Cheese Cake - Testing

https://www.browneyedbaker.com/new-york-style-cheesecake-recipe/

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/new-york-style-cheesecake.html#tabrecipe

https://butternutbakeryblog.com/new-york-style-cheesecake/#tasty-recipes-508-jump-target

https://www.askchefdennis.com/chicago-style-cheesecake-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-102979

1 - This is already all screwed up. I added cocoa. There was more than I can fit in the pan. Then, I forgot the to bake the crust before putting the batter in. Then I put the cake in a 475F oven instead of 350. But I did reduce the temperature probably at the beginning, it was probably in there about 5 minutes. Let's see what happens!

2 - The cake is good, and it's super thick! I'm making two cakes with the same amount of filling. This means I have to indicate that the crust and the topping have to be made twice. I'm also not baking the crust first. The amount of butter I've indicated (from 85 to 120) seems to be right. I'm also making my ganache frosting from the Chocolate Torte recipe. I've only indicated the ingredients, but if it works, then I'll copy over the instructions.

3 - using only half the batter means the 50minutes is too long. I checked at 30minutes and it didn't look cooked at all... hmmmm. I think I will try it at 40 minutes next time.

4 - Ok, still too long, and I think the baking temperature is wrong. Time to go back to the original recipes.

Crust - enough for 1 crust

2 cups (280g) graham crackers

120 g butter 

2Tbsps sugar

pinch of salt

Cake - batter for 2 cakes

40 oz (1134g) cream cheese

1½ cups white sugar

(½ cup cocoa powder)

3 Tbsps. flour

4 tsps. vanilla 

1 tsp packed lemon zest

2 tsps. lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

2 egg yolks

6 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

Topping - enough for 1 batch

85g dark chocolate

1/4 cup heavy cream

7-8 oz (130g) chocolate (70%), chopped

3/4 cup (188g) heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 475F.
2. Melt the butter. Combine the butter with the graham cracker crumbs until you get the texture of wet sand. Firmly press it down into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan. It should almost reach the top. I like to use a small measuring cup to pack it in.
3. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the cheesecake filling.
4. Bake for 10 minutes then set it out to cool while you prepare the cheesecake.

Cheesecake

1. Whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium-low speed until softened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and under the paddle often. The process should take 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and flour and continue to mix on low until blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. One at a time, add the eggs, followed by the yolks.
4. Add the heavy cream, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined. Don't over mix the batter.
5. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour in the cheesecake filling.
6. Carefully place the cheesecake into the preheated water bath. Bake the cheesecake for 12 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
7. Bake for about 50 to 60 40 minutes or when a 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) ring around the the edge begins to brown and puff up slightly from the pan. The filling should still be pale, rather than golden.
8. Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool.
9. After cooling refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 6 hours. Overnight is best.

Topping

1. Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. 
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir until smooth.
4. Spread over the cooled cake and allow to set.

Three Cheese and Wheat Berry Spinach Pie - Untested

https://www.bakingobsession.com/2009/01/11/three-cheese-and-wheat-berry-spinach-pie/

Makes one 9-inch pie, about 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat berries (usually available in bulk at natural/ health food section), soaked in cold water overnight

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

10 oz spinach (fresh of frozen), steamed or cooked in salted water, drained, cooled, squeezed dry

½ cup fresh flat- leaf Italian parsley, chopped

30 oz whole milk ricotta cheese (if you are making a crust for this pie, the ricotta has to be drained overnight in a cheese cloth-lined sieve; otherwise – it’s not necessary )

3 oz smoked mozzarella, grated

2 oz Pecorino Romano (use Parmesan if the sheep milk cheese is not your thing ), grated, plus a bit more for the top of the pie

2 large eggs, lightly whisked

2 large egg yolks, lightly whisked

1 heaped tsp kosher salt

1 scant tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

About a tbsp melted butter and around ¼ cup dry bread crumbs for coating a pan

1. Preparation:
2. 
   
3. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 375F. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan and coat the sides and the bottom with the dry bread crumbs. Set aside.
4. 
   
5. Cook the wheat berries in salted water until tender, for about 20 minutes. Rinse under cold water, drain well, and transfer to a large bowl.
6. 
   
7. In a skillet, over medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil and butter until the onions are soft and golden. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute, stirring. Cool slightly, transfer to the bowl with the wheat berries. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to thoroughly combine. Transfer the mixture into the prepared springform pan, smooth the top. Sprinkle a little bit of extra grated cheese over the top. Place the springform pan onto a shallow baking/ cookie sheet and slide into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes until set, then turn the oven off and turn the broil on. Broil for a couple of minutes until the top is nicely brown. Transfer the pie to a rack, cool for 10 minutes. Then unmold. Serve warm.

