Dark and Colorful but Luscious

"I started eating my yogurt, and then, my tongue was so used to the sugar in the cheesecake, that when I took a bite of the yogurt it was sour! IT WAS SOUR!!" 
-Myself

This one goes out to all my chocolate lovers! Rich chocolategurshaunganache mixed throughout succulent cream cheese batter with strewn M&M candies all around. Yummers.

Belgian Chocolate Cheesecake

with M&Ms

I don't have a fancy shmancy tart pan like that, so I just had to use my regular one.

Dilemma 1: Extras!

My book tips that how to get the best ingredients. "Ordering ingredients in quantities large enough that the suppliers were willing to customize to ensure consistency on all fronts … store-bought ingredients will vary" (Schulman 68). Although I didn’t order 50 lbs. of cream cheese, I did buy a container of whipping cream that was a bit bigger than I needed. This made the quality more consistent. In addition to having a better cheesecake, I also had extra whipping cream! I mixed it up and made creamy yum, a perfect accessory to my cheesecake!

 Dilemma 2: No sagging!

It is recommended to let the cheesecake to cool in the fridge overnight to completely set before attempting to remove it from the pan (Schulman 154). For my apple creation (my previous cheesecake) I slid it out of the pan before it had cooled completely. The cake was still warm and very soft. Without the support of the sides, gravity smooshed the cake down, making it also overhang from the crusty bottom. This made a mushroom effect and the sides weren't completely straight. On this cheesecake, I was sure to let it cool overnight before loosening the pan, like the book says to. The result was a beautifully shaped cheesecake.

See how the soft part of the cake protrudes over the crust?

This is what patience gets you! Always remember this children.

Overall:
This was one of my favorite cheesecakes. It was rich, chocolaty, crunchy, smooth, and cute.

Pros:

• I was delightfully surprised at how aesthetic this cheesecake looked.
• Cooked correctly I think.
• Colorful.
• Crust tasted fine!!!
• I had leftover whipping cream from the batter, so I whipped up some whip cream!

Cons:

• There was only a finite supply of it.

Smirking because of how DELICIOUS it tastes.

Question:

Out of the following cheesecake flavors, which sounds the best to you and why?

• Plain
• Eggnog & Candy Cane
• Chocolate Chip
• Apple Pecan Oat Streusel
• Belgian Chocolate and M&Ms

Adios! This was such a fun adventure!

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Schulman, Maureen, Tara Lane, Diana Moles, and Jolene Worthington. The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook. N.p.: Eli's Cheesecake, 2015. Print.

Posted by Kierra Long

Looks Like Trash, Tastes Like Heaven

"I think this is your best one so far. Your others were gross." -Older brother

I chose to make a cheesecake that involved some more complicated steps this time. Looking through the recipes, I found one that involved frying up some apples in butter so I thought that'd be interesting. What it lacks in beauty, it makes up for in taste.

Baked Apple Cheesecake

with Toasted Oat and Pecan Streusel

Dilemma 1: Is this how you do it?

To make the crusty crumble (or crumbly crust depending how you look at it),  you are supposed to "add 1/4 cup lightly toasted oats and 1/4 cup chopped pecans in step 2" (Schulman 115). Uhhhhh okayyyyyyy. I didn’t know what they meant by "toasted oats" so I had to put my thinking cap to work! Do oats go in the toaster? I don’t think that would work. Do you put them in the oven? I see my mom doing that sometimes. Do I cook them in a pan? That sounded pretty fast so I just dumped them in a pan and left them there for a few minutes (with the heat on). Once they were adequately hot (I guess) I tried eating one and it just tasted line an oat, Nothing special. But, that was good enough for me and I carried on with my recipe.

Is this how you do it?

Whatever.

 Dilemma 2: Greasing and scraping.

Before adding the crust and batter, you are supposed to grease and flour the spring form pan (Schulman 148). This makes the cheesecake release easier and not get stuck to the sides. On my first cheesecake I did not follow this piece of advice. The sides got stuck and I had to scrape them away from the pan with a knife. On this cheesecake however, because I greased the pan better, the cheesecake easily came away from the sides and slid right out. I had no need to pry them apart.

Notice all the scraggly bits of cheesecake siding that was scraped away from the pan?

Nothing but smooth siding from here, boys!

Overall:
This cheesecake was very delicious. The batter part (cooked) was very creamy and tasty. The apples on top were nice and sweet and tasted good with the cinnamon and added crunch of the pecans. Personally, I don't think the two components of the cheesecake mixed too well, although it was definitely a better flavor combination than my FESTIVE cheesecake.

