Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Bars

We all have those things that we have to have in the kitchen at all times.  For most bloggers, that item usually falls under a certain ingredient.  However, for people that do not cook, it is some type of choice food, beverage or sauce.

Whatever the choice may be, some will always perceive it as being strange. I heard of someone with a whole refrigerator drawer full of bouillon cubes.  That one, I think would probably fall into the strange category by many!  The latest I have come across inspired me to make this particular dessert.

Even though the dessert is made out of Dulce de Leche, it is not exactly what my friend requires to be in the kitchen at all times.  They must have the so called "magic shell" topping for ice cream, caramel flavor, of course.  I do like caramel, but the magic shell is not something that comes to mind when I think of caramel. However, dulce de leche always does.

Anyhow, on to the recipe.  The flavor of dulce de leche can be found in the cheesecake batter as well as the top layer of this dessert.  Besides the tasty double caramel flavor, the bars are a better way to go when serving a crowd.  You get all the taste of cheesecake without as much guilt as a 3 inch thick slice of a standard cheesecake....Oh and as for my friend who enjoyed the bars, they continue to stay in the foods of convenience area-which includes the magic shell.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
adapted from Bon Appetit June 2010 Issue

Ingredients/Crust
1 1/4 sticks or 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tbs sugar

Ingredients/Filling
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
24 oz of cream cheese (3-8 oz pkgs)
1/2 cup dulce de leche
1 cup sugar

Ingredients/Glaze
3 tbs heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup dulce de leche

Prepare a 9X13 inch pan by coating the interior with a non stick spray.  Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  For the crust, stir together all the dry ingredients until evenly mixed.  Place the butter in a saucepan over low heat or a microwave safe dish and melt it. Once completely melted,  pour it into the dry ingredients.  Mix until all the crumbs are coated with the butter.  The crumbs will easily clump together.  Empty the mixture into the center of the prepared pan.  Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan, making sure it evenly covers the bottom interior of the pan.  Bake for about 10 minutes. It should have a golden hue when done.  Place pan on rack and let cool completely.

For the filling, beat together the cream cheese and sugar.  A hand mixer or food processor working for about 1 minute should thoroughly blend the two together.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in each egg (one at a time).  Spoon in the dulce de leche and add the vanilla extract to the batter.  Beat for about 10 seconds until the additions are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  Spoon the batter over the crust, and spread until even.

Place pan in oven and bake for about 38 minutes.  The center will be set and the edges will be cracked once the bars are done baking.  Place pan on rack and let cool completely.

The topping starts out with heating together the dulce de leche and cream.  One option is to heat the mixture in a microwave in 30 second intervals, mixing with a spoon at the end of each interval. The other option is to melt the mixture together in a saucepan on low heat.  Once melted, the glaze should be pourable, if not, more cream is needed.  Add just one tsp of cream and then test its pourability. Continue with that process until you reach the correct consistency.  The variance of the cream can be attributed to the different brands of dulce de leche on the market.  Pour the glaze over the cheesecake and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour prior to cutting and serving.  For storing this dessert, cover pan and place in refrigerator.

Tips and Notes:
1. Dessert can be prepared 2 days ahead
2. Recipe recommends that the pan of bars be cut into 4 strips by 6 strips
3. Suggestion made to sprinkle each bar with sea salt.
                                **LAST YEAR:Rum Raisin Almond Tart**

Miami Mango Cake

This go around I did want to use a fruit in baking that I had not tried yet, which was mango.  I was not even sure it was the right season.  After some research I found that March is the start of the season for Mexico, but May is the start of the season in Florida.

When I came across this recipe, the first thing that surprised me was that the cake has no butter in it. Also, it had quite a bit of mango.  This let me to believe that there was an error in the recipe.  In my mind I pictured this soupy batter that would never even bake up to a solid mass.

I forged ahead and popped the pan into the oven to bake.  I kept peeking through the window on the oven door to see the progress of it.  It actually got quite brown, most likely due to all that fruit.

All in all, the finished product is a wonderfully moist cake.  Even though the walnuts are optional they added another layer of texture in the bite.  Also, the sweet cream cheese icing really pairs well with the cake.