Palets bretons au beurre salé - Testing

http://l-hote-sophie.e-monsite.com/pages/desserts/palets-bretons-au-beurre-sale.html
http://eugeniekitchen.com/palets-bretons/
http://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fr/recette/331590-palets-bretons

These are traditional shortbread-style cookies from the Brittany region of northern France.

1 - Ok, more research is required. They did not puff out at all, or very little, and the bottoms started to burn after only 10 minutes. I've looked at other recipes, and they all look very similar. I may just pick another one at random and try it. The flavor and texture are really good though, so I want to get the look right. Maybe it's the constricted area of the muffin tin that is the key? I'll try this one: https://www.madaboutmacarons.com/palets-bretons-french-butter-biscuits/ . My other alternative is to make like the top link and roll out the dough to make more traditionally shaped round, flat cookies.

1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup salted butter
2  egg yolks
1 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt

1. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
2. Beat the egg yolk and the sugar together until the mixture turns quite pale.
3. Still beating, drizzle in the butter slowly so as not to cook the yolk.
4. Beat in the flour, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined and a quite stiff dough is obtained.
5. Roll into a sausage shape about 2" in diameter and keep wrapped.
6. Allow to rest in the refrigerator or a cool place for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
7. Once the butter in the dough has set, heat the oven to 350F.
8. Unwrap and cut the dough sausage into slices about 1/4" thick and set on a cookie sheet (OR you may want to place the rounds in a muffin tin to keep a smaller diameter - I don't know how much they will puff out.)
9. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the surface is lightly browned.

NOTES:

• Keep in a metal tin for freshness.
• Instead of just plain flour, combine 1 part buckwheat flour to 1 part regular wheat flour.

Thumbprint cookies - Test 2

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/25100/jam-filled-butter-cookies/

1 - trying these out with the plum compote. Using original quantity of sugar but suspect I'll want to reduce it.

2 - Fudged this batch. I didn't read the recipe (duh) and threw everything in and only afterwards realized I was supposed to cream the sugar and yolk with the butter. I thought, hey, I'll melt the butter first and try to whisk what I can salvage from the yolk and sugar by separating them from the flour. I did my best but it was a bit of a cock-up and the result were greasy cookies that tasted like raw dough. For those who like to eat lumps of raw cookie dough, this is probably fine. But I like the snap of a shortbread with I eat my thumbprint cookies. So, no changes to recommend, apart from read the darned recipe!!!

3 - Oh, they worked out! Turns out following the recipe is a good idea. The eggs were small so I added an extra yolk to make it 3. The quantity of jam was too small though, so I can be  more generous there. Also, being conservative with the cooking time is a good idea in this oven anyway.

4 - Unlike the last point above, while cooking time is important, some browning is as well. Without browning it tastes like raw cookie dough. Some people might like that, I am not one of them. I would like to be more careful with cooking times to indicate the ideal range.

Makes 20 x 1oz balls

¾ cup (6oz/169gr) butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup fruit preserves, any flavor

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and egg yolks. Mix in flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms. 
3. Wrap and put in the refrigerator and rest for one hour or up to 72 hours.
4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. If dough is too soft, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Use your finger or an instrument of similar size to make a well in the center of each cookie. Fill the hole with ½ teaspoon of preserves.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Testing - Creamy Squash, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Pasta

1 - I altered the recipe before even trying it! But it was good, and requires some tweaking. I did not use the walnuts which was a mistake - it needs it. I also want to add some sage to add what we feel is a missing flavour. Oh, and I didn't get the bit about adding flour to the egg yolk, so I'll be adding it in the previous step to get it to brown and absorb flavour, first.
2 - The changes I made worked very nicely, but there is still something missing. I'm adding some sage and a little more cheese.

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut  (I used Turban) winter squash (about 1 1/3lbs)
2 + 1 tsp olive oil
1/4 + 1/4tsp salt
1/4 +1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
8 oz uncooked chunky pasta
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp flour
2 tsps minced fresh sage
1/2 + 1/2 cup milk, divided
2 large egg yolks
3 2 oz Cambozola blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp chopped walnuts, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Toast the walnuts and set aside.
3. Combine squash, 2 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender, stirring once.
4. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain pasta; keep warm.
5. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a pan and sauté onion and garlic until just starting to soften. Add the flour and sage. Mix until the flour covers the onion and garlic.
6. Reduce the heat and continue to sauté for a few minutes, allowing the pan to cool a bit before stirring in 1/2 cup milk, the remaining 1/4 teaspoons of salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat source.
7. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, the flour and the yolks. Slowly add the egg mixture to the pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add the cheese and cook 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.
8. Combine the squash, pasta, and sauce; toss gently to coat. 
9. Before serving, sprinkle with cheese and the toasted walnuts.

Testing - Garlic Soup

There is something very appealing to me in this recipe, but the results of my first attempt left something to be desired. I would like to use this experience to improve on it. Below is the original recipe, with my notes on this first try.

