This weekend's White Chocolate Raspberry cheesecake came out as I intended.
[more ]I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
I've not yet found a recipe for white chocolate raspberry that I like ("Mmmph mmmFuh mmph," objects the tasting panel with their mouths full - but I'm a perfectionist). Last nights attempt invoked a standard cheesecake recipe (courtesy of Cooks Illustrated), with the sugar cut way back.
One step that I like, stolen from a previous (and now abandoned) formula, calls for pouring in most of the batter, then adding a layer of raspberry, then the remaining batter, and carefully swirling the batter so that nice raspberry spirals appear.
I tried adding the chocolate with the raspberry - that didn't work. It looked like everything was going fine; the chocolate swirled splendedly and so on. But when I cut into the cake I discovered that the chocolate, being denser than the batter, simply sank. Not what I'm after.
My current theory is that I have to abandon adding the chocolate as a seperate step, and mix it thoroughly into the batter. We'll see how that goes this weekend.
For the party last night, I decided to bring a mismatched pair of cheesecakes (a white chocolate raspberry that didn't come out quite the way I had hoped, and a spiced pumpkin that was as perfect as I'm ever likely to manage).
Now the pedestrian way to bring these things would be to pack them into a cooler, but I haven't found one quite the right shape (and for some reason, winter seems to be a lousy time of year to find one in the shops). But while gathering ingredients this week, I spotted a substitute that worked beautifully....
Laundry basket. One of the stubby round ones.
[more ]In the bookstore today, I grabbed a copy of the latest Cook's Country. Why I don't already have a subscription, I don't know.
There's a one pager on cooking frozen peas. The first recipe in the list (Creamy Peas with Ham and Onion) is out of the park yummy, and really simple. Go cook, go eat, go nuts.
Lessons of the last two cheesecakes....
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My preferred recipe for Jambalaya calls for red sandalwood, which I've never had on hand. A local gourmet spice shop might help, but I've never had one of those on hand either.
But if searching under "spice" or "herbs" avails you nothing, try searching under "spell components". The nice folks at Alchemy Works Seeds & Herbs sent me an ounce. It arrived today.
I went into Costco for the first time in... gosh, at least 5 years.
Having heard the good stories about Costco treating its employees better than its investors; and having renewed my interest in cooking, I decided a wander through might be in order.
Costco is really four markets in one:
One stocks items I have no interest in at all.
One stocks items I have use for, but am particular about; right idea, wrong brand.
One stocks items I have use for, but could not possibly consume without a full size freezer and a small swarm of locusts.
One stocks junk food.
So I walked out without restoring my old membership.
What's your favorite remedy for habanero burn (i.e. when the capsaicim gets into your skin)?