New Recipes in the Kitchen

So are you a person who loves to sit and play with spices and items creating new dishes? I am.. so in talking to a friend ( Thanks Scott) I had a brainstorm for two new flavors of cheesecake.

So the first will be a Cassis cheesecake - black current, an amazing flavor and a unique color, imagine a bluish purple cheesecake, I can't wait:) I'll be utilizing Cassis flavoring, I haven't decided on whether to use a simple non-alcoholic flavoring or to go for the full flavor and go with a nice deep robust Cassis liqueur, I'm thinking the liqueur will be the best route. Amazing, my mouth is drooling already over this flavor.

The second will be a Raspberry Ale or possibly even a beer flavor cheesecake, I know the thought of beer and cheesecake ... blech.. but you know with the flavored ales/lagers out there, there may just be potential for a more savory cheesecake here. Not to mention all you beer drinkers out there, it might just be the most unique flavor you will ever taste. Combining the two is going to be tricky but I think I'm up to the challenge. I have some great ideas for this cheesecake as well. I will share my results once the testing has been done.

I am still waiting on my individual pans (:( ). This sucks cause the opportunity to create new flavors relys on smaller portions, ahh well back to the muffin tins for now.

I am always thinking about my next cheesecake, to reinvent the dessert is so much fun, the opportunity to play with flavors and to create a challenge and not to mention the taste testing, wowzers, sometimes my taste buds think I'm CRAZY!... oh wait perhaps I am... reinventing the wheel so to speak:)

Oh one more thing, if my beer cheesecake works.. Scotty I'm gonna name it after you!

Peas out ( heheh - food humor)

Individual Cheesecakes

This week I have a surprise coming. My *individual* cheesecake pans. That's right, for those that don't want to share, or for those couples who just want the perfect dessert. Not only will it allow this, but it will also give me a chance to create several new flavors at once.
Current tried, tested and true flavours so far are:
Strawberry
Raspberry
Lemon
Pumpkin
Eggnog
Plain
Blueberry
Mango
Coffee
Toffee
Dark Chocolate
White Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
3-Layer Chocolate
Apricot
Blackberry
Amaretto
Peach
Apple
Pistachio
Grape
Strawberry/Kiwi
Raspberry/Chocolate
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry
Mochaccino
Cappuccino
Lemon/Lime
Lime
Orange
Cinnamon - Not for the light of heart, isn't for everyone
Caramel Explosion

New Favorite Flavor

OMG, today I was experimenting. I am hosting a BBQ at my house this weekend to celebrate a mixture of things, my grandparents anniversary, my grandmother's birthday, my parent's anniversary and of course Father's Day. So I thought I would make cheesecake as it is of course my signature dessert, but I wanted a nice light flavour that would go perfect with the meal.

The meal will consist of Sate Chicken Skewers or Lime/Garlic/Rosemary Pork Skewers, fresh vegetables, homemade potato salad, and a green salad. So its essentially a nice light meal.

So the sate skewers have a little spice to them, the pork skewers have the lime, and the rest of the meal is very old school, so I thought a nice lemon meringue pie for those who don't eat cheesecake, and it got me thinking, a nice lemon cheesecake might just be a perfect addition.

Well my personal favorite for cheesecake is the unbaked version, which is simple to make and quite light and fluffy, only normally I combine a small amount of alcohol with the flavour I want and the gelatin. Well I didn't have any lemon liquer, so instead I removed my gelatin and went right to LEMON Jello. I wasn't sure this would work as I do have to cook my gelatin mixture with my eggs, but it seems to have worked perfectly, and the taste.. OMG its fantastic. I think with a little dark chocolate grated on top tomorrow this will make an excellent addition to the dessert table.

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there!!! I hope you get what you want and have a great day!

How to bake a good cheesecake

When it comes to baking cheesecakes, whether it be savory or sweet there are some key things to remember.

1. Get a good pan, springforms are the best, cause with a simple flick they come open and expand, sliding right off the cake.
2. Quality ingredients, don't skimp, stay away from stale crumbs, they will ruin a good cheesecake, I prefer bricks of cream cheese, both for the ease and convenience of them, and because they always have an awesome flavor. Make sure its room temperature when using.
3. Waterbath pan, this is REALLY REALLY important when baking a cheesecake, without it expect your top to crack. ( it still does sometimes when baked in a water bath, but rarely. ** I'll explain the water bath below*
4. Weather. Don't bake your cheesecake on a rainy day or a day with high humidity, reason being is your cheesecake has to have time to relax and set, and when the humidity is up, this doesn't occur. Dry cool days are best.
5. Don't stress about failure the first few times, consider them learning or flavor tasting time.


** A Waterbath*
A waterbath is a pan, larger than your cheesecake pan, at least 1 inch deep ( if you can do a 2inch deep pan,its better). The cheesecake is placed in this to bake, remember to keep water in it at all times during baking. The reason behind this is to keep the ingredients in the cake moist so it sets nicely, with a custard texture. This also allows for more even cooking.

Cheesecakes are a woman's best friend, her companion and of course her enemy. I've been creating and making cheesecakes for roughly 15 years and each one is always a new experience.

From unbaked to baked, large to small, plain to flavoured, each cheesecake has its own delicious personality, and some days its dynamic personality gets the best of me and I have to have a slice.

I am overjoyed to be sharing some tips and tricks and even some recipes with you. Also don't be discouraged if you're a dieter, or think you simply can't have cheesecake because it will go straight to your hips. I have some recipes for low fat cheesecakes, and some great ideas and reasons WHY you should relax and indulge those cravings once in awhile.

So welcome to my blog, and I hope you find it as sweet and as filling as I do. If you are in the Calgary area and don't have time to create a cheesecake, but would love to be able to indulge or serve one at a party/gathering or simply a dinner, let me know, I do build and sell my cakes from home as well.

Good eating!