Pros:

• Perfectly cooked.
• Didn't stick to pan.
• Apples tasted nice with cinnamon.
• Crust tasted good.

Cons:

• The top looks grossssssss.
• I took it out of the pan too soon, making it sag like a fat man with a muffin top.

Question:

Can you think of something gross looking that is actually really tasty?
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Schulman, Maureen, Tara Lane, Diana Moles, and Jolene Worthington. The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook. N.p.: Eli's Cheesecake, 2015. Print.

Posted by Kierra Long

CHEESECAKE RADIATION??!!!??!!?!?!

"The best cheesecake I've ever had!" -Person at social event

For my third cheesecake I decided to make something with chocolate! What could be better than basic cheesecake but with chocolate chips? Basic cheesecake but with mini chocolate chips! With my previous disaster I decided to go back to basics and stick with a much simpler recipe. I followed the directions this time, to ensure the best turn out of my creation.

Cheesecake

with Chocolate Chips

Since I don't like shortbread very much, for this recipe I decided to make a regular graham cracker crust because I prefer the flavor. I used this crust in my previous cheesecake so I already knew how to make it.

Dilemma 1: Following the correct instructions.

The recipe explains how to cook the cheesecake, for a total of 40 minutes at 375℉ (Schulman 160). I was sure to actually follow the directions after my previous catastrophe. After baking the cheesecake as directed, I also followed the cooling instructions. My book also said to reduce the oven temperature to 250℉ and then turn it off (Schulman 160). Once the cheesecake was cooled, it looked perfectly cooked! I guess that’s what happens when you follow a recipe. The structural and textural differences can be clearly seen between my second and third cheesecake.

Mushy and wet because it wasn't baked long enough.

Cooked for the right amount of time. Sturdy and creamy.

 Dilemma 2: Crusty surfaces.

To make my cheesecake look cuter than previous ones I listened to my recipe when it said "for a beautiful chocolate chip top, sprinkle an additional 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips over the top of the cake batter before baking" (Schulman 160). The result was a chocolaty looking masterpiece. You could see how the surface of the cheesecake had risen and stretched around the chocolate chips. Shiny hills caught the light perfectly and created depth, proving that this was more than just the top of a cheesecake. It was a jewel, a gem. Cream of the crop. An angelic creation radiating pure brilliance, surrounded by an aura of innocence and creamy exquisiteness. A delicacy fit for a king.

What it could have been.

What it was.

Glorious

Overall:
I am pretty proud of this cheesecake. The taste, texture and looks were all A-1. I would love to make (and eat) this again. I'm definitely getting better at this whole cheesecake thing.

Pros:

• Tasted fantastic
• Creamy
• Great texture
• Crust even tasted good

Cons:

• A bit cracked on the top from cooling.

Question:

What is a skill you are getting better at or have improved in?
Haha it's not like anyone is going to actually comment on this because it is so late.

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Schulman, Maureen, Tara Lane, Diana Moles, and Jolene Worthington. The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook. N.p.: Eli's Cheesecake, 2015. Print.

Posted by Kierra Long

Wretched Flavor Combination

For my second cheesecake I wanted to do something fun. In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to combine two classic holiday flavors: Eggnog and peppermint! (On a side note, I don't actually enjoy either of the two but I wanted to be FESTIVE.)

Eggnog Cheesecake

with Candy Canes

So as you might be able to tell if you actually read this, there is no cooking instructions, which turned out to be quite a problem. I had to google other instructions, but I couldn't find the exact recipe, making the cooking time a bit off. 

Dilemma 1: Baking

After baking the cheesecake, you are always supposed to leave it in the oven when it is turned off for an hour. "This step and the two that follows allow for the cake to cool to a room temperature gently, preventing cracking" (Schulman 133). By letting the cheesecake cool down gradually and keeping it untouched while it settles, the surface of the cheesecake won't be as cracked. I tried to do this and it worked, I guess. After leaving the cheesecake the off oven for an hour, the cheesecake had no gaping crevices in it. In my last cheesecake, there was a big ol' crack on the side. However, the state of the surface of the cheesecake was not really improved. Cheesecakes look very different while they bake compared to after they are cooled off. When I checked to see (and guess) if the cheesecake was done or not, it looked fine, but an hour later after it was cooled, it obviously was not fully cooked. By that point, reheating the oven and cooking it more would not improve the looks of my cheesecake. On the bright side, the surface of the cheesecake wasn't cracked, just deflated and soggy.

My first cheesecake. Notice that big crack on the left side?

