Yogurt Cheesecake

I'm a bit behind-this is our usual Christmas dinner dessert, but it is good enough that I have requested it for other festive occasions. When I say it is our usual, what I mean is that if my dad were to cease cheesecake production, or make any modifications to this recipe, there would be yuletide mutiny. Originally sourced from the now defunct Peninsula Farms Yogurt cookbook, the key delicious components of this non-traditional cheesecake are a tangy yogurt cheese filling and an Oreo-hazelnut crust. It is a bit of a production-at least one day's head start required to make the yogurt cheese. Dad says, "I use 2 layers of J-cloth in a colander for draining full-fat yogurt... drain on the counter till I've got half the starting weight of whey out of it, stirring from time to time. I'll usually start with 3,000 g." Once you've got your yogurt cheese, you can proceed.

Yogurt Cheese Cake with Hazelnut-Chocolate Crust

• 5 oz hazelnuts, grated (yield: about 1 cup /225 ml)
• 1 1/4 cups "Oreo" type chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• Chocolate Lovers' option: ADD 1/4 cup cocoa (best possible) OR 1 square grated chocolate, (1 oz/30 g) unsweetened or semisweet baker's chocolate or other high-percentage cocoa dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup melted butter (unsalted preferred)
• pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
• 3 cups yogurt cheese
• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened (8 oz/225 g)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/3 cups sugar (fruit sugar, see note)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2 packets unflavoured gelatin (so not vegetarian friendly)

The crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
2. Grind the hazelnuts. I use a small rotary hand grinder. The fresher the nuts the better - a half-pound or so of unshelled nuts will provide enough nutmeats.
3. Combine the nuts, Oreo crumbs, sugar, cinnamon (and extra chocolate if used) in a bowl, and mix well.
4. Add the melted butter and stir well until all is evenly moist.
5. Firmly press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch spring-form pan.


6. Bake for ten minutes. Chill thoroughly in fridge. Handle gently.

The filling:
1. Cream together the yogurt cheese, cream cheese, sugar, extracts, and salt. Mix until very smooth.
2. Place the cold water in a very small sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin onto the surface, stirring well. Place over very low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin is dissolved - when the water reaches lukewarm.
3. Stir the gelatin into the yogurt mix by hand, blending very well.
4. Pour this into the cold crust, jiggle gently to level, and put the cake in the fridge overnight to set up.

Run a very thin knife around the sides before opening the spring-form pan.


Dad's notes:

This cheesecake is quite different in texture from the more familiar NY-style cheesecakes - more like a cream pie or lemon meringue pie than a baked cake.
I've been known to add a 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom to the dry crust ingredients, and I think pecans would be a nice alternative to the hazelnuts. Freshly grated lemon rind can replace the lemon extract.
Note on "fruit" sugar - This very finely ground sugar which dissolves much more quickly in unheated liquids, is sometimes available in supermarkets under various trade names. You can easily make it with a blender from regular granulated sugar. Simply blend it at high speed for a minute or so, using a spatula to help all the sugar get to the blades.

Springerle

With our oven repaired, I've started on making traditional German Christmas cookies, which is basically the only German food we make. Springerle have a distinctive taste that can take some getting used to (I like them much more now than I did as a kid, and they aren't for anyone who hates black licorice). I love the taste, but they are a family favourite because they are beautiful, impressed with hand-carved molds featuring German folk art. The molds are very hard to find outside of Germany (although I'm sure they can be found online) and every year my dad and uncle take turns with them, and my dad mails some of the finished product to his sister and my brother, both living far away. It wouldn't be Christmas without them, and that's why I've taken the pains to make them starting December 27th (it is quite the process). This is my grandmother's recipe.

Springerle (makes about 30 cookies, depending on size of molds)
Notes: These anise flavoured cookies, Springerle, have been described by some misinformed cook-book writers as beautiful but "hard and tasteless". Follow this recipe, store carefully, and you will see how wrong they are. For very fine sugar, grind granulated sugar in a blender at high speed to convert to fine sugar-1 cup at a time about 1 minute works well, and costs less than buying it in the store, if they carry it at all. Springerle molds come in the form of carved rolling pins and as flat rectangles. Keep these out of water. Clean with a stiff brush, pick out dried dough with the sharp tip of a bamboo skewer. It seems to help sometimes if the molds are cold (put in freezer between uses). Anise oil can be obtained from health food stores and from some pharmacies. It gives a much clearer and nicer flavour than anise extract. Anise seeds can be sprinkled on the baking sheet before putting the cookies on for added texture and a bit of taste.

• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups/680g very fine sugar (aka fruit sugar, VeriFine™, NOT confectioners sugar)
• 3/8 tsp salt
• 3/8 tsp anise oil (3/4 tsp if using anise extract)
• 1 large lemon, grated rind of
• 6 cups/675g sifted flour, all purpose white (you can just whisk it for a while in a large bowl if you don't own a sifter or are not inclined to use one)
  
• 3 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together at medium speed for 1/2 hour (1 hour+ beating by hand with a whisk-I hope you have an electric mixer, it really does need to mix this long.) Mix in the salt, anise oil, and lemon rind slowly, just till blended.


Remeasure the sifted flour and and sift together with baking powder (or if you are whisking, not sifting, just whisk together). Fold/mix it into the egg/sugar mix with a wooden spoon (never electric mixer). This will make a very tender dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


Roll out about half the recipe, 3/8" (10 mm) thick on a floured counter. Press or roll the traditional German carved wooden Springerle molds into the dough deeply enough to make a clear impression. The molds should be lightly dusted with flour. Cut around the impression with a sharp floured knife, and transfer the cookies to a buttered baking sheet. Leave an inch between cookies.



Set aside in a warm place for 8-12 hours (overnight) for the patterns to air-dry thoroughly, so the baking won't destroy them.



Bake at 300˚ (150˚ C) for 15-20 minutes (until very light yellow, NOT browned at all). Larger cookies may need slightly more time. Remove immediately from the cookie sheets to racks for cooling.

To keep them from drying out and becoming hard, store the cookies in an air-tight container or zip-lock plastic bag which should be kept closed except when taking cookies out to eat. An apple slice wrapped loosely in foil can be included to help maintain humidity. Store for at least one week.

Stollen my heart

My German heritage does not figure prominently in my life-I don't speak it, I've never been, none of my immediate family members were born there. Basically, I'm blonde and have an affinity for beer and clean design. But Christmas is a different story altogether. Every year my dad and I make at least 4 different kinds of traditional German Christmas cookies (coming soon) and stollen. Stollen is a sweet bread (not to be confused with sweetbread), almost the consistency of shortbread that is covered in powdered sugar. This is certainly not a health food, but it's Christmas! Our family version uses raisins (lately Craisins too), currants, candied fruit and almonds.

My dad actually made this before I arrived home (a couple were shipped to my brother and my aunt-loaves also freeze well), so I am grateful to be using his photos and his recipe, as handed down by my great-grandmother. The top of the index card reads ""Like Grandma Retter and Grossmutter Ressel made!" wrote Ilse Zimmer, mother of Peter (my dad), Chris & Julie."

Austrian Stollen (makes 2 loaves)

• 4 tsp quick-rise instant yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 7 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• grated rind from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
• 5 cups flour
• 3/4 cup white raisins (substitute Craisins for some or all of this)
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1/4 brandy (or sherry)
• 1 cup mixed diced candied fruit
• 1/3 cup blanched sliced almonds, lightly toasted

1. Combine in a large bowl the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon rind and milk. Add yeast and 3 cups flour to make a soft dough. Beat vigourously with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes, let rest 10 minutes or so. Mix in another 2 cups of flour and the softened butter to make a soft and slightly sticky dough.

2. Turn out dough onto a floured board for kneading. Work in just enough flour while kneading so that the dough loses any stickiness, and then knead for at least 10 minutes, until dough is elastic and shiny. Form into a ball.

3. Place in a well-buttered bowl, turning so all surfaces are buttered. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to double. Punch down, and knead lightly again. [The dough could be refrigerated for 3 or 4 days at this point]

4. Mix fruit and brandy. Let stand for 1 hour, stir from time to time. Drain excess liquid. (I drink it - Yummy! -IZ [my grandmother!]). Knead the fruit and almonds into dough.

5. Butter a large baking sheet very thickly. Cut dough in half. Roll out each piece into an oval 1/2 as large as baking sheet. Fold each oval so that bottom edge extends beyond top. Turn this back to form a small roll and fold. Place both ovals on baking sheet, well apart so that they do not rise and touch while baking. Let rise until puffy. Brush top with melted butter. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 375˚.



6. Remove to racks to cool. Brush tops with butter while warm, and again after they cool. Dust with confectioner's sugar, and repeat before serving.



Sneak slices whenever you can find an excuse to go to the kitchen. They are heavenly toasted with butter, especially on Christmas morning.

Orphan Thanksgiving Dinner

Okay, so I'm not really an orphan. But as the dining hall lines thin and the university quiets over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, it starts to feel that way. It doesn't really make sense to go home on a 3-day weekend and it would be nice to see my family, but missing out on a major food holiday is what hurts more. An entire turkey would have been a bit much, but this rolled pork loin stuffed with an autumnal stuffing was a festive and showy alternative.