Some days your instinct is not on the right track and this was one of those times.  The cake was a hit at the luncheon, so it will be something that I will make again.

Now I am off to make 12 dz cookies for donations, so I will be baking up a storm!

Miami Mango Cake
adapted from Three Guys from Miami

Ingredients/Cake
2 1/2 cups mashed/pureed mangoes  (approx. 3 large mangoes)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp natural mango extract (I added this into the recipe, so it is optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients/Frosting
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces of cream cheese

Ingredients/Topper
12-15 walnut halves
1/2 batch of above frosting
1/2  cup or more powdered sugar
2-4 drops of orange food coloring

To make the cake, grease the inside of a 9X13 inch pan.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In another bowl cream together the sugar and the eggs.  Then beat in the extracts.  Add the mango in 1/2 cup intervals, beating after each addition. 

Then, using a wooden spoon, fold in the sifted ingredients until no dry streaks remain.  If you opted for nuts, stir them in at this point.  Pour the batter into the pan.  It will be easy to pour and will even out on its own.  Bake until a tester comes out clean, which is about 35-40 minutes.  Let cool in pan.

Take out a medium size bowl for the frosting.  Beat together the butter, vanilla extract and cream cheese. Once blended, sift confectioners sugar into mixture and then beat again until smooth and creamy.  Then frost the top of the cooled cake.

For the orange/walnut topper, make 1/2 a batch of the frosting and beat in orange food coloring.  Then sift in another 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and beat again.  If it is not your desired consistency or color continue to add drops of food coloring and tablespoons of powdered sugar, beating after each addition. Mixture should be smooth and creamy with no streaks of food coloring or powdered sugar.

Cut the cake into serving pieces and then pipe a swirl on the top center of each piece. Place one walnut on top, pressing down lightly.  Then you are ready to serve.
               **LAST YEAR: Shrimp Cakes**

Black Pond Cupcakes

With the white around the black, this made me think of wintertime and black ice, hence the name of these cupcakes.

I was wanting to actually make a cupcake out of the traditional flavors of  cheesecake, which is berries and cream.  The cake part actually is includes of cream cheese and ground vanilla beans.  The topping is quartered berries tossed in a heated sugar sauce and around the pond is a cream cheese whipped icing.

It all comes together in a wonderful bite of fluffy cake, creamy icing and juicy berries!  I will be making these again.  I am so happy they turned out, because I was really worried about them being dense with the cream cheese in there.  I cannot wait to see the faces when I donate these!  This recipe makes about 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Black Pond Cupcakes

Ingredients/Cake
by flourtrader

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp ground vanilla beans
3/4 cup plus 2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 lb cream cheese
2 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease top edge of 18 muffin cavities and line with cupcake papers.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and ground vanilla beans.  Set aside.  In another bowl, beat 4 eggs on high speed for 3 minutes.  Fill a third bowl with the sugar, oil and cream cheese, beat for about a minute.  Then beat in the eggs until blended.  Lastly, fold in the sifted ingredients.

Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, put batter into each cavity, filling about 3/4 full.  Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean.  This should take about 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pans for 2 minutes and then place on rack to finish cooling.  Do not top until completely cool.

Ingredients/Fruit topping
by flourtrader

2 pints of blackberries*
2 tsp of cornstarch
1 tbs sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Rinse and quarter the blackberries and place in a bowl.  In a small saucepan, mix together all other ingredients and place over medium high heat.  Stir as the mixture cooks and once it comes to a boil, remove pan from heat.  Toss berries in sauce and then drain in a colander.  Place about one tablespoon of berry mixture in the center of each cupcake, making sure you leave a border around the outside edge.

*You made need more, depending of how much topping you want on your cupcakes.

Ingredients/Whipped Cream Icing
adapted from All Recipes

1 eight oz package reduced fat cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups of heavy or regular whipping cream

Combine all ingredients, except the whipping cream, in a large bowl by using a regular or stand mixer.  While the mixer is still running, slowly add the cream.  Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Using a large tip and piping bag, pipe a border around the outside edge of cupcakes, encompassing the fruit topping.
                               **LAST YEAR:Key Lime Crumb Cake**

Hendrix Pie

While I was cooking the filling for this pie, the batter was turning a purple color.  The thought that came to mind was the old song of Jimmy Hendrix called "Purple haze"  Even though he was before my time of delving into listening to lots of music, I do remember the tunes from this legendary singer and guitar player.  Some things, no matter how young you are, stick in your head.  So I decided to let that memory pop out, at least to name this creation.

