Rainbow Cheesecake

This one is for the kids (and the kid in each of us)! How cool is it to make a RAINBOW CHEESECAKE! Impress your guests, rainbow swirl it.

Rainbow Cheesecake

Crust

  • 2 Cups graham crackers, crushed
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 Pinch Salt

Cake

  • 2 Pounds Cream cheese, room temp
  • 1 1/3 Cups Sugar
  • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 1 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 Pinch Salt
  • 1 Container Food colors (blue, yellow, green, red)

Directions

  1. Before you get started with the crust, make sure your springform pan is water tight. I do this by carefully wrapping a few layers of foil on the outside of the pan, working in both directions so water cannot get into the pan. Be careful not to rip the foil or water will get into your cake and ruin it!
  2. To make the crust, grind the graham crackers in a food processor until very fine. Then mix crushed crackers, salt, sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Then mix in butter with your clean fingers.
  3. Press all but a few tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into the prepared springform pan. (Save a bit of the crust mixture in case there are holes later) Press it down firmly in the pan. I like to use a measuring cup for this which makes it easy to get around the edges. You should have an even, flat crust.
  4. Bake the crust in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes on a low rack. Remove from the oven and cool completely before continuing. Turn oven temp down to 325.
  5. To make filling, cut cream cheese into pieces and add to a mixing bowl. Whip until smooth, maybe 4 minutes. Then add sugar and continue to beat until smooth again, another 4-5 minutes. Next, add salt, vanilla, and one egg at a time, beating briefly between each egg. Finally, beat in the sour cream and heavy cream.
  6. Once the mixture is well combined and very smooth, divide it into 6 dishes. Add food coloring to each dish to get the desired colors.
  7. Pour colored mixtures into prepared dish with cooled crust. Start with red and pour it right in the center. Continue to build the rainbow by pouring the fillings directly in the center. This will create layers so that each slice has some of each color.
  8. Place cheesecake into a baking dish a fill with boiling water about 1 inch up the side of the springform pan (pray that your dish is waterproof).
  9. Bake at 325 degrees in the water bath for one hour and 10 minutes. If you're baking at high altitude like me, it will be more like one hour and 45 minutes--keep an eye on it and watch for browning.
  10. Turn off the oven, crack the door to the oven, and let the cake cool in the oven for one hour. The slow cooling will help it not crack.
  11. Then loosely wrap the dish in foil so the foil isn't touching the top of the cake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
  12. When ready to remove cake, run a clean narrow knife around the edge of the dish, remove the foil, unlock the spring, and carefully lift off the outer ring.
  13. Serve either alone or with a cherry/raspberry sauce. It's so rich and creamy that it really doesn't need a topping.

This recipe came from a great blog called Taste For Adventure. LOVE the pictures they use!

World's Best Cheesecake (at least her son thinks so)!

CheesecakeThis was sent to me by a friend and tweeter. FunJoel says that this is the BEST cheesecake recipe out there. I mean, he might be a little bias since it is his mother's recipe but I am super happy to share!Oh and, if you ever find yourself in Israel looking for a great tour guide, check out FunJoel. He rocks!World's Best CheesecakeMy mom, Ricki Haber, said there is no specific recipe for the crust. But she mixes graham cracker crumbs, a bit of sugar, cinnamon, ground walnuts and butter, then presses it down on the bottom of the pan. Here is the cheesecake itself:Ingredients

  • 4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 pints sour cream (32 ounces)

Cream cheese, eggs and sour cream should be at room temperature.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  1.  Put cream cheese in bowl and mix at low speed.
  2. Add sugar gradually.
  3.  Add eggs one at a time.
  4. Mix at higher speed for 5 minutes.
  5. Fold in sour cream and vanilla.
  6. Pour into greased 9 x 3 1/4 inch spring pan. Put in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
  7. Shut off oven and leave in oven for 1 more hour.

 

Cannoli Cheesecake

This one is for my dad. Another cool twist on the cheese/dairy theme for Shavuot. And another great recipe from Woman's Day.