Pork Loin Rolled With Apricot, Prune & Walnut Stuffing (serves 4)

• Pork loin, approx 800 g (my dad's original calls for a tenderloin but I bought this instead)
• 2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped fine
• 2/3 cup prunes, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup walnut crumbs
• 4 shallots, minced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp oil - walnut, olive or canola
• 2 tsp honey
• 4 tbsp rum/Irish whiskey/port/sherry (I used Grand Marnier, but really, almost any booze)
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 slices bacon

1. Preheat oven to 375˚. Start by butterflying the meat so it lays flat at 1/4" thickness. I had never butterflied before but it's not so hard. I recommend subscribing to the Cook's Illustrated podcast on iTunes and watching the Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin episode for instruction on butterflying. If you haven't been entirely even in your cutting, you can pound it to the desired thickness, laying the meat between to sheets of plastic wrap, or putting it in a ziploc and whacking it with a heavy skillet.


2. Cover chopped apricot and prunes with boiling water, let stand 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, mince and gently sauté shallots and garlic in oil until they turn golden (do not brown). Combine drained fruits, walnuts, shallots & garlic, honey, liquor and dry spices in a bowl, stir and let sit a few minutes.


3. Spread stuffing evenly over the pork loin, leaving a bit of space at one end. Sprinkle on the leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, roll up the loin from the small end. Top with slices of bacon and remaining sprig of rosemary, and tie up with string/twine. Place on lipped baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.


4. To serve, remove strings, slice thinly and serve. Ideally you will not be using a paring knife, but it still turned out okay.


Glazed Carrots

• As many carrots as desired
• Generous piece of butter
• Pure maple syrup-the better the syrup the better this will be
  

1. Begin by steaming the carrots. We were short on pots and pans, so this was accomplished in the microwave (in a large microwave safe bowl, add about 1 tbsp water to cut and peeled carrots, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for approx 3 minutes).
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter and add maple syrup. Add carrots to the skillet and cook until a glaze forms, being sure to coat the carrots entirely.


Mashed potatoes

• Yukon gold potatoes (we did 5 largeish for 3 people)
• Butter
• Milk if desired

1. Peel potatoes and cut into uniformly sized sections. Boil and salt water, add potatoes and cook approx 25 minutes (use fork test to check doneness-you should get no resistance and they should almost start falling apart).
2. Drain water and turn heat to lowest setting. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes to a uniform consistency. Add butter, a lot or a little as you are so inclined. I would recommend a lot. Taste frequently to determine if it needs more butter or possibly some milk. Serve.


Pumpkin pie post coming soon!

Shrimp primavera

This is a tasty and quick pasta dish that involves little equipment (pot, pan, knife and you're good) which is especially key away from home in a poorly equipped dorm kitchen. It comes from City Food, a collection of recipes from Halifax restaurants purchased sometime in the early nineties, I am guessing. The restaurant it is from, Silverspoon, is no longer in existance and I have only had the homemade version. Which is really good. We have this often, we have this with guests, I ask for this when I am home for a visit.

Also an anecdote about my earliest cooking exploits and an example of how ridiculous my dad is sometimes:

In grade 8 home economics we had a project to cook a meal for our family, do a write-up and have a parent give us a grade. Most kids made burgers, spaghetti, easy but totally legitimite things. I made guacamole, this shrimp primavera and apple crisp. And it was excellent. Everyone' else's parents gave them 10/10. My dad gave me 9.5, baffling my teacher. "There's always room for improvement," he said. And I suppose he's right.

Shrimp Primavera (serves 4)

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 lb- 1 lb deveined shrimp
• 1 cup white vermouth
• 2 tbsp finely chopped dried apricots
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1-2 red, yellow or orange peppers (I only used 1)
• pasta for 4 people (I used linguine, up to you)
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
• 1/4 heavy cream (I am waddling towards obesity and went with close to 1 cup)
• 1/2 mango, diced
• 

Sauté minced garlic in oil in a large skillet for one minute. Stir in shrimp and cook until opaque. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Pour in vernmouth and simmer 5 minutes. Add apricots, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and pepper. simmer 5-10 minutes to reduce volume by half.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook to desired texture (al dente, obviously). Drain well. Place in a very large bowl.
Immediately toss together: pasta, vermouth mixture, shrimp, strips of pepper, parsley and enough cream to coat the pasta. Garnish with chunks of mango. Serve immediately (although it also makes great leftovers)

Blueberry Pudding

I did not make this-for my last supper at home before heading back to a dorm room, my dad made some of my favourites. I'll start by posting possibly my favourite dessert-hot blueberry pudding with cinnamon whipped cream. This comes from my dad's recollection of a Craig Claiborne recipe (he thinks) from many years ago. I am leaving my dad's text as is because it amuses me and I've actually never made this.