This pie is made up of fresh pomegranate juice (I have the t-shirt stains to prove it), cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. On top is a layer of sweetened sour cream. The base is made of ground almonds and graham cracker crumbs.  It is not shown in the picture, but the final serving on this does have a pomegranate syrup drizzled over it.

My husband was trying to get me to come inside with the fruit, but I did not feel like scrubbing that wretched stain of the fruit from ceiling to floor.  Best to let that fruit stain the outdoors rather than my kitchen cabinets.  The juice actually did get into my eye, but its attempt to stain that failed.

Anyhow after tasting the pie, I would say that the pomegranate flavor in the filling is subtle. However, the syrup and seeds does give it the extra zing of pomegranate bliss.  My favorite part was the bite with the fresh seeds on top. The sweet-sour topping as well as the almond crust did add some extra notes of tasty flavor.

Hendrix Pie
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Crust
4 tbs melted butter
3 tbs sugar
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup ground almonds

Ingredients/Filling
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs fresh pomegranate juice (I used 1 large pomegranate)
1/2 flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 8oz package cream cheese (room temp)
3 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup cold water

Ingredients/Sour Cream Layer
8 oz sour cream
2 tbs sugar
pomegranate seeds for decorating edge (optional)

Ingredients/Syrup
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate juice
3 tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the inside of a 9 inch pie pan.

For the crust, mix together graham crumbs, sugar and ground almonds.  Stir in melted butter until all ingredients are no longer dry.  Pour in prepared pie pan and press crumbs evenly in bottom and on sides.  Bake in oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden on edges.  Remove and let cool.

To make filling, beat cream cheese in a medium sized bowl for 1 minute.  Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until thoroughly blended into the cream cheese.  Mixture should be smooth.  Set aside.

Prepare a double boiler with water and place bottom pan over heat and let come to a simmer.  While this is heating up, take the top pan (not placed over heat yet) and fill with the egg yolks.  Whisk until mixture is smooth and then add the water, whisking for another minute.  Add the salt and flour, teaspoon of sugar and continue to whisk together.  Then add the pomegranate juice and stir until all is blended.  At this time, I noticed that there were some lumps of flour in the batter.  I poured the batter into a bowl, cleaned the pot and then placed a sieve over the top pot of the double boiler and strained the mixture from the bowl into the pot.  The flour lumps that remained in the bottom of the sieve were pushed through using a spoon.

Place the top pan of batter over the bottom pan of simmering water.  Whisk the mixture constantly and cook for about 2 minutes.  Mixture should be like a thick pudding.  Once you reach that consistency, remove the pan and turn the heat down to medium.  Pour the cream cheese mixture into the batter and whisk for one minute to blend.  Then place the bowl back over the pan of water.  Cook and whisk the mixture again for about 5 minutes or until batter is very thick and smooth.

Remove pan and pour batter into graham cracker crust.  Smooth the top and then place it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or until set.

During this time you can make the sour cream topping.  Beat together the sour cream and the sugar until well blended.  Once the filling has set, pour the sour cream topping over the pie and smooth out using an offset spatula.  Place pie in refrigerator for another hour, then decorate the edges with pomegranate seeds.  Place pie in fridge for another three hours before serving.

One hour prior to slicing, you can make the syrup.  Place both juice and syrup in a small sauce pan and heat until sugar is dissolved.  Pour into heat proof bowl and place in fridge to cool.

To serve, cut with a sharp knife and place on plate.  Then drizzle with cooled syrup.
                   **LAST YEAR: Limoncello Cream Cheese Tarts**

Penguin Eggs

I have had the idea of this frosty treat floating around in my head for awhile.  The whole thing that was causing the delay was how to assemble these.  I first tried to do them on cones which ended up kind of a mess.  In the end I did them as scoops. However, next time around I will try using a mini ball pan for a better shaped dessert.