Cannoli Cheesecake
  • 1 container(s) (6 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese (about 3 pounds)
  • 7 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon(s) vanilla extract
  • 5 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated orange peel
  • 1/3 cup(s) semisweet chocolate mini-chips

Topping

  • 3 tablespoon(s) apricot preserves
  • 1/4 cup(s) shelled pistachio nuts, skins rubbed off
  • OR more chocolate chips (which is what I use)

Directions

  1. Fill a roasting pan or a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with hot tap water to a depth of 1 inch. Place pan on oven rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Lightly grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan. Tap out excess flour. Wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil, molding it tightly around pan to prevent water from seeping in.
  3. In a food processor, process ricotta cheese, scraping down sides once or twice, until smooth.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, and orange peel until blended. Stir in ricotta until blended and smooth.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Carefully place pan into the pan of hot water. Bake 1 1/2 hours or until top is golden and cake pulls away slightly from side of pan (middle may jiggle slightly when pressed gently).
  6. Turn off oven; prop oven door open about 1 inch. Let cake cool in oven about 45 minutes. Remove pan from water, then remove foil. Set pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight.
  7. Up to 3 hours before serving, run a long thin knife around edge of pan to loosen cake. Remove sides of pan. Brush top of cake with the melted preserves. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts. OR decorate with chocolate chips. My cannoli lovers do NOT like fruit on their cannolis.
  8. The cooled baked cake can be refrigerated, wrapped airtight, up to 1 week. Decorate with the topping just before serving.

Every Holiday Has a Theme!

Okay, I am slightly veering away from the healthy aspect of this blog for Shavuot. On Shavuot, the time when the Jews received the Torah at Mt. Sinai, we traditionally eat dairy products. Now there are a million arguments as to why we eat dairy on Shavuot and I am not going to get into them here. If you want to learn more about why, click here.I thought we could do some fun and unusual cheesecakes and cheese cake alternatives for your Shavuot table.Here is a no-bake Mango Cheesecake option. Amazing!Crust

  • 2 Cups graham crackers
  • 2 tablespoon(s) stick butter or margarine, melted

Filling

  • 1  ripe large mango
  • 2  bricks (8 oz each) 1⁄3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 2 3/4 cup(s) canned or bottled mango nectar
  • 1/2 cup(s) sugar
  • 2 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
  • 1 envelope(s) (21⁄2 tsp) unflavored KOSHER gelatin
  • 1/4 cup(s) cold water

Directions

  1. Coat an 8-in. springform pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Crust: Put crackers in food processor; pulse until finely ground. Add butter; process to blend. Press over bottom of prepared pan; wash and dry processor.
  3. Filling: Cut half the mango off the seed. Wrap half with seed, refrigerate and reserve. Hold half without the seed peel side down and score flesh of mango lengthwise, then crosswise, being careful not to cut through the peel. Bend peel backward, then cut along peel to loosen the cubed fruit. Put diced mango in food processor, add cream cheese, nectar, sugar and lemon juice. Process until smooth, scraping bowl as needed.
  4. Sprinkle gelatin over water in a microwave-safe cup measure or a small saucepan. Let stand 1 minute. Microwave on high about 40 seconds or place over low heat and stir 2 to 3 minutes, until gelatin has completely dissolved and liquid is clear. With processor running; add gelatin and process until well blended. Pour onto crust. Cover tightly; refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight until firm.
  5. Shortly before serving: Remove pan sides; place cake on serving plate. Cut remaining 1⁄2 mango off seed, peel and thinly slice. Arrange in spoke fashion on top of cake. Dice mango on ends of seed; scatter in middle of slices.
Thanks to Woman's Day for this gem! It's perfect for the summer!

Pesach Time Is Here!

I know, I've just been terrible about posting lately. There are a few times of year when the holidays all collide and everything gets so busy. That's why I am all over the idea of quick and easy meals. One of the big staples on Pesach is the egg... in my house we always boil way too many eggs for the seder so I end up eating eggs for the week. And while I am an egg fan... they can start to get a bit boring. So here are some options for your hard-boiled eggs for the end of Pesach.First... do you know how to hard boil an egg? I know, seems simple but there are a few tricks to ensuring that your egg is 1. cooked 2. easy to peel and 3. the yolk isn't green!Best way to hard boil an egg:

  1. Put the eggs in a pot of COLD water, with enough water to cover the eggs by two-ish inches.
  2. Bring the water to a rolling boil then cover the pot.
  3. Turn off the stove, remove the pot from the burner, and let it stand, covered, for 12 minutes.
  4. Fill a bowl with cold water. Immediately when the timer goes off, submerge the eggs in cold water

When it's time to peel, crack the shell then roll the egg on the counter to break the shell completely. Start peeling but have a bowl of cold water near by. This will help loosen the shell and remove any small bits that stick to the egg.Okay, now that we have a perfect hard-boiled eggs... what the heck do we do with them?!

