vanilla cheesecake squares

adapted from dan barber via gourmet | august 2008
Serves 8 to 10

For crust
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For filling
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Make crust:

Preheat oven to 350ºF with rack in middle.

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides, then lightly butter foil.
Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add flour, cinnamon and almonds, mixing until combined and dough begins to clump together.
Press onto bottom of baking pan with floured fingers.
Bake just until a shade darker and edges begin to pull away from pan, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan.

Make filling and bake:

Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and flour with cleaned beaters at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add half-and-half, then eggs 1 at a time, mixing until incorporated. Pour filling into crust.

Bake in a hot water bath until set 1 1/2 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 40 to 45 minutes. (Center will set as it cools.) Transfer pan to a rack and cool completely, about 2 hours. Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours.

Using foil overhang, lift cheesecake from pan and peel off foil before cutting into small rectangles. (it helps to rinse off the knife in very hot water after each cut)

Cheesecake can be chilled (loosely covered once cold) up to 3 days.

Pasta with Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Shrimp

8 oz pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
8 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lemon wedge
2 oz goat cheese
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Add pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water before draining.

Heat oil and butter over medium high heat in a saute pan. Add garlic and red pepper, stirring and cooking until garlic just begins to brown. Add sun-dried tomatoes and shrimp, cooking shrimp thoroughly. Turn off the heat. Squeeze the juice from the lemon wedge and crumble the goat cheese over the hot shrimp.

Add pasta to saute pan with a bit of the reserved pasta water. Toss until pasta is coated, adding more water to reach desired consistency. Divide between two bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

Mushroom, Asparagus, Gruyere & Egg Casserole

Ingredients

8 large eggs
1 bunch fresh asparagus (approximately 1 pound), rinsed, trimmed and cut into 1 & 1/2-inch pieces
3-4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) sliced mushrooms
3 ounces grated Gruyere, divided
1 medium shallot, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 controlled splash of dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

to prepare

Gently steam asparagus pieces for approximately 3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for baking. Spray your favorite casserole dish (approximately 9&1/2″ x 9&1/2″ x 1&1/2″ in size) with non-stick cooking spray.

to make the casserole

In a large bowl, break eggs and whisk gently. Add 2 ounces grated Gruyere (reserve remaining for garnish), minced shallot and garlic, splash of dry white wine, Herbes de Provence, salt and freshly ground black pepper; whisk until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Stir in steamed asparagus and sliced mushrooms. Pour egg mixture into prepared casserole dish and place on center rack of preheated, 350 degree F oven; bake for approximately 30-35 minutes (depending on size and depth of your casserole dish and accuracy of your oven). Casserole is done when eggs are set in the middle, i.e. eggs no longer jiggle when casserole dish is moved back and forth.

When eggs are set, remove casserole dish from oven and and sprinkle with remaining ounce of grated Gruyere. Cut into 4 large wedges (or 6-8 smaller ones) and serve warm.

Pair with warm, crusty bread and a mixed green sald or fruit. Optional—top bread and salad with a slight drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a bit of grated Gruyere if desired. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings

Chicken Bok Choy

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Equipment

wok

Ingredients

1 pound bok choy (or 1 pound baby bok choy)
4 tablespoons canola oil
3 (about 1 pound/454 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1/2 inch/5 mm thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 ounces (4 tablespoons/60 ml) chicken stock or broth

Preparation

1. Trim off the stem of the bok choy, separate the stalks, and rinse each clean of dirt and debris. Cut each stem into 2-inch pieces, then spit them in half or thirds lengthwise. Set aside. (If using baby bok choy, just trim the stems and rinse well.)

2. Set the cold wok on the burner, pour in 2 tablespoons of the canola oil down the side of the wok and swirl to distribute. Add the garlic and ginger and turn on the heat, cooking until the wok is hot. Keep an eye on it so the garlic and ginger don’t burn.

3. Add the sliced chicken and cook for about 2 minutes, until the meat starts turning white. Remove to a plate and cover.

4. Pour in the rest of the canola oil and the bok choy (can do it in two batches if necessary). Stir for about 2 minutes, then add the scallions and cook until the vegetables are bright green and just tender.

5. Return the chicken to the wok and add the soy sauce and chicken stock. Cook for form 1 to 2 minutes, until evenly heated.

6. Serve with steamed rice.

Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits

Yield 12

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat the oven to 350 F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Blend the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and garlic powder into a large bowl.

With your fingers, blend the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse sand with pea sized lumps of butter in it. Stir in the shredded cheeses.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk in. With a spoon, gently mix until the dry ingredients are just moist. Do not overmix.

Scoop the biscuits onto the parchment line sheet (roughly 1/3 cup - I used a large disher) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The tops will be pale, but the bottoms will be lightly golden brown.

Brush the tops with the melted butter and place under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the tops become golden.

Serve warm.

Sweet Potato, Squash and Apple Soup

Serves 10 to 12

1 medium kabocha squash, cubed
3 large sweet potatoes, cubed
3 carrots, chopped
3 apples, cubed
1 red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 tablespoons honey
Kosher salt
Olive oil

1. In a large bowl, toss squash, sweet potatoes, apples, half of the red onion and half of the chopped carrots with the ginger and garlic. Swirl in a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast on two sheet pans in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until pieces have softened and browned. Set aside once done.
2. As vegetables roast, mix celery, and remaining carrots and red onions in a deep pot. Swirl in a tad more olive oil and heat over a medium high flame, stirring to make sure vegetables brown but do not burn.
3. Once veggies in the pot have begun to go translucent, approximately 5-10 minutes, pour in broth and add cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook until carrots and celery are soft but not mushy, approx. 10-15 minutes.
4. Spoon roasted vegetables into simmering vegetables, pour in honey and stir just until everything is just incorporated. Pull out cinnamon stick. Ladle into a blender or food processor and blend until the soup reaches your preferred consistency. (Add more broth if you prefer a very smooth, puréed soup.) Salt to taste and serve with a healthy sprinkling of parsley.

S'mores Bars

3/4 cup of butter (1 1/2 sticks) room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar*
2 large eggs*
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups graham cracker crumbs*
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 giant sized milk chocolate bars (I used Hershey's)
1 7.5 oz jar of marshmallow fluff (or more if you want a thicker layer of marshmallow)

*Healthy Swaps: I used 3/4 cup of sugar as opposed to 1 full cup, egg whites instead of whole eggs (2 egg whites per egg called for), and I crushed Low Fat graham crackers for my graham cracker crumbs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate medium sized bowl whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined (use low speed on electric mixer).

Divide dough in half. Press half of the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place the chocolate bars in a layer on top of the dough. I fit two giant Hershey bars side by side and then almost all of the third one, I had to take off one column of squares on the third Hershey bar and then laid it next to the other two. Whatever kind you use, if necessary break the chocolate to get it to fit in a single layer over the graham cracker. Spread marshmallow fluff over chocolate layer. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough with your hands into small square shingles and laying them together).

Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.