How To Make Sour Cream

The next installment of our how to series is how to make Sour Cream. It looks really easy, do not put your jar on the heat register or else you'll end up with ricotta cheese.


Sour Cream:

Ingredients:
2 cups light cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions:

1. Combine cream with buttermilk in hot, clean glass canning jar that has been heating in boiling water.
2. Cover tightly and shake gently to thoroughly mix.
3. Let stand in a warm place - like where you put bread to rise) till thickened (24-48 hours).
4. Store, covered in refrigerator.
5. Stir before serving.
6. Use within three weeks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

This looks really yummy, but I wouldn't call it a cheesecake. There is no cheese in it.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust
1-1/2 cups ground shortbread cookies
1/4 cup unsalted melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch cinnamon

Cheesecake
1 package refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough or homemade *
3 14 ounce can condensed milk
tiniest pinch salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

*Use any chocolate chip cookie dough that requires 1/2 cup butter in it.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In the bottom of a 9 inch cheesecake or springform pan, toss the crust ingredients together and press into pan bottom. Set aside.
4. Cut up the cookie dough in chunks (about 1 inch or less) and set aside.
5. Dump everything but the chocolate chips in a food processor and blend until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Turn out half the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter on most of the cookie dough chunks.
7. Top with the remaining batter, more chunks, and the chocolate chips.
8. Place the pan on the baking sheet.
9. Place in the oven and bake until just set, reducing temperature to 325 F around mid point, and bake a total of 35-45 minutes.
10. Cool in the oven with door open and oven turned off.
11. Then refrigerate several hours or overnight.
    

Recipe by: Marcy Goldman - Marcy's Kosher Cuisine
Yield: Serves 10

Fruity Yogurt Cheesecake

Fruity Yogurt Cheesecake

Ingredients :
2 containers (32 oz. each) low-fat
vanilla yogurt
1 c. confectioners' sugar

CRUST:
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 tbsp. granulated sugar

TOPPING:
2 ripe peaches, sliced thin
3 tbsp. apricot preserves
1/2 pt. fresh raspberries

Directions :

1. Strain yogurt into cheese.
2. Mix crust ingredients in a bowl.
3. Press evenly over bottom of an ungreased 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
4. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
5. Mix yogurt cheese and confectioners' sugar in a bowl.
6. Spoon into chilled crust.
7. Smooth surface with a rubber spatula.
8. Cover and chill at least 2 hours, overnight if possible.
9. Run a knife between cheesecake and pan sides to loosen.
10. Remove pan sides.
11. Arrange peach slices on top in a circle around the edge.
12. Melt preserves and brush over peaches.
13. Mound raspberries in the center.
14. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.
    

Makes 8 servings.

Cherry Yogurt Cheesecake

Cherry Yogurt Cheesecake

Ingredients :
2 c. plain yogurt - drained into cheese
1 c. chocolate cookie crumbs
2 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. orange juice
1 env. (1 tbsp.) plain gelatin
2 c. frozen dessert topping, thawed
1 tsp. grated orange peel
2 c. fresh sweet cherries, pitted

Directions :

1. Drain yogurt in strainer lined with coffee filter 6 hours or
   overnight.
2. Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press into 9 inch
   springform pan.
3. Set aside.
4. Discard whey from yogurt cheese.
5. Stir in sugar.
6. Combine orange juice and gelatin; heat until
   gelatin is melted.
7. Stir into yogurt mixture.
8. Fold in dessert topping and orange peel.
9. Arrange cherries over bottom of crust.
   Pour yogurt mixture over cherries.
10. Refrigerate until set.

Makes 8 servings.

California Cheesecake

California Cheesecake

CRUST:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted

FILLING:
1 pound cottage cheese, large or small curd
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING:
1 pint sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. For crust, mix all ingredients and press evenly over bottom and sides
   of 9-inch cake pan.
2. For filling, beat cottage cheese thoroughly, gradually
   adding sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Beat in vanilla.
5. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees 25 minutes, or until set.
6. Make topping while cake is baking.
7. Whip the sour cream enough to make fluffy.
8. Stir in sugar and vanilla and spread over top of baked cheesecake.
9. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and return cake to oven for 5 minutes.
   

