Bon Appetit Desserts (58 page)

Authors: Barbara Fairchild

BOOK: Bon Appetit Desserts

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These crustless, upside-down cheesecakes have a built-in sauce: When the ramekins are inverted, a gooey honeyed topping is revealed. Since these are individual cheesecakes, you’ll need twelve ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups to bake them in.
Makes 12

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup honey

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

⅓ cup water

3 8-ounce packages Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

⅔ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs

Assorted fresh berries

Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter twelve ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups. Place 1 cup sugar, honey, and butter in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and mixture is blended. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Whisk until mixture darkens slightly and candy thermometer registers 300°F, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add ⅓ cup water (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk to blend. Divide topping among ramekins (about 2 tablespoonfuls for each). Divide ramekins between two 13×9×2-inch metal baking pans and chill while preparing filling.

Using on/off turns, blend cream cheese and brown sugar in processor, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla; process until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, processing just to blend between each addition. Divide filling equally among ramekins. Add enough hot water to baking pans to come halfway up sides of ramekins.

Bake cheesecakes until set, about 35 minutes. Remove from pans and chill uncovered until firm, about 1 hour.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Cut around sides of ramekins. Invert cheesecakes onto plates, spooning any remaining topping in ramekins over. Garnish with berries.

Individual Cheesecakes with Mixed Berry Sauce

Sometimes smaller is better—when it means everyone gets his or her own dessert. Custard cups, ramekins, or even ovenproof ceramic teacups are good vessels for these little cheesecakes. Just make sure they hold 10 ounces (1¼ cups).
Makes 6

Crust and Cake

2 cups ground vanilla wafer cookies or shortbread cookies (about 10 ounces)

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

3 8-ounce packages Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

Berry Sauce

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

¼ cup sugar

2 ½-pint containers raspberries

2 ½-pint containers blueberries

6 tablespoons black raspberry liqueur (such as Chambord) or black currant liqueur (such as crème de cassis)

CRUST AND CAKE
: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter six 1¼-cup custard cups. Stir ground cookies with melted butter in medium bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press 3 tablespoons crumb mixture evenly onto bottom of each custard cup; reserve remaining crumb mixture.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add eggs and egg yolks 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Divide filling equally among prepared cups. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly atop filling. Place custard cups in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of cups.

Bake cheesecakes until set in center, about 45 minutes. Remove cakes from water bath. Cool completely. Cover cakes with plastic wrap and chill until cold, about 2 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

BERRY SAUCE
: Melt butter in medium skillet over high heat. Mix in sugar. Add raspberries and blueberries; toss until sugar dissolves and berries are heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in liqueur.

Cut around cup sides to loosen cheesecakes. Turn cakes out onto plates. Pour warm berry sauce around cakes and serve.

Fixing the Cracks

Cheesecakes often crack a bit on the top, and the most likely culprit is overbaking. To prevent cracks, start checking doneness 5 to 10 minutes before the indicated cooking time. When the center two to three inches of the cheesecake are still slightly jiggly (give the cake pan a gentle nudge to check), remove the cake from the oven. The residual heat will set the very center.

But if a cheesecake cracks despite your best efforts, there are a few quick fixes.

Cool the cheesecake completely, then cover the crack by mixing 1 cup of sour cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Spread the sour cream mixture over the cheesecake, filling the crack, then bake the cheesecake at 350°F for 5 minutes just to set the topping. Refrigerate until cold. A few pretty strawberries can hide any remaining cracks.

Or mix up a streusel (for instance, a streusel topping from one of the crisp or crumble recipes in the Fruit Desserts chapter), scatter it over a cookie sheet, and bake it. Just before serving, sprinkle the streusel strategically over the cheesecake.

Coeur à la Crème

This classic heart-shaped dessert is basically a no-bake, crustless cheesecake. For an extra treat, use small wild strawberries
(fraises des bois)
if available. They’re sometimes available at farmers’ markets in spring and early summer
.
Makes 4

4 10×10-inch squares cheesecloth

1 8-ounce package Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

6 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 pound small strawberries, hulled, quartered (about 1⅔ cups)

Rinse cheesecloth under water; squeeze until just damp. Line each of four 3- to 4-inch coeur à la crème molds with 1 square of cheesecloth. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, crème fraîche, 4 tablespoons powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt in large bowl until smooth, about 4 minutes. Divide mixture among molds. Fold cheesecloth over mixture. Place molds on rimmed baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Toss strawberries and remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in medium bowl to coat; let stand 30 minutes. Unwrap molds; invert onto plates and peel off cheesecloth. Spoon strawberries around each and serve.

Equipment Tip:
Make Your Own Molds

Coeur à la crème molds, perforated and heart shaped, are available online at
fantes.com
. You can also rig up makeshift molds by cutting the sides of four 12-ounce paper cups to 3 inches high. With a toothpick, poke 12 holes in the bottom of each cup. Line with cheesecloth; fill as directed. You’ll get a drum-shaped “coeur.”

Cream Cheese Pie Topped with Peaches and Blackberries

The no-bake filling makes this pie perfect for the hot summer months. If possible, top the pie with fresh peaches and blackberries from your local farmers’ market.
8 servings

Crust

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

½ teaspoon almond extract

2½ cups shortbread cookie crumbs (about 10 ounces)

Filling and Topping

1 8-ounce package Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

¾ cup powdered sugar

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

3 large peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, sliced

2 ½-pint containers blackberries

¼ cup peach jam, melted

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Blend melted butter and almond extract in medium bowl. Add crumbs and stir until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture over bottom and up sides of prepared dish. Bake crust until just golden, about 8 minutes. Cool crust completely.

FILLING AND TOPPING
: Blend cream cheese in processor until smooth. Add sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and blend until very smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Spread filling in prepared crust. Chill until filling is firm, about 2 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Arrange peach slices around edge of pie. Arrange blackberries in center. Brush warm jam lightly over fruit to glaze. Chill pie up to 3 hours before serving.