You are probably wondering exactly what these are.  They are a scoop of vanilla cream cheese ice cream with a lemon curd center.  The shell is a mixture of dark chocolate and pecans.  The ice cream is not that far from cream cheese, so it does have a smoother consistency than regular ice cream.  I really like how well the flavors go together in this dish.  The creamy inside with a burst of tart lemon is wonderful enough, but add the rich nut studded chocolate coating and you really have the makings of an awesome treat.  This recipe makes 10 servings or half "eggs".

Penguin Eggs
by fhourtrader

Ingredients/Ice Cream
8 oz softened cream cheese
2 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract or 1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans
3/4 cup lemon curd

Ingredients/Coating
1 12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tbs shortening
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

 For ice cream, prepare a baking sheet by lining with wax paper and placing in freezer.
Pour the heavy cream into  a medium size bowl and whip until soft peaks form and set aside.  In another bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar together.  Then add the cream cheese and vanilla extract, beating until all is blended.  Lastly, fold in the heavy cream until evenly distributed.  Place in ice cream machine and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Once the ice cream is thick enough to scoop (I did not have to freeze after using my machine, it set up pretty fast), take the baking sheet out of the freezer.  Then use an ice cream scoop and scoop the ice cream and smooth the top level with the edges of the scoop.  Take the end of a wooden spoon and make a big hole in the center of the ice cream, about 1/2 the depth of the scoop.  Then fill with the lemon curd.

Invert the scoop and place the mound of ice cream onto the baking sheet.  Continue with this process until all the ice cream has been placed in mounds.  Then put baking sheet back in freezer.

After the scoops have been in the freezer for an hour, you can make your topping. Place all topping ingredients in the top of double boiler and stir until all the chocolate is melted. Remove top pan from boiler.

Then remove baking sheet from the freezer and spoon chocolate topping on the mounds, covering completely.  Place back in the freezer for at least 3 hours.  To serve, peel mound off of wax paper and place on chilled plates.
                                    **LAST YEAR: Sugar Shuttle Cookies**

Lucid Dream Bars

Have you ever had a dream and in the dream you realize it is a dream?  Experts on the subject will tell you that if this happens very often you can start to control exactly what happens in your dream.  I am not aware that I have had a lucid dream, but sometimes my thoughts prior to going to sleep may have had some influence.

The other night I was toying around with the idea of creating a recipe that had strawberry in it that had a strong enough flavor to work well with white chocolate. I did not want to use extract. As you know, white chocolate is quite sweet.   Anyhow, after falling asleep, waking up and then falling asleep again it came to me-canned strawberries in light syrup.

That is how this recipe came about.  It is very rich, having both white chocolate and cream cheese layers in it. Then to make it even better, it is filled with crushed canned strawberries and nuts.  Without the strawberries and nuts, the texture can best be described as a cross between white chocolate blondies and cheesecake.  The filling just adds another dimension of flavor.

You know some people say that dreamers are just people that can't face reality. To make sure you are not labeled as such, I have provided the recipe below so you can make these bars a reality in your own kitchen! :)

Lucid Dream Bars
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1 15 oz can of strawberries in light syrup
1 cup roasted chopped pecans
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter
5 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz chopped white chocolate
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups flour

First, drain the can of strawberries and reserve 2 tbs of juice in a small bowl.  Using a fork or your fingers, crush the strawberries into smaller pieces and place pieces in a measuring cup of 1 cup capacity.  All you will need is one cup, if there is any strawberries left in the can, use them up as an ice cream topping. Cover both the strawberries and juice.  Place in fridge until needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9X13 cake pan by greasing the bottom. Then line with parchment paper, covering the bottom and leaving some to overhang on the long sides.  Grease the face up side of the parchment on the bottom of the pan.

Set up a double boiler and melt white chocolate chips together with the butter.  Once all is melted, pour into a large heat proof bowl. Beat in the additional ingredients of 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract. 

In a smaller bowl, sift together baking powder, salt and flour.  Then fold into chocolate mixture and set aside.

Place the softened cream cheese, remaining 2 tsp of vanilla, remaining egg and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in another bowl.  Beat until smooth.