Italian Cheesecake

Italian Cheesecake
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
12 graham crackers (2 1/2" squares)
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup nonfat cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
4 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300o F.
2. Spray an 8" springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a gallon-size sealable plastic bag, crush the graham crackers to fine crumbs.
4. Sprinkle the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan and pat down evenly.
5. In a food processor, combine the ricotta and cream cheeses; sift the sugar and cornstarch onto cheese mixture and add the zest.
6. Process about 20 seconds more, until smooth. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, rum and vanilla.
7. With the food processor running, add the egg mixture.
8. Process about 10 seconds, until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
10. Bake 1 1/2-2 hours, until golden and puffed and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool on a wire rack in the pan 1 hour.
12. Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to release the cheesecake.
13. Remove the ring; cool 1 hour more.
14. Wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight.
15. Cut into 8 equal slices and serve.
    

Chocolate Eruption Cheesecake

Chocolate Eruption Cheesecake

Bottom Crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs or fine brownie crumbs
1/4 cup white chocolate, finely ground
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1?2 cup sugar, superfine if available
One 14-ounce can condensed milk
5 large eggs
1/3 cup light cream
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 1/2 cups white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate
2 cup coarsely chopped Snickers or Turtle candy bar
1 cup coarsely cut chunks of brownie, homemade or prepared from a mix
1/2 cup dulce de leche or caramel sundae sauce, see recipe below

Garnish:
1/4 cup each, melted white, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate
Chocolate shavings
Confectioner's sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Spray a 10 inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Line the bottom and sides of the pans with parchment paper, cut to fit, allowing
   the side pieces to extend a bit over top of pan to make a collar.
5. Mix the crust ingredients together and press into the pan.
6. In a mixer, cream the cheese with the sugar until smooth.
7. Add in the condensed milk and blend in the eggs, cream, flour, vanilla, and the
   pinch of salt until smooth, about 5 minutes on slowest speed, scraping
   bottom of the mixing bowl often to make sure batter does not stick in
   well of bowl.
8. Remove one-third of batter and mix it with the white chocolate.
9. Pour this into the cheesecake pan.
10. Fold in the remaining ingredients, except the dulce or caramel sauce, into the cheesecake batter.
11. Mix gently by hand so as not to break up the brownie chunks too much.
12. Fold half the batter into the pan on top of the white chocolate cheesecake batter and
    then drop dollops of half the dulce or caramel sauce all over.
13. Top with remaining batter and then remaining dulce or caramel sauce.
14. Stir with a knife very briefly.
15. Pan will be very full.
16. Place cheesecake on the baking sheet and bake until set about 45-55 minutes.
17. Cool in oven an hour and then in fridge overnight.
18. Remove from pan and set on a serving plate.
19. Before serving, drizzle on melted milk, white and dark chocolate over top, allowing it to drip down on side.
20. On top of melted chocolate, garnish with large chocolate shavings and
    dust with confectioners' sugar.
    

Dulce de leche
5 cups whole milk
1-1?2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
1 teaspoon baking soda
• Place the milk in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil and allow skin to form on top. Do not stir. The skin
will thicken and puff up. Reduce heat to medium and remove the skin.
• Increase heat to medium-high and repeat the process 3 times. Add
the sugar and vanilla bean, and stir until the sugar has melted,
about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in the baking soda.
Simmer milk, stirring often, but taking care not to break the film
of cooked milk forming, on the inside of the pan. Simmer, skimming
the foam (not skin) until reduced by half, about 1 hour.
• Reduce the heat to very low and simmer for another 3-1?2 hours,
stirring and skimming foam occasionally. The mixture will brown as
it cooks.
• Strain the completely cooked mixture through a sieve into a bowl,
cover and refrigerate.