The Divine Dish

Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake

Posted on Dec 27, 2008 under Archives, Recipes | No Comment

As a food writer I have had my fair share of cheesecakes – topped with cherries, strawberries, blueberries or sour cream as well as naked ones.  Cheesecakes made with cream cheese, liquor, and varieties with various fruit and/or cookies, candy, or other ingredients within the cake itself.  There are so many kinds of cheesecakes that a restaurant chain is named after this delicious dessert.  Here is my ultimate cheesecake recipe, it always gets rave reviews.

Here is what you will need:

For the crust:

20 graham crackers, smashed up

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) butter, unsalted and diced

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar

For the cheesecake:

2 pounds cream cheese

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

First preheat your oven to 350 F.  Next make the crust.  I put the graham crackers in a big plastic bag and smash them with a mallot.  This simultaneously makes graham cracker crumbs and relieves the stress of a terrible day at work.

Place the smashed cracker crumbs, butter and brown sugar in a bowl and mix with your hands until the mixture begins to stick together.  Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

Place the pan on a baking sheet (I do this because sometimes the springform pans leak a bit and this catches any leaking onto the baking sheet instead of on the bottom of the oven).  Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and transfer to a rack to cool.

Using a mixer (I use my Kitchenaid with the paddle attachment), beat the cream cheese until light and smooth.  Add the mascarpone cheese (I get this at Trader Joe’s, it tastes great, is inexpensive and they always have it in stock where the cream cheese is).  Add sugar and beat on medium speed.

Add the eggs one at a time.  Zest lemons – usually it takes two or three, depending on the size of the lemons, to get 2 1/2 teaspoons of zest.  I use my microplaner – this is my favorite kitchen tool and is great for zesting.  Zest lemons before cutting, then cut and squeeze out lemon juice.

Add zest and lemon juice.  Pour mixture into the cooled crust.

Smooth the top with a spatula.  Place into the oven for one hour or until the cake is set around the edges and jiggles in the middle.  The sides should be golden brown.

Let the cheesecake cool before putting it in the fridge and then let it set for six hours or more (I usually make it the night before and let it set overnight in the fridge).  To serve, release the side springform and cut cake.   As you can see above to the right, I usually have enough left over crust and filling  to make a baby springform cheesecake.  You can buy the small individual serving springform pans at cooking supply stores or William Sonoma.  Take the small springform out when it is done (around 35 minutes) and leave the bigger pan in the oven to finish.

Here is what was left of my cheesecake after Christmas dinner.  Just enough for dessert with leftovers on Dec. 26.

Braised Short Ribs

Posted on Dec 18, 2008 under Archives, Recipes | No Comment

For the past few nights it has been cold and rainy in LA and the perfect weather for a hearty and satisfying dinner.   After trying many recipes for short ribs, I think this one stands out as the best.  I paired it with mom’s recipe for garlic mashed potatoes.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

4 pounds short ribs (I get these from Costco)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion

2 carrots, chopped

1 large tomato

3 celery ribs

1/2 head garlic

1/4 bunch fresh thyme

1  1/2 cups dry red wine

2 cups low sodium beef stock

4 potatoes

1/3 cup sour cream (I like Trader Joe’s)

2 tablespoons butter

1 whole head garlic, roasted

garlic salt

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.  Add the thyme to infuse the oil.  Cut the short ribs into 2 inch pieces and salt and pepper all sides.

Put the cubed meat in the dutch oven and sear on all sides.  Remove and put them on a plate for future use.

Place the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and tomato into a food processor and blend into a smooth pulp.  This looks a bit strange but it will taste great later on.

Add the vegetable pulp to the dutch oven and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for five minutes.  Pour in the red wine and beef stock and bring to a boil.  Place braised ribs into the dutch oven evenly throughout the sauce and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Simmer 2 1/2 hours until meat is tender.  I cover the dutch oven with a lid.  Wrap head of garlic in aluminum foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  When cool, unwrap and squeeze our garlic and reserve.

Peel and chop potatoes.  Put pieces in a pot of boiling hot water and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Boil potatoes until ready to mash.  Drain potatoes, turn off heat and return potatoes to pot.   Add roasted garlic, sour cream, and butter, and mash!

Plate mashed potatoes and top with short ribs and sauce.  Enjoy!

Sunday Roast Chicken Recipe

Posted on Dec 08, 2008 under Recipes | No Comment

When the days grow shorter and colder I begin to want to cook more comfort foods.  I usually eat out two or three times a week and often do not have the time to make a satisfying winter dinner.  On Sundays when I have a few afternoon hours free I head to the kitchen to make some standard classics.  Here is a recipe I made last night for a simple and delicious roast chicken, with pics.

Here is what you will need:

1 medium roasting pan

1   4 – 5 pound roasting chicken (I usually get an organic one at Whole Foods)

1 full head garlic

1  lemon

1 bunch thyme

2 carrots

1 parsnip

bag of small red, yellow and purple potatoes

bunch of orange beets

1 onion

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut up onions, potatoes, beets, carrots and parsnips (peel these last three) and put them into the bottom of the roasting pan.  Chop up a few sprigs of the time, add olive oil and salt and pepper and mix together.

Unwrap chicken and take out giblet bag (don’t forget to do this!).  Wash chicken well inside and out and rub with 1/2 cut lemon.  Salt and pepper entire chicken, don’t forget the inside.

Stuff chicken with thyme (wrap thyme with butcher string into bundle), 1/2 lemon, and cut garlic (cut whole garlic head in half and stuff it into the inside of the chicken (it’s okay to keep the peel on)).

After stuffing with thyme, lemon and garlic, tie chicken legs together with butcher string.  Place chicken on vegetables in the roasting pan.  Heat three tablespoons butter in the microwave and when done pour over chicken.

Put chicken into oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours, making sure to baste every 1/2 hour.  After taking chicken out of oven let it rest for 15 minutes so the juices redistribute.  Carve and enjoy!

I served a simple chopped salad with the roasted chicken and vegetables, using the ingredients below (basically what I had in my fridge last night):