Cheese Short Crust Food

NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE ON SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• PREP------.
• As with all baking, have all your ingredients at a cool room temperature (65°F).
• Get a couple quarts of water boiling on the stove.
• Arrange racks in your oven so there's one on the lowest and one in the middle. If you do not have a center position then go mid-lower.
• Have a clean 10x14x2-inch (give or take) roasting pan ready.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Grease 10 inch springform pan.
• CRUST-------.
• Gently combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter in a medium bowl.
• Spread to the edges of the pan.
• Prick all over with a fork, then bake 10-15 minutes at 400°F until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a rack.
• FILLING------.
• Increase oven temperature to 475°F.
• Turn oven light off (trust me on this one), place roasting pan on bottom rack and fill with boiling water.
• In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer), very gently beat cream cheese until smooth. I use the slowest setting for 5 minutes.
• Scrape down sides of bowl.
• Gradually add the salt, 1 3/4 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons flour -- continue to beat SLOWLY until well combined, scrape down sides of bowl.
• In a small bowl gently beat the vanilla, 5 eggs and the 2 yolks, gradually add eggs to the cream cheese mixture.
• Continue to stir until combined and smooth, stop mixer occasionally and scrape down sides.
• VERY IMPORTANT! Stop mixer, remove bowl and give it a good scraping (some of the cream cheese will stick to the sides and bottom of the bowl), replace bowl on mixer and stir until all lumps are gone.
• Add cream and mix only enough to blend.
• Gently pour filling over crust, run a thin knife around the filling in a S pattern to remove any trapped air bubbles. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes then do it again.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 475°F.
• Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue to bake for one hour.
• Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour.
• DON'T TOUCH THAT OVEN DOOR! You've created a nice, humid environment that will help prevent cracks and produce a perfect, professional, NY style cheese cake assuming you didn't mess with it by changing the atmospheric conditions.
• It may appear a little jiggly in the center and will have a golden appearance around the edges.
• Allow to cool on a rack for several hours, release the latch slightly on the side of the pan after 20 minutes, rotate sides to be sure the cake is free (but don't take it off yet), you can remove the sides after an hour (or so) if you want to admire your work, but replace it quickly or the cake may fall.
• After it's cool, wrap completely with plastic wrap, there should be a layer stuck to the top of the cake.
• Chill overnight in the refrigerator (Yes, this is required).
• The cake will stay at peak flavor for several days so long as you keep it wrapped and cold.
• What can go wrong?.
• If the cake cracks you either had your ingredients too cold, mixed the filling too vigorously, opened the oven door while the cake was cooking or didn't have a pan of water in the oven.
• If it does crack, don't despair -- just cover with a dark fruit or a layer of cookie crumbs.
• Toppings------.
• Nothing (my favorite).
• OR, boil a bag of frozen berries with a 1/4 cup of sugar until the liquid coats the back of a spoon, thicken with a table spoon of cornstarch mixed into a 1/4 cup of cold water -- Pour in slowly while maintaining the boil and stirring constantly.
• Adjust thickness by adding liquid or more cornstarch.
• Flavor with liqueur, fruit juice or extract.
• Blueberries or raspberries with Chambord is awesome, cherries work well with Frangelico or Amaretto. If you do use an alcoholic beverage, be sure to boil off alcohol. Cool fruit sauce in a mason jar and refrigerate. Keeps longer than the cheese cake!
• I've served it with caramel sauce and, buttered/sliced/baked apples .
• A light milk chocolate sauce, a sprinkle of chopped pecans and dollop of whipped cream will produce a nice turtle cake.

CHEESE SHORT CRUST

Steps:

• Pulse flour, cheese, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk; pulse to combine. With processor running, drizzle in 1/4 cup water until dough just comes together. (If dough is still crumbly, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Do not process for more than 20 seconds. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.

CHEESE & MUSTARD STRAWS

Steps:

• Cover half the shortcrust pastry sheet with grated cheddar, mustard powder and cayenne. Fold the pastry over like a book and roll lightly with a rolling pin to seal.
• Cut into 1cm strips, then halve each strip and twist 2-3 times. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, cover with cling film and freeze. To serve, brush with beaten egg and cook at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 25-30 mins or until golden and crisp.

CHEESECAKE-CRUST DOUGH

Steps:

• Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until a dough forms.
• Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

CREAM CHEESE CRUST

Steps:

• Soften cream cheese and butter and mix together incorporating flour a little at a time.
• Roll out with a rolling pin between 2 wax papers. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and prick with fork before half-baking to prevent shrinkage. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. Place on a baking sheet., In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar and lemon zest; cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg yolks and vanilla, tossing with a fork until mixture pulls together., Press onto bottom and 1-1/2 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 12-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cream, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Add eggs and egg yolks; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim of pan. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add cranberry and lemon juices. Stir in 1 cup raspberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter., Strain sauce; discard seeds. Cool to room temperature. Stir in the blueberries, blackberries and remaining raspberries. Serve with cheesecake.

SAVORY SHORTCRUST

Steps:

• For the pastry, sift the flour, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper into a bowl. Rub in the butter, then add the grated cheese. Mix to a soft dough with the yolk, adding a few drops of water if necessary. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough thinly into a square roughly 10 by 10 inches. Spread lightly with mustard, then cover the mustard with a thin film of Gentleman's Relish. Sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese and chives. Roll up as a Swiss roll, wrap in saran wrap and chill 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut the roll across in thin slices and place on a greased and lined baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes.

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift flour into a bowl and rub in butter. Add egg yolk and enough water to make ingredients cling together.
• Press dough into a ball and knead gently on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Use pastry for tarts, pastries, quiches, or other savory goodies.

SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY FOR CHEESECAKES....

Steps:

• Sift flour and powdered sugar together.
• Add cold butter pieces and make coarse crumbs.
• Beat the egg in a small bowl with the vanilla.
• Stir mixture into the dry until a dough forms.
• Wrap and chill at least one hour.
• Roll out on a lightly floured surface.
• Place into proper 9 inch spring form pan.
• Always prick, and then chill again.
• Fill with your cheesecake filling, and bake according to your recipe.
• This can also be made in your food processor.
• Keeps in the fridge for at least four days, or freezer up to 2 months.