Hot Blueberry Pudding with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

• 2 litres (a loaf) of good bread (wholewheat, multi-grain, artisan, ...), crust trimmed, cut into 12 mm/ 1/2" cubes
• 250 gm unsalted butter
• 375 gm sugar
• 1 litre low-bush (wild) blueberries
• 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
• strong cinnamon sugar

1. Melt the butter in a large deep sauté pan over medium high heat. When the bubbles have settled add the bread cubes, stirring to coat with butter. Stir regularly until cubes are browning, but not burned.
2. Add the sugar and keep on the heat until the sugar melts and begins to carmelize. ---this can be done a few hours ahead, and the pan & bread set aside. Reheat to soften the sugar ---
3. Turn the heat to high. Add the blueberries to the hot bread cubes, and stir until the berries are heated through.
4. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream, using cinnamon sugar.
5. Immediately serve into bowls with a good glob of cinnamon whipped cream. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

NOTES
Sauté the bread and sugar, and whip the cream a few hours before the meal. The final addition and cooking of the berries must be done just before serving.
This is the Zimmer family’s favourite thing for Peter to do with fresh Nova Scotian low-bush wild blueberries. Other times of the year it can be made with thawed frozen wild blueberries- thaw in the fridge for a couple hours.
The large high-bush blueberries don’t have the intensity of flavour of the “wild” low-bush berries from Eastern Canada and New England.

Dad's South Western Macaroni & Cheese

This is one of my favourite things to eat and one of the first things I ask for when I come home. You get macaroni & cheese AND nachos, all at once and I like it better cold for lunch the next day. Yes, there is a lot of chopping but the recipe is pretty easy to make. Tonight I decided to make it myself, using my dad's recipe. I've decided to transcribe his version verbatim both because the directions are clear and in my opinion adorable. He is clearly writing for an audience, and now he has (a small) one, as opposed to the recipe index card box K-Z. Bold signifies not extra important but extra dad-lol. My notes in italics.

Hrs Lead Req'd: 1 1/4 hr cook's time: 3/4 hr Final Cooking: 40 min
Makes 8 Servings

• 300 g yellow onions, coarsely chopped
• 400 g sweet bell peppers, red, yellow, orange and/or green (don't use green, less pretty/tasty)
• 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, minced (or 3 or 4)
• 0-2 other med./hot peppers, to taste, chopped
• 250 g ham, chopped
• 15 ml cooking oil (canola)

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• 200 g sharp cheddar cheese, diced 10-12 mm/ 3/8 - 1/2"
• 250 ml plain yogurt (1 cup)
• 60 ml instant blend flour (1/4 cup) 30 g
• 250 ml milk (1 cup)
• 1-4 dashes tabasco or other hot sauce, to taste

---------

• 300 g macaroni or other similar pasta (cavatappi)<--yes to the spiral macaroni
• 3 tsp salt
• 4 l. water

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• nacho chips
• mozzarella cheese, grated

This is our usual quantity of a favourite family comfort food. - reduce 50% for less enthusiastic appetites (don't, the leftovers are even better).
Use a large oven-proof skillet ( 12" (30 cm) cast iron is just sufficient).
Start a large pot of water for the pasta.
Clean (peel, stem, core, de-seed) and chop (coarse or fine to your preference - I go 'coarse') the peppers, and onions, and ham. Cut up the cheddar. Whisk the flour into the yogurt and mix in the milk.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat, add oil, and when its hot add the onions and all the peppers and ham, and cook, over medium-high heat, stirring from time to time until the vegetables are soft and some are barely beginning to brown. Pour in the yogurt-milk-flour mix, and stir until thickened. Taste, adding hot sauce (chipotle tobasco is our current choice (he used to pronounce chipotle hip-o-tl until his Spanish major daughter caught him)), salt and fresh-ground black pepper to your taste.
Turn on the broiler.
Sprinkle cheddar on top and mix it in. Remove from heat when the cheese is mostly melted.
Meanwhile, when the water boils, add the salt and macaroni, and cook until al dente (6 minutes or so). Drain the macaroni and keep hot.
Fold the macaroni gently and thouroughly into the sauce in the skillet. Spread a layer of nacho chips on top, and grate on a layer of mozzarella cheese.
Pop under the broiler (if you are using cast iron you may need your dad or someone else strong to do this step, no joke) for a minute or two, until the cheese melts and the chips just start to brown. Watch carefully, from browned to burnt is a moment's inattention.
Remove, and serve...
* The quantities of onions, peppers, ham, jalepenos and hot peppers and tobasco can be varied to suite taste or availability. We usually have a mix of red, yellow and orange sweet peppers, and often add a hot banana pepper. We normally use two-year old white cheddar and Black Forest style ham and blue corn organic nacho chips...
* This makes very good left-overs, but the nachos and cheese should be eaten on first serving: the nachos go limp in the fridge.