Today, after our quiz, we got to work on cheesecakes. They should be smooth and not rise too high, and they should not crack or fall. I must say that neither of the cheesecakes I made today came out perfect to the eye, even if they did taste good.
Each of us made at least one cheesecake recipe each. First I made two New York Cheesecakes. I even pushed the batter through a sieve to remove the lumps. And dragged a knife through it, and removed all the air bubbles from the top with a fork. They both still cracked. Either they were beaten too much or the oven was too warm or they were overbaked or a combination of all three. They are being chilled overnight and will be finished tomorrow, and then we'll see what they look like at the end.
Since I had time, I could make another cheesecake. I decided to try a s'mores cheesecake. However, since all the marshmallows we could find were old and stale, I had to make marshmallows first. I've never done that before. It's not hard, but it does take time. The ingredients are simple: gelatin, sugar boiled to the soft crack stage with water and glucose, and egg whites. Once the mixture was cool enough it was piped into tubes (and a few kisses) onto parchment, dusted with cornstarch and powdered sugar, and refrigerated for several hours. When they were ready, they were cut into pieces and tossed in the sugar/cornstarch. Even with cutting the recipe in half, there were TONS of marshmallows. I took some home and, now that the 10 year old knows I can make them, I will likely never hear the end of it. They taste so much better than any marshmallow I've ever had before.
Anyway, back to the cheesecake. I made a chocolate cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. The crust didn't get pushed into the bases of the rings tightly enough, I don't think, as it didn't hold together well when it was time to get them out of the rings. Next time, I will just use my fingers to really get the crust into the edges. The cheesecake was a little lumpy and I probably should have strained it but didn't. It baked better than the NY Cheesecake did, though. Minimal cracking!
To finish them, I drizzled them with chocolate and then stuck marshmallows on them. I then used the torch to toast the marshmallows and then finished by adding a piece of chocolate and sprinkling them with more of the graham cracker crust mixture. They're very pretty. Having now eaten them, I think there isn't enough graham cracker flavor to offset the dense chocolate flavor.
My classmates made some amazingly beautiful cheesecakes as well, and I can't wait to try them!
Each of us made at least one cheesecake recipe each. First I made two New York Cheesecakes. I even pushed the batter through a sieve to remove the lumps. And dragged a knife through it, and removed all the air bubbles from the top with a fork. They both still cracked. Either they were beaten too much or the oven was too warm or they were overbaked or a combination of all three. They are being chilled overnight and will be finished tomorrow, and then we'll see what they look like at the end.
Since I had time, I could make another cheesecake. I decided to try a s'mores cheesecake. However, since all the marshmallows we could find were old and stale, I had to make marshmallows first. I've never done that before. It's not hard, but it does take time. The ingredients are simple: gelatin, sugar boiled to the soft crack stage with water and glucose, and egg whites. Once the mixture was cool enough it was piped into tubes (and a few kisses) onto parchment, dusted with cornstarch and powdered sugar, and refrigerated for several hours. When they were ready, they were cut into pieces and tossed in the sugar/cornstarch. Even with cutting the recipe in half, there were TONS of marshmallows. I took some home and, now that the 10 year old knows I can make them, I will likely never hear the end of it. They taste so much better than any marshmallow I've ever had before.
Anyway, back to the cheesecake. I made a chocolate cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. The crust didn't get pushed into the bases of the rings tightly enough, I don't think, as it didn't hold together well when it was time to get them out of the rings. Next time, I will just use my fingers to really get the crust into the edges. The cheesecake was a little lumpy and I probably should have strained it but didn't. It baked better than the NY Cheesecake did, though. Minimal cracking!
To finish them, I drizzled them with chocolate and then stuck marshmallows on them. I then used the torch to toast the marshmallows and then finished by adding a piece of chocolate and sprinkling them with more of the graham cracker crust mixture. They're very pretty. Having now eaten them, I think there isn't enough graham cracker flavor to offset the dense chocolate flavor.
My classmates made some amazingly beautiful cheesecakes as well, and I can't wait to try them!
That's why they put stuff on cheesecake--to hide the cracks.
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