1 quart (4 cups) water
1 bay leaf
2 sage leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
10 to 15 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

day-old crusty bread & more olive oil to drizzle

Stage 1

1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the bay leaf, sage, thyme, garlic, and salt. 
2. Heat to a gentle boil and simmer for 40 minutes. 
3. Strain into a bowl, remove the bay leaf, sage leaves and thyme stems from the strainer, and force the garlic and remaining thyme leaves through the strainer and into the broth. 
4. Return the broth and garlic back to the saucepan, off the heat. 
5. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Stage 2

1. Whisk the egg, egg yolks, cheese, and pepper together in a bowl until creamy. 
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, beating all the time to emulsify. 
3. Continue to whisk and very slowly drizzle in a large ladle-full of the broth - do this part very slowly to avoid making scrambled eggs with the hot liquid. Adding the hot liquid slowly brings up the temperature of the egg mixture to make it easier to incorporate into the broth, which is the next step. 
4. Stir the egg and cheese mixture into the garlic broth. 
5. Whisk it continuously over very low heat, low-medium, until it thickens slightly. 
6. (I used too much heat in this first attempt and instead of a creamy consistency, it turned grainy and separated). Once the broth has turned just creamy, take off the heat. 
7. Put a handful of torn bread chunks in the bottom of each bowl and pour the soup over the bread. 
8. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.

Makes about 4 cups of soup.

Chou-fleur gratiné - Testing

NOTE 3: Next time try removing the pan from heat source before adding milk to butter+flour to see if that will help avoid lumpiness and the milk bubbling up.

1 - Obviously I've made this before, but I don't know when and I don't know where the recipe came from or how much I've altered it. But it's good!

1 cauliflower (approx. 2lbs)
1 oz butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1.75 oz Cheese (gruyere or cheddar etc, like quiche, a good way to use leftover heels)
1.75 oz parmesan, grated, divided into two portions
1/3 cup bread crumbs (Panko is best)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
2. Cut up cauliflower into florets and blanch cauliflower in salted water for about 5 minutes or just al dente. Pour out the boiling water and run cold water in the pot full of veg for a few minutes. Set aside. 
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk the flour into the butter. Cook until it's just starting to turn golden to cook out the pasty taste of raw flour. 
4. Turn the heat down low and whisk the milk into the butter/flour mixture.
5. Keep whisking until it turns into a smooth, thick sauce. 
6. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg. Whisk in the grated cheese and half the parmigiana and mix until the cheeses have melted.
7. Whisk in the egg yolks. 
8. Drain the cauliflower thoroughly and put in a gratin or casserole dish. 
9. Press the cauliflower down decisively!
10. Pour over the hot cheese sauce. 
11. Mix the bread crumbs and the remaining half of the parmigiana together in a small bowl, and sprinkle on top. 
12. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes. If the topping hasn't browned sufficiently, turn on the broiler and watch the spots that are browning fastest and remove when it's to your liking.
13.  Grate fresh pepper over the top and serve immediately.

Crème de concombre (de Mme. Paquin) - Testing

1 - The first time I made this I arranged some 1.5 inch pieces of chives on top. Ben thought it was pretty, but preferred having more flavour, which seemed to be satisfied by some fresh tarragon instead.

Concombres tranchés 250ml / 1/2 of a long English cucumber, peeled and sliced

Oignons émincés 375ml / 1 medium onion, minced

Piments verts émincés 250ml / 1 yellow pepper, minced

Beurre 50ml / 3 Tbsps butter

Bouillon de volaille 1L / 4 1/3 cups chicken broth

Farine forte 30ml / 2 Tbsps flour

Jaunes d'oeufs 2 / 2 egg yolks

Lait 250ml / 1 cup milk

Sel 2ml / 1/2 tsp salt

Poivre 1ml / 1/4 tsp pepper

Concombres en dés 250ml / 1/2 of a long English cucumber, peeled and diced fine
Garnish - either with chives or with fresh tarragon.

Faire revenir dans le beurre les concombres pelés, les oignons et le piments verts. / Melt the butter and sauté the cucumber, onion and pepper

Singer (saupoudrer de farine). / Sprinkle the flour over and mix in well.

Mouiller avec le bouillon de volaille. / Add the chicken broth.

Assaisonner. / Season with salt and pepper.

Cuire à feu doux pendant environ 45 minutes. / Cook for about 45 minutes at a slow simmer.

Passer au tamis. / Run through a food mill or use an immersion blender.

Remettre à cuire pendant 10 minutes. / Cook another 10 minutes.

Lier avec les jaunes d'oeufs battus avec le lait. / In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and the milk. Whisk slowly into the soup.

Servir immédiatement et garnir de concombres pelés, épépinés et coupés en petits dés. / Serve immediately with diced cucumber garnish and, if using, tarragon.