  1. Deviled Eggs... the old standby... So delish but a bit of work. Once the eggs are cooked, cut in half length-wise and pop out the yolks. Take the yolks and mix in some mayonnaise, mustard, and a little bit of black pepper. (Look out for my homemade mayonnaise recipe soon!) Then put the yolks back in the whites and top with fun toppings such as asparagus bits, paprika, beets, all sorts of fun things!
    1. Secret to getting the yolks back in? Use a spatula to get them in a zip-loc bag and then cut off a corner. Instant pastry bag! Squeeze the yummy yolks into the whites!
  2. Nicoise salad redefined. I love a good nicoise salad but I also like simple ingredients and clean flavors. Try this with your eggs: Get some albacore (white) tuna and drain it very well. Chop up some romaine lettuce (I totally prefer the hearts) and put it in a bowl. Crumble the tuna over the lettuce. Chop up the eggs (as small or big as you would like... I prefer bigger chunks) and put on top of the lettuce and tuna. Top it off with some Parmesan cheese. You can top with some store-bought kosher caesar dressing or make your own. I personally love the anchovy flavor in the caesar but I can understand those who don't. I'll post a recipe for this soon!
  3. Now this one is innovative... bread-less egg pizzas! Take a large cross-section slice of tomato, put slices of egg on top, sprinkle some cheese over it. Flavor with oregano and salt. Then place in the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese melts. IF you put things on your matzah (not everyone does), this is a great grownup matzah pizza.
  4. Talia's easy egg salad. Seriously. This is easy. Peel a few eggs, chop them up (size of whites is up to you). Mix a little mayonnaise and mustard in. Stir. Eat. Great quick snack!

I hope these Eggcelent ideas have given you a few more options to close out Pesach on a high note! Enjoy!

Need a little something sweet?

Who doesn't? Especially during Passover. A few of my friends have been making this Strawberry Whip over Pesach and well, when I saw how easy it was I had to try it! So good, so easy and relatively good for you!It's a very simple recipe but I will say this... I hope you have a stand mixer. But if you don't, that's okay... just don't work on your arms at the gym the day you make this!Strawberry WhipOption 1: (Thanks Meredith)2 pints strawberries3/4 cup sugar2 egg whitesJuice of 1 lemonPlace all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 20 minutes.Freeze.Eat.Option 2: (Thanks Mel)‎1 egg white1/2 cup sugar2 cups hulled strawberriesBeat (with electric mixer) the egg white lightly then add the sugar and strawberries. Then beat for 15 minutes (yes, seriously 15 minutes).Freeze.Devour.

We put the Mon in Hamantaschen!

I know I know, the headline is silly. But here's something you may not know (unless you speak Yiddish or German), the word hamantaschen means 'poppy seed pockets' montashn in Yiddish or mohntaschen in German. Mon is poppy seed and taschen means pockets. They are also called oznai Haman or Haman's ears in Hebrew. It has become a modern folklore that Haman wore a three-cornered hat and thus we are eating his hat.

Whoa whoa, slow down now. Who is this Haman character? Well it's all related to my favorite holiday, Purim. I could be partial because I was born on Purim but I just love it! Traditionally we eat these little pockets filled with many delicious flavors but the two traditional flavors are poppy seed (mon) and plum (I refuse to call it prune because they get a bad rap). Plum happens to be my favorite but you can make them with any filling. I prefer the Solo fillings which are Kosher dairy. They are the best brand, in my opinion, with great flavors and fillings of the right consistency. You can find them in just about any grocery store.

If you want to learn more about the holiday of Purim, I suggest going here.

