Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Fromage à la Crème

Cheesecake in a glass

DSC_5984I have a set of ‘made in Japan’, adorable glasses which came with plastic lids that I would like to bake purin (Japanese term for  pudding) in. I don’t know with certainly that they are oven proof.… I dug up an old cook book (Michiyo Kumabe’s Rich Sweets) for inspiration. This cheesecake I made with relative ease…maybe a bit out of season – ish though the fair weather we’re having justified the chilled dessert?DSC_5981

I made chiffon cake for the base. Substitute store bought pound cake or crashed graham crackers are nice shortcut. Feel free to omit base all together for gluten free version also for less calories (that’s what I should have done). I used blueberries though any other berry will do. Now raise your glass, say Santé (Cheers!).

Ingredients and Instruction for 1-12x8 sheet cake (Print recipe here

) Skip this process for gluten free version.

Necessary equipment: food thermometer, hand held mixer

Preparation: line *cake pan with parchment paper. *Use smaller size for thicker cake.

  • 2 egg whites
  • 80g granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 60g low viscosity flour (薄力粉) sift twice
  • 4 Tablespoons milk
  • 20g unsalted butter at room temperature
  1. Pre-heat oven to 338F. Beat egg white and sugar with hand held electric mixer in a large bowl till stiff peaks form.
  2. Add egg yolk and blend in with rubber spatula.DSC_5933
  3. Sprinkle flour in 1/4th at a time. Scoop batter from bottom of bowl and over to combine but do not over mix.
  4. Put milk and butter in a small microwave proof bowl and microwave for 10 seconds at 50% power. Check the temperature and repeat the process to warm milk mixture up to122F.
  5. Put 1 ladleful of batter into the milk mixture and mix well then put whole thing back into the bowl (process #3) and combine. DSC_5938
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tap the bottom of pan to remove air trapped in the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes. Check the doneness by inserting a wooden skewer. When it’s done, drop pan from a half-foot above the counter. This helps to keep the cake from shrinking. Remove cake from pan. cool cake on the rack. Wrap the slightly warm cake with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
    DSC_5952

Ingredients and Instruction for cheesecake (enough to fill 10 – 6 oz. glasses)

  • 6g sheet gelatin
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 80g sugar
  • 4 teaspoons water
  • 250g cream cheese, room temperature
  • 50g sour cream
  • 300g heavy cream
  1. Soak sheet gelatin in a large bowl full of icy water.DSC_5962
  2. Put egg yolks and sugar in a large microwave proof bowl. Whisk until pale yellow. Add 4 teaspoons water and mix well.DSC_5954DSC_5957
  3. Place the yolk mixture in a microwave (no need to cover) and microwave for 40 seconds at 50% power. Mix well with whisk. Repeat the process 2-3 more times until the mixture gets a little thick.
  4. Squeeze the moisture from the gelatin and add to the still warm egg yolk mixture combine well.DSC_5963
  5. In another bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream well and add to the egg/ gelatin bowl. Mix well and set aside
  6. Whip heavy cream till soft peaks form. Combine with egg yolk/ gelatin mixture
    .DSC_5968

Assembly

  • Sheet cake  See the recipe above.
  • Jam – any but perhaps coordinate with the fruit of your choice – I used homemade blueberry jam
    DSC_5977
  1. Cut out sheet cake with round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to fit bottom of your glasses. You may want to freeze the cake scraps to use later.DSC_5974
  2. Drop a teaspoon of jam onto the cake.DSC_5978
  3. Fill with cheesecake leaving some space on top for fruits. Note; pastry bag with large tip will make it easier to fill. Tap bottom of the glass to remove air.DSC_5979
  4. Chill 3-4 hours in refrigerator and decorate with fruits.DSC_5994

The granola version…loved the crunch!DSC_5992

On Instagram try Today’s TAPAS (#todaystapas) to coordinate with calendar, on Valentine’s Day was theme of red…petit four style sandwiches. The beetroot bread I used here is recipe from Charles’s Five Euro Food.IMG_2637

Then on Chinese New Year -  spicy chicken pot stickers mimic fortune cookies. Homemade lantern and embossing the money envelop with lucky Chinese character (it says double joy)….was fun project!IMG_2694

Belated Valentine’s Day gift from our daughter arrived a few days ago…CHOCOLATE SHOYU (soy sauce) CARAMELS made in San Francisco…Unique! Definitely Wafu (Japanese style)!IMG_2730 

We don’t know what that is…This flower was only a half-foot tall with tight buds when church friends brought it. Only a week later it grew more than a foot and bloomed. It has storing mediciney scent. Striking isn’t it?IMG_2638

Spring is not so far away.