To make the layers, pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan.  Then sprinkle half of the pecans over the layer and drop 1/2 cup of  strawberry chunks evenly over layer.  Then drop the cream cheese on top by spoonfuls and use a knife to smooth it out evenly as best you can.  The cream cheese should cover the strawberries.

For the last layer, mix the nuts, strawberries and reserved 2 tbs of juice into the chocolate batter and pour it over the top.

Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until done. When done, you will see the toasted edges are starting to pull away from the pan and the whole surface should have a light crust.  Remove pan and place on rack to cool.  Once completely cool, lift out of pan and cut into squares.    

Blue Cheese Crisps

Yes, it has been some time since I posted an appetizer or savory recipe.  I do not crave salty things as much as I do sweet, but the craving eventually comes along.  I wanted something cheesy, yet I did not want it to be deep fried.

Firstly, I have a lot of different cheeses in my fridge.  On those rare occasions when I go to Central Market, I take my time in the bread and cheese area.  They have such a great variety there and my husband is usually trying to rush me.  He is one of those "list" people, which means that impulse buying is out.  Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes not.

Anyhow, if you have a craving for blue cheese or are looking for a quick appetizer, this recipe may be just the one.  The outside is fluffy bread dusted with smoked paprika and a sprinkling of cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese.  The creamy inside is a mix of 2 cheeses, the first being the tangy cream cheese and the other, blue cheese.  This mix provides a wonderfully sharp and salty flavor in every bite.

Outside of the taste, it is a pretty quick fix.  These morsels can be prepared in advance and frozen.    Once taken out of the freezer-just top and bake, no defrosting required!  The recipe states you can top and freeze but I am not sure how well the paprika or cheese on top will do in the freezer, so my suggestion is to top them the day you bake them. This recipe yields 48 appetizers.

Blue Cheese Crisps
courtesy of My Great Recipe Cards/packet 33

Ingredients
3/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cubed
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
1 egg
2 tbs butter
3 oz cream cheese
2 tsp instant minced onion or 1 tsp onion powder
4 oz crumbled blue cheese
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
smoked or regular paprika (for topping)
grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.  Also, let your cream cheese, egg and butter come to room temperature before using.

Sift together flour and salt and set aside.  Fill another bowl with cream cheese, egg, onion or onion powder, butter and blue cheese. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until it reaches a creamy consistency. Cover and refrigerate.

Add the cubes of shortening to the flour mixture and blend with a pastry cutter until it becomes a mass of pea-sized clumps.  Sprinkle 1/3 a cup of the ice water over dough and mix with a fork.  If it seems to dry, add more water until the dough holds together in a large ball.    Split dough into 2 equal pieces.

Lay one piece out on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle.  The rectangle should be 8X12.  Take out the filling from the fridge and smear 1/2 of it evenly on the dough, covering a space of 4 inches wide and 12 inches long.  The filling should leave a small border on the three edges, so the dough can be sealed without the filling coming out.  Place the rest of filling back in fridge. 

Take a spatula and run it underneath the dough that is not covered with filling.  This is to make sure that there is no sticking.  Then fold the dough in half, making it into a 4X12 inch rectangle. Press down lightly making sure all the air bubbles are out and seal the edges of the dough.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cover dough and place in fridge for about 30 minutes.  This will insure that the filling is not runny when you cut the dough.

After cooling, the dough will need to be cut. You can use a knife, a regular or crinkle edged pastry cutter or a small biscuit cutter.  I used a biscuit cutter and they turned out uniform in size but there was some wasted scraps.  Cut dough into 1 inch squares or circles and place pieces on baking sheet. These do not rise much, if at all, so they can be spaced closely together as long as they are not touching.

Sprinkle dough pieces with paprika.  If you opted to top with cheese, sprinkle that over the paprika.
Place pan in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove and let cool on pan for 5 minutes and transfer to serving tray. These are best served warm. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling.

If you plan to freeze, complete all steps up to and including the cutting instructions. Freeze in a single layer and wrap well.  To prepare, do not defrost, just put paprika and cheese (if desired) on top and bake.  Enjoy!