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Yummy Link: Cheesecake Pops

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:13:51 -0700

Those Daring Bakers have done it again, and this time it's with delicious-looking Cheesecake Pops. This is just one person's interpretation, be sure to hunt them all down. They look unbelievable! - Jumbo Empanadas

Would You Eat Fried Mealworms?

partysugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:30:29 -0800

A couple of weekends ago, I attended a deep-fry party at my favorite bar in San Francisco, 15 Romolo. The fiesta was celebrating the inauguration of their new deep fryer and everyone was asked to bring an ingredient to fry. There was a delicious assortment of crispy goodness including Snickers, game hens, cheesecake, bacon (my contribution!), arancini, and crab cakes.There was also a selection of more outlandish items like fried durian, oranges, squab, and mealworms. Typically used for fishing bait, mealworms are the larvae of a beetle. They are perfectly OK to consume, so being an adventurous eater, I popped a few in my mouth. They tasted earthy, with a chewy texture similar to calamari. If you had been attending the party, do you think you could have stomached them?

Yummy Links: From a Vegan's Vengeance to Food Network

partysugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:45:42 -0700

If you love foodie fiction, check out this crime novel in which a vegan gets his vengeance. - San Francisco Magazine
These cheesecake pops are pretty and delicious. - GlamDish
Check out the new and improved Chow.com. - Chow
Learn everything you need to know about 16 varieties of potatoes.- The Kitchn
In what must be the most absurd announcement of the week, PETA has asked Ben & Jerry to make ice cream with breast milk.- The Epi-Log
Wine wipes will get rid of red wine-stained teeth. - Serious Eats
How to unclog your coffee grinder.- CasaSugar
Food Network's holding casting calls for the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star; do you have what it takes? - Grubstreet

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Come Party With Me: Fashion Week Party - The Look

YumSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:45:18 -0700

For a fashion week party, keep the vibe sleek and cosmopolitan. To pair with the New York-inspired menu, the look should be chic and urban with monochromatic tones.

All of my decor will be clear, white, gray, or black - except the brightly colored florals. Since we've been seeing chartreuse on the runway this season, a bright pop of lime green-hued flowers makes for an instant punch of color.

The menu is mostly passed items, like cheesecake minis, so offer them on a modern tray. If you can, choose servingware that's been created by New York fashion designers. Pour the Manhattans into chiseled Calvin Klein martini glasses for a trés fabulous fiesta!

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Come Party With Me: Engagement Party - Menu (Part 2)

partysugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:51:47 -0700

I'm planning an engagement party to kickoff Wedding Season, so fill your heads (and hearts) with fabulous ideas and tips (homemade invitations, anyone?) on how to host your own. Mine will be an after dinner dessert party with champagne and a to die for dessert buffet. Taking help from your local bakery is an easy way to round out a menu of homemade mini baked goods. Store bought cookies and tiny candies can fill silver platters and sparkling bowls. Since an engagement party should really be all about the couple, be sure to include their favorite desserts (and don't forget something chocolate for all of those chocoholics!). In my case, Julie loves cheesecake and Scott is mad for strawberry shortcake so those two dishes must be on the menu, for the recipes read more

Individual Cheesecakes can be made in mini muffin tins for individual servings that guests can pop right into their mouths. Strawberry Shortcakes With White Chocolate Whipped Cream can be prepared in martini glasses, small tumblers, or mousse cups with a spoon ready and waiting in each one for the invitees.

