Bon Appetit Desserts (55 page)
Read Bon Appetit Desserts Online
Authors: Barbara Fairchild
Cheesecake gets an irresistible Italian accent with mascarpone (Italian cream cheese), biscotti, and balsamic vinegar. The vinegar is used along with sugar to macerate the strawberries, which gives them a tang that contrasts wonderfully with the rich, creamy cheesecake. You can find all three of these ingredients at Italian markets, of course, but many supermarkets carry them as well.
8 to 10 servings
1½ cups ground crumbs from purchased almond biscotti (about 6 ounces)
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
4 8-ounce packages Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 large eggs
3 cups quartered hulled strawberries (about 18 ounces)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Tightly wrap outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Mix biscotti crumbs and melted butter in bowl until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Chill crust 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and 1¼ cups sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time; beat just until blended after each addition. Spread cheese mixture evenly over crust in pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
Bake until cheesecake is golden and center of cake moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool 1 hour. Remove foil from pan sides. Chill cake uncovered overnight.
DO AHEAD
:
Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
Mix strawberries, remaining ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and vinegar in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Cut cake into wedges. Spoon strawberries with juices alongside.
Cream Cheese vs. Mascarpone
Cream cheese is a soft unripened cheese made of cow’s milk and cream (by law, it has to contain 33% milk fat)—and it’s far and away the most widely used ingredient in cheesecake. When cream cheese is called for in
Bon Appétit
recipes, the Test Kitchen specifies “Philadelphia-brand.” This is a result of side-by-side testings with several other brands, in which we found that the cheesecakes made with Philadelphia cream cheese set up far better than those made with other brands, which didn’t have the desired firmness after chilling.
Mascarpone, sometimes called Italian cream cheese, is different from American cream cheese. Both are rich, but while cream cheese is dense, with a pronounced tanginess, mascarpone is mellower and more buttery and lends a lighter texture to the finished cheesecake. Mascarpone is fairly widely available in supermarkets these days, but if you can’t find it at yours, look for it in specialty foods stores or in Italian markets.
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Candied Pecans and Dulce de LecheDulce de leche—the Latin version of caramel sauce that is made with condensed milk—creates a rich layer atop the mascarpone cheesecake. If you don’t have time to make your own, you’ll find dulce de leche sold in jars with other ice-cream toppings at many supermarkets and at Latin markets.
14 servings
8 ounces purchased shortbread cookies
⅓ cup pecans
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature
2 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1½ tablespoons all purpose flour
1¼ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs, room temperature
Candied Pecans (see recipe)
Dulce de Leche (see recipe)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind shortbread cookies and pecans in processor. Add melted butter and process until crumbs are moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Bake crust until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add mascarpone and flour; beat until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Pour filling over crust in pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
Bake cheesecake until top is golden and cake is almost set (center 2 inches will move only slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake on rack 1 hour. Remove foil from pan sides. Chill cake uncovered overnight.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
Arrange Candied Pecans decoratively atop cake. Cut cake into wedges. Serve with Dulce de Leche.
Candied PecansThese would also be good served on their own after dinner with coffee—or tossed in a salad.
Makes about 1 cup
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
Pinch of cream of tartar
¾ cup pecan halves
Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; spray foil with nonstick spray. Combine sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and cream of tartar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in pecans. Quickly pour mixture out onto prepared baking sheet. Using 2 forks and working quickly, separate pecans. Cool completely. Break candied pecans apart, leaving each pecan half intact with some crisp caramel attached.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Dulce de LecheDulce de leche is also delicious on ice cream, or you can even spread it on whole wheat toast.
Makes about 1⅓ cups
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
Combine cream and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in sweetened condensed milk.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over medium-low heat just until warm and pourable.
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Quince CompoteThis cheesecake, which requires baking only the crust, has a silky texture that may remind you of panna cotta, the Italian custard dessert. The cake is made with mascarpone (Italian cream cheese), heavy cream, and gelatin instead of regular cream cheese and eggs. This would be a delicious addition to a Thanksgiving feast.
12 servings
1⅓ cups pecans, toasted
½ cup walnuts, toasted
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3½ cups heavy whipping cream, divided
¼ cup water
3½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from 2 envelopes)
3½ cups plus 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (measured from four 8-ounce containers)
1¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
Quince Compote (see recipe)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Coarsely grind all nuts and brown sugar in processor. Add melted butter and blend well. Press nut mixture onto bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Bake until crust is set, about 12 minutes. Cool crust completely.
Pour 3 cups cream into medium bowl. Pour ¼ cup water into medium heatproof bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Place bowl with gelatin in small skillet of barely simmering water; stir until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from water. Pour remaining ½ cup cream into gelatin. Pour gelatin mixture into cream in bowl; whisk gently until well blended.
Using electric mixer, beat mascarpone and powdered sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add cream-gelatin mixture and beat just until blended. Pour filling over cooled crust. Cover and chill overnight.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
Cut around pan sides to loosen cheesecake. Remove pan sides. Place cake on platter. Cut cake into wedges and serve with Quince Compote.
Ingredient Tip:
Quince
An ancient apple-like fruit used extensively in Asia and the Mediterranean, the quince is extremely hard, so is always cooked in recipe preparations. It’s used in preserves because of its high pectin content, and also in savory dishes like stews.