Now, I am about to share something very special with you... my special Hamantaschen recipe. This was given to me by a dear friend and truly is the best dough I have ever found for Hamantaschen. Please use and enjoy and please credit us for this recipe.

Hamantaschen

  • 1 1/4 cups of sugar

  • 4 eggs

  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1 cup oil

Mix these together. Then add:

  • 5 cups of flour (I mix whole wheat and white. You may need more oil because the whole wheat sucks it up.)

  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder (only have baking soda? That's okay, click here for my magical recipe to make baking POWDER from baking SODA... and NO they are NOT interchangeable.)

  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

You will also need one 10-12oz jar of fruit filling per recipe. (Again, I like Solo but Baker's also works. Thick jams can work too.)

  1. Mix the dough until it clings together and is smooth - when it is too stiff to mix with a spoon or mixer, mix the dough with your hands.

  2. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.

  3. Cut out circles (I use a glass) and put the excess dough back in the bowl to be re-rolled.

  4. Put approx 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle of the circle. It depends on the size of your circle.

  5. Fold the dough up into a triangle shape and pinch closed. Leave an opening at the top for the filling to show through.

  6. Place cookies on an UNGREASED cookie sheet approx 1/2 inch apart.

  7. Re-roll the dough until all is used.

  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 19-21 minutes or until light brown (WATCH THEM! You don't want black bottoms on your cookies!)

  9. Place on cooling rack and store in airtight containers.

This recipe should make 40-44 cookies.

A special shout out to the World's Greatest Hamantaschen Maker who taught me everything I know and shared this recipe with me. Thanks Mommy Schlammy! :)

Baking Powder Vs. Baking Soda

It is an eternal mystery. People have questioned the difference for ages... okay maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration but in a poll of my friends only 1 in 10 know the difference and why it is important to get the right one! Well, I am here to help!It comes down to chemistry. They are both leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise.'Baking SODA

  • Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking POWDER

  • Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate (i.e. baking SODA), but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.

When to use which?

  • Soda vs powder depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a delicious product with a good texture.
    • Baking SODA is basic (as in base vs acid) and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk or chocolate. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes.
    • Baking POWDER contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

What the heck do I do if I have one but not the other?!

  • Okay, here is my biggie advice... Always have baking SODA and Cream of Tarter in your house. That way, you can make anything.
  • If you have baking SODA but need baking POWDER:
    • For 1 Tablespoon of POWDER = 1 teaspoon of SODA + 2 teaspoons of Cream of Tarter. Mix together and use.
    • Once you have added to your recipe, bake asap and don't over mix. It's delicate.
    • Homemade baking powder will clump together if it isn't used right away, but you can prevent this by adding 1 teaspoon of corn starch to the baking powder mixture. Store the baking powder in an airtight container.
    • Commercial baking powder preparations often contain hidden ingredients (such as aluminum compounds). By making your own baking powder, you'll have complete control over your ingredients.
  • If you have baking POWDER but need baking SODA:
    • You need to use 2-3 times more baking powder than baking soda. The extra ingredients in the baking powder will have an effect on the taste of whatever you are making, but this isn't necessarily bad.
    • Ideally, triple the amount of baking powder to equal the amount of baking soda.
      • So, if the recipe called for 1 tsp baking soda, you would use 3 tsp baking powder.

Thank you to chemistry.about.com for helping out this kitchen chemist!

What is Kashrut? Part 1

Keeping kosher is not too scary and it doesn't have to be overly complex. There are some basic rules and some more complex rulings around keeping kashrut. If you are starting from never keeping kosher before, I highly recommend going slowly and learning the law THEN taking on the action.Over the next few posts, I will lay out the basic definition of kashrut and the rules. We can do this together!Keeping Kosher Does Not Mean It's Been Blessed By A Rabbi.I get that question all the time... so your bread/cheese/fruit/chips/juice/meat is kosher. That means a rabbi blessed it, right? Nope... not exactly how kosher works. It's not like a rabbi can bless a pork chop and make it kosher. It isn't magical or ethereal and frankly it's not even really about health. Most of our dietary laws, the laws of kashrut, derive from a need to create separation. We needed to be different, live a different life from our pagan neighbors. And just as most Jews will not put up a "holiday tree" no matter how many people try to convince us it's "not really about x-mas anymore," the laws of kashrut were to remind us that we didn't do those solstice festivals and pray that way. Not to go too off on a tangent but Judaism has always been about (to me) the ability to be separate but friends. Different but equal. Now, I know those are loaded phrases but I believe assimilation is not the key... we don't want to be a melting pot... we want to be a stew or a salad... each food retaining its inherent shape and flavor but adding to the greater good (flavor) and maybe becoming even tastier because of the relationship. Again, these are my personal feelings.Okay, let's get cracking. The word kasher means fit. Kashrut has been translated as supervision. Colloquially, it means Jewish dietary laws. There are a couple of steps to something being kosher:

  1. It must be the right "type."
  2. It must be handled correctly.

Let's start with number one. It must be the right "type." Okay, so there are things that are inherently permissible and things that are prohibited biblically. You can find these listed in your friendly bible/TaNaCh in a few different places. Many of the laws come in around Leviticus (Vayikrah for those of you playing the Hebrew home edition) but we see them also in Genesis and Deuteronomy (Bereshit and Devarim, respectively). It's a big list... are you ready?Here is what is NOT allowed:

  • Non-kosher animals and birds (based on Leviticus 11:3–8 and Deuteronomy 14:3–21):
    • Mammals require certain identifying characteristics (completely cloven hooves and being ruminants)
    • Birds require a tradition that they can be consumed.
    • Fish require scales and fins.
    • All insects are non-kosher apart from a certain type of locust on which most communities lack a clear tradition
  • An animal with a significant defect or injury, such as a fractured bone or particular types of lung adhesion
  • Blood of kosher mammals and fowl is removed through salting, with special procedures for the liver which is very rich in blood. AKA no blood!
  • Particular parts of the abdominal fat of cattle, goats and sheep must be removed by a special process
  • The sciatic nerve. Why? According Genesis 32:33, Jacob's was damaged when he fought with an angel therefore, it cannot be eaten and is removed by a special process
  • According to Genesis 9:4, a limb torn from an animal that is still alive may not be consumed; this law is considered applicable even to non-Jews. Your meat must be dead before consuming. Pretty good rule...
  • Untithed food. This is slightly more complex BUT only relates to produce from Israel. That requires the removal of certain tithes, which in ancient times were given to the Kohanim (priests), Levites and the poor. Makes it harder to buy produce in Israel than one would think!
  • Fruit during the first three years of a tree's life. According to Leviticus 19:23, fruit from a tree in the first three years after planting cannot be consumed (both in the Land of Israel and the diaspora).
  • In Leviticus 23:14 the Bible prohibits newly grown grain (planted after Passover the previous year) until the second day of Passover; there is debate as to whether this law applies to grain grown outside the Land of Israel
  • Wine that may have been dedicated to idolatrous practices.

Whew! Heck of a list. Bonus is that many of these things either don't apply since we don't live in Israel OR are taken care of by the butcher or common sense. How many of us rip off a cow leg and start chowing down while the animal is still alive... NONE I HOPE! So you see, it isn't has hard as it looks!SO we are going to leave it there to start. I don't want to overwhelm you. Look for part two soon when we talk about the infamous No Cheeseburger Rule!

Chocolate Hazelnut Double Chocolate Brownies (Under $5!)

Ok, I 'stole' this recipe from SCJohnson.com but I just LOVED it! It is simple and cheap and will make you look like a rock star. Ingredients:1 store-bought brownie mix (I like Duncan Hines dark chocolate mix... OU Parve)16 dollops of chocolate-hazelnut spread (i.e. nutella. Now if you are allergic to hazelnut like moi, you can use peanut butter instead or almond butter... lots of options here folks!)1 cup of chocolate chipsDirections:•    Preheat the oven as directed by the recipe or the box.•    Lightly grease an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking pan.•    Mix up the brownie batter as directed on the box or recipe.•    Add a dollop of chocolate-hazelnut spread (or PB), leaving a little bit of space between each dollop for the chocolate chips.•    Sprinkle the chocolate chips around on top of the batter. (Press lightly into the batter).•    Bake in the preheated oven for the time indicated on the recipe or box.•    Let cool on a cooling rack for at least an hour before cutting.