Individual Cheesecakes
From Joy of Baking

Crust:
1 cup (100 grams) graham wafer crumbs or crushed digestive cookies
1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
2 - 8 ounce (454 grams) packages of cream cheese, room temperature (use full fat, not reduced or fat free cream cheese)
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
Strawberry puree and/or fresh berries, optional garnish

Line 12 - 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch muffin cups with one - 2 inch (5 cm) wide x 6 inch (15 cm) long strip of parchment paper. (The ends will hang over the sides of the cups to be used as handles to lift out the baked cheesecakes.) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
For Crust: in a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter.
Press about a tablespoon of crumbs on the bottoms of the 12 muffin cups lined with parchment paper. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
For Filling: in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on low speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until combined.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat until incorporated.
Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly divide the filling among the 12 muffin cups.
Bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until firm but the centers of the cheesecakes still wobble a little. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (a few hours or even overnight).
Remove cheesecakes by first running a sharp knife around the inside edge of the muffin cups to loosen the cheesecakes. Then, taking hold of the two strips of parchment paper, carefully lift each cheesecake from the muffin cups. Gently peel off the parchment paper and place on your serving plate. If desired, top with strawberry sauce and/or fresh berries.

Makes 12 individual cheesecakes.

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Strawberry Shortcakes With White Chocolate Whipped Cream
From Bon Appetit magazine

White chocolate cream
2 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
3 tablespoons sugar
Biscuits
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, chilled
1 cup whipping cream, plus additional for brushing biscuits
2 tablespoons raw sugar
Strawberries
4 cups halved hulled strawberries (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

For white chocolate cream: Place white chocolate in medium bowl.
Place 1 tablespoon water in very small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.
Bring 1/2 cup cream and 3 tablespoons sugar to simmer in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat; add gelatin and stir until dissolved.
Pour gelatin mixture over white chocolate, whisking until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Beat remaining 2 cups cream in large bowl until peaks form. Fold 1/2 cup cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten.
Fold chocolate mixture into remaining cream in bowl. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
For biscuits: Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter.
Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms.
Gradually add 1 cup cream, tossing until moist clumps form.
Gather dough into ball; shape into 8 1/2-inch round on parchment or foil. Chill 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut dough into eight 3-inch rounds, gathering scraps and reshaping as needed.
Place rounds on prepared sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven 5 minutes before using.)
For strawberries: Combine strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and mint in medium bowl; toss to blend. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, at least 10 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 hours.
Cut biscuits in half horizontally or crumble into pieces. Place in pretty cups and mound strawberries with syrup on each, dividing equally.
Cover with white chocolate cream and more biscuit.

Serves 8.

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What dessert makes your sweetheart weak in the knees? Tell me about it below. And be sure to check back this afternoon for the final and third piece of this menu.

St. Patrick's Day Peppermint Pie

partysugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:58:37 -0700

Just in case you didn't get enough dessert ideas for tomorrow's St. Patrick's Day celebration, I thought I would give you one more. I've already given you two recipes that feature Bailey's Irish cream (a cheesecake and a chocolate cake) and one that is flavored with Irish whiskey (a creamy dream) and now I am going to tempt and tease you with a St. Patrick's Day peppermint pie that obtains its minty flavor from crème de menthe. I know some of you aren't throwing a party or going all out this year, so I suggest that you enjoy the holiday in the comfort of your own kitchen. Pop a bottle of bubbly, tie on your apron and make yourself a special dessert. While you wait for it to chill, you can sip your champagne and congratulate yourself for opting to stay in instead of going out with the masses of drunk people. For the recipe, read more

St. Patrick's Day Peppermint Pie
Gail's Recipe Swap

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups miniature marshmallows (or 32 large ones)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup creme de menthe
3 tablespoons white creme de cacao
1 1.2 cups whipping cream, whipped
few drops of green food coloring, if desired
semi-sweet chocolate bars, for garnish

Heat oven to 350°F.
Mix wafer crumbs and butter, press evenly into a 9 inch pie pan pushing down firmly abd up side.
Bake 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and set aside to let cool.
Combine marshmallows and milk in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until marshmallows melt.
Cool thoroughly and add liqueurs.
Fold marshmallow mixture into whipped cream. Fold in food coloring, if desired.
Pour into crumb lined pan. Shave chocolate over the top.
Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

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