30 comments:

  1. this looks amazing like a 5 star restaurant

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    1. Thank you Rebecca. I spent an hour reading articles and blog hopping from your site. It was fun!

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  2. This looks delicious and it is beautiful, and I agree with Rebecca's comment on the 5 star restaurant. :)

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    1. Thank you so much Linda. I enjoy visiting your blog.

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  3. This looks delicious and it is beautiful, and I agree with Rebecca's comment on the 5 star restaurant. :)

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  4. wow! Looks amazing! You're extremely talented! I love your recipes so much! Wish I could try your cheesecake!

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    1. Thank you Marcela. Love your baked goods! Amazing!

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  5. ブルーべりーもグラノーラいりのもおいしそう! カロリーを抑えたいのでカッテージチーズでもいいでしょうか。グラノーラの代わりにナッツは物足りないかしら?あれこれやってみますね。

    この花、清楚できれいですね。ブレードの形や香りからスイセンの一種と思われますが。

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    1. カッテージチーズ、いいアイデアですね、、、(ご)カッテージにどうぞ、、、はい、座布団3枚!、、、すいませんつい調子に乗ってしまいました。主人がユーモアのある人で、冗談の絶えない家ですので。
      私もスイセンかなと思っていました。持って来たのはご主人も方で、今度彼の奥様に聞いてみます。 コメントありがとうございました。

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  6. こんばんは。ケーキ屋さんみたいですね。どれも美味しそうです。 花之名前は、paperwhite ペーパーホワイトの様です。

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    1. コメントありがとうございます。花の名前を教えてくださって、ありがとうございます。 友人に電話する手間が省けました。 斎藤さんのポストに出ていた公園はとてもいい感じでした。美しい写真がたくさん載っていたので、安らげました。

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  7. Did I ever mention that I think you're totally amazing?

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    1. Thank you so much Jalna. No you're totally amazing! Ha ha ha.

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  8. Looks amazing!!!!! I could just dive in and eat few glasses :D

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    1. Thank you Sandra. I'm watching 'You're all surrounded' Korean drama right now. My favorite are Secret Garden, My Girl, Rooftop prince. I love romantic comedy...you're right so many cute dramas and so little time. I hope you don't get anymore snow this Winter. Stay warm.

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  9. Love your cheesecake in the glass:) Been thinking of making a similar one for my little girl's birthday treat next week, only we call it "triple": cakes pieces on the bottom, layer with cream&custard and then fruits and so on. I like the variation idea you gave:) BTW, the chocolate shoyu caramel sounds very intriguing...interesting combination for a sweetie!

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    1. Thank you very much for your comment Annie. Hey, Layering with cream and custard triple cake is nice idea!
      I like watching your garden grow. Good luck with violet potatoes!

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  10. Looks so tasty, I wish I could skip lunch right now to directly go to that dessert!

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  11. They look so light in texture and delicious! Love those fried dumplings.

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    1. Thank you very much Angie. Your Kiwi crust-less tart is amazing! I wish I have your elegant touch.

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  12. Perfect cheesecake,neat pictures

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    1. Thank you so much. I would like to try your butter naan soon...after the chocolate mousse.

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  13. Simply damn delicious dessert!!!
    Dedy@Dentist Chef

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    1. Thank you Chef! You're so young yet already accomplished chef...your dishes are all incredible!

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  14. This is such an elegant dessert...I love all the layers in the glass...
    Thank you for the inspiration...have a wonderful week :)

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    1. Thank you Juliana. Quite a few recipes I would like to try form your blog. First up- French baguette.

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  15. This looks amazing, and I love your "little" glasses too! So glad you stopped by my blog the other day and left a comment-you've got so much deliciousness going on here :-) Cheers!

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  16. I love your both cheesecake versions! They look so light and refreshing! They are also so beautiful... Like desserts from an elegant restaurant! Actually I also prepare cheesecakes in a glass! I start making them when hot days come... with yogurt or with fresh cheese (quark). I'm sure you would love them!
    I wish I could taste the shoyu chocolates... they look fantastic!

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  17. Hi Nippon Nin,

    I like the way you made and enjoy these lovely cheesecake in your little glasses. They look so elegant.

    Did you said that you had chocolate shoyu caramels??? This combination is so interesting!!!

    Zoe

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