Before dumping on Candy Cane dust to cover up the grossness. Notice there are no wide splits?

 Dilemma 2: Cutting

The book I read explains that to get the most smooth cut with even sides, it is best to freeze the cheesecakes before cutting them (Schulman 76). After keeping the cheesecake in the fridge for a few hours, I tried to cut a slice of the cheesecake. The thing was still warmish when I tried to cut it, and it fell apart very easily. Taking the book's advice, I put the cheesecake in the freezer overnight. My knife got stuck a couple times but it cut way more cleanly. The slice of cheesecake was way more stiff (duh it's frozen) and it even tasted better. The advice from my book greatly improved the presentation of my slice and even the texture.

Cut while it was room temperature. Look at that floppy soggy piece of disappointment moistened with my tears.

Cut after being frozen in my freezer and completely untouched (because after one tiny nibble my family decided they had tried enough). Can you say aesthetic?

Overall: Maybe some things can be too festive. Combining eggnog and peppermint was not the best idea, especially because adding the chunks of candy canes before baking made the surface icky and look like puke.
Pros:

• Ummmm
• Thinking...
• The crushed up candy canes on the top looked good?
• The graham cracker crust tasted decent (the best part!)

Cons (Prison Break got me like):

• Smelled putrid
• Tasted nasty
• Made me gag
• It was so under-cooked
• Really grainy
• Looked gross without extra candy-canes on the top
• Wretched soggy texture

#NoMakeup #NoFilter #Like4Like #Follow4Follow

Question:

What is your favorite holiday flavor or food?
Would you enjoy some eggnog peppermint cheesecake? I have plenty of extra...

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Schulman, Maureen, Tara Lane, Diana Moles, and Jolene Worthington. The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook. N.p.: Eli's Cheesecake, 2015. Print.

Posted by Kierra Long

Caloric Overload

TBH cheesecakes are delicious, which is why I chose to do my quarter 2 IRP on making cheesecakes. When I told my mom I was going to be making 5 cheesecakes before the end of January, she told me I couldn't because that just isn't healthy to be eating 5 cheesecakes in a bit more than 2 months. So, we went on amazon and bought a 6 inch spring form pan instead of the regular 9 inch pan, so that I would make a total of 5, half sized cheesecakes. For making cheesecakes, there are many things that go into it, other than just the ingredients.

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My quarter 2 IRP book: The Eli's Cheesecake cookbook
    By: Maureen Schulman


Quote #1:

"When she experienced that first cheesecake, she was surprised at how beautiful it was, with it's golden brown caramelized top. 'It had structure, and yet, it was a quivering custard inside,' said Jolene" (Schulman 67). 

Paraphrase: Basically this quote is saying how although tasty, a big factor of what makes cheesecakes so wonderful is their physical beauty (kinda like Dylan O'Brien).

Impact: This made me try to not focus only on the flavor and texture of my cheesecake, but also how it looks when it's done... Which didn't work too well for me oops.



Quote #2:

"The first few years of her work were characterized by trial and error. as Jolene switched from fifty-cake batches to a few hundred at a time, new issues occasionally arose: some of the cakes cracked, collapsed, or exhibited other imperfections" (Schulman 68). 

Paraphrase: This quote shows how although it is important for the cheesecake to look good (shown by the previous evidence piece), it's near impossible to get the perfect cheesecake on your first try.

Impact: This made me want to try harder to make it perfect (that didn't happen lol) to show that you actually can get a perfect cheesecake on your first try.

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Original Plain Cheesecake

Recipe:

Why type up the recipe when you can just take a picture?

So I followed the recipe through all the funky baking instructions andddddddddd this is how it turned out:

It might look like I put the cheesecake on the table,
but I didn't, it still has the bottom of the spring form
pan on the bottom.

This time I actually did put the cheesecake on the table
but I made sure it was clean, unlike your mom's
browser history.

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Pros:

• Cheesecake
• Tasted good
• Golden brown
• Aesthetic in natural lighting

Cons:

• A bit overcooked which made it not as creamy as usual cheesecake
• My chunky oven mitt made a fat indent in the top of the cheesecake
• Cracked around the edges
• The crust tasted like BARF- gross af shortbread

Scroll down for scenery in my back yard!:

Question:

What's your opinion on cheesecake and what's your favorite flavor?

I 11/10 definitely want to hear from you so comment please 

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Schulman, Maureen, Tara Lane, Diana Moles, and Jolene Worthington. The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook. N.p.: Eli's Cheesecake, 2015. Print.

Post by Kierra Long