. Chop 4 heads of endive and place into a serving bowl. Set aside. Add the lemon soaked onion and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Pour over ¼ cup of the oil and vinegar dressing and toss. Serves 4
Dressing:
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Aged Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt.
Ginger Beef
Most Friday nights I go out for some sort of Asian meal. I call it “Get Your Asian On Fridays.” For me it’s a nice break from the normal weekday meals. I think I’ve tried just about every Chinese and Thai restaurant near my apt. Sometimes I just like to make some sort of stir fry at home. Here is a tasty Ginger Beef recipe that I think you’ll like. If you’re not a fan of the mushrooms then swap them for a vegetable that you do like.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Beef Flank Steak
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dry Sherry
3 Teaspoons Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Minced Garlic Clove
3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
8 Ounces Sliced Mushrooms
1 Large Thinly Sliced Carrot
8 Ounces Sugar Snap Peas or Snow Peas
2 Diced Celery Stalks
1 Thinly Sliced Onion
2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
8 Ounces Fresh Bean Sprouts (Optional)
Cut the steak lengthwise in half. Slice the steak crosswise into 1/8 inch thick slices. In a medium bowl mix the steak, soy sauce, sherry, ginger and garlic. Set aside. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and carrots. Stir often until the liquid evaporates and then transfer to a large bowl. In the same skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium high heat and add the sugar snap peas (remove the strings), celery and onions. Cook and stir until tender and crisp. Stir in the bean sprouts if you want the bean sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer the vegetables into the bowl with the mushroom mixture. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and ½ cup of water until the mixture is smooth. In the same skillet or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium high heat until very hot. Add half of the steak mixture and cook. Stir constantly, until the beef loses its pink color. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Repeat with the remaining steak mixture. Finally, return the vegetables and all the beef back to the skillet or wok. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook. Stir constantly until the liquid is slightly thickened and comes to a boil. Remove and serve. Serves 4
Sweet Potato Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
10 Tablespoons Butter
½ Cup Milk
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2 inch chunks. In a medium saucepan, heat the sweet potato chunks and enough water to cover to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain. Place cooked potatoes into a medium bowl and mash well. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 425° F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and cooled mashed sweet potatoes. Mix just until combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into an 8 inch square. Cut the dough in half. Cut each half into 10 equal pieces. Gently place the biscuits 1 inch apart on two large cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper. Place the cookie sheet on 2 separate oven racks and bake the biscuits for 14 minutes until golden brown. Make sure not to over bake. Serve warm. Makes 20 biscuits.
