Bite Size Cheesecakes With Preserved Lemon And A Cornmeal Crust Food

BITE-SIZE CHEESECAKES ON LEMON-PEPPER-CORNMEAL CRUSTS

Steps:

• To make the confit: Cut a slice off the top and bottom of each lemon to expose the flesh. Cutting from top to bottom and following the contours of the fruit, cut off the peel and white pith in 1-inch-wide strips. Scrape off any pulp adhering to the strips, but leave the pith intact. You should have several 1-inch wide strips of lemon peel and pith. Cut each 1 into long strips, about 1/4-inch by 3 inches each.
• Meanwhile, boil a kettleful of water. Pour about 2 cups of the boiling water into a small saucepan, bring back to a boil, add all the lemon rind, and boil 30 seconds. Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold running water. Repeat 2 times more, using fresh boiling water each time. Combine the sugar and 2 cups of water in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the blanched rind and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until tender, about 1 hour.
• Drain in a strainer (reserve the sweet, lemony syrup for sweetening drinks, if you like). Arrange the strips on a wire rack, using your fingers to gently spread them out so that they do not touch each other. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
• To make the crust: Cream the butter until soft and smooth in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and the vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix at low speed until almost blended. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead briefly, just until the dough comes together. Form into a disk and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Flour a work surface. Roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick and prick all over with a fork. Use a cutter to cut out rounds of pastry that are slightly larger in diameter than your mini-muffin cups. Transfer the pastry rounds to a sheet pan and chill 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Butter 2 mini-muffin tins and then lay a large piece of heavy duty plastic wrap over the tin. Push the plastic wrap down into each cup (this is to line it very well). Do not worry, the plastic wrap will not burn or melt in the oven. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• To make the filling: Whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the sugar and mix. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, then the flour and salt. Divide the filling among the lined cups, filling each one all the way up. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then chill.
• When ready to serve, cut the plastic wrap so you can remove each cup of cheesecake individually. Lift each one out of the cup and invert onto a cornmeal crust. Peel off the plastic wrap. When all the cakes have been assembled, top each one with a tiny mound of chopped lemon confit and serve.

BITE-SIZED CHERRY CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place liners in small muffin cup pan and place 1 vanilla waferin the bottom of each.
• In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla until fluffy.
• Fill muffin cups halfway with mixture.
• Bake 20 minutes.
• Cool and top with cherry filling.

PRESERVED LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Make crust: Preheat oven to 350°. Place oats, coconut and brown sugar in food processor bowl and grind to a fine consistency. Add egg white and water; pulse 3 or 4 times until just combined and moist. Press lightly into 10-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Make sure not to process too much or to press too firmly in pan or crust will shrink away from edges too much. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Wrap outside of pan with heavy duty foil to prevent leaking, set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
• Prepare the cheesecake: Discard flesh from preserved lemon and rinse peel well. Chop coarsely and add to food processor with lemon juice; process about one minute. Add cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and flour and process until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. With motor running, add eggs and yolk, one at a time, and process until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Place springform pan in a large roasting pan and add enough boiling water to larger pan so that it comes about halfway up sides of covered springform pan.
• Bake for 1 hour at 325° until center is just set on top. The center should barely move when touched lightly. Remove from oven and allow to cool in water bath for about 15 minutes. Remove pan from water bath and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours to overnight before serving. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen before serving.

BITE-SIZE NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• 1. Stir together crust ingredients.
• 2. Press into the bottom of mini muffin liners. You just want the crust to cover the bottom of the liner. You'll probably have some crust leftover. Bake crusts for 6 minutes @ 325 F. Allow crust to cool. (Turn up the oven for cakes to 350.)
• 3. Beat together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, flour, and zest with an electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated. Scrape bowl down between additions.
• 4. When the filling is very smooth, use a measuring cup with a pour spout to fill mini muffin liners.
• 5. Bake cheesecakes for 20 minutes @ 350 F. The tops will be puffed and slightly cracked when done.
• 6. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool to room temperature. Chill until ready to serve (at least 2 hours).