Wish Upon A Chef

Be thankful that I ripped this recipe for Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue from the pages of Bon Appetit back in November 2007 and saved it.

Give thanks that if you missed having it for Thanksgiving (due to my inability to EVER get a blog post up in a timely manner), you can now have it on your Christmas dessert table.

I, for one, am thankful that once I realized I had eaten all of the graham crackers intended for the crust, I was able to scare up a couple of store bought pre-made crusts from the depths of my pantry. It worked out that the GINORMOUS sweet potatoes that I used made enough filling for two pies so I was able to have one for Thanksgiving dinner with the family and one for a Christmas tree trimming party with friends a few days later.

The marshmallow meringue was mile-high ooey-gooey good and the pie received rave reviews from everyone. Enjoy and give thanks that calorie counting has been suspended until after the first of the new year!


Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue
Bon Appetit, November 2007


Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from about 7 1/2 ounces graham crackers, finely ground in processor)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 to 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Marshmallow Meringue:
1 7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
3 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding 1 tablespoon melted butter if crumb mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish, building up sides 1/4 inch above rim of dish. Bake crust until set and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack. DO AHEAD: Pie crust can be made 2 days ahead. Cover pie crust and let stand at room temperature.

For filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes open and scoop out pulp. Transfer pulp to processor and puree until smooth. Set aside 2 cups sweet potato puree for filling; cool completely (reserve any remaining puree for another use). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 2 cups sweet potato puree, sweetened condensed milk, and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; whisk until well blended and smooth. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until puffed around edges and set in center, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Refrigerate pie at least 4 hours or overnight.

For marshmallow meringue:
Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Using rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow creme into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. Add 1/2 cup beaten egg whites to marshmallow creme and stir with rubber spatula or spoon just until incorporated to lighten (marshmallow creme is very sticky and will be difficult to blend at first, but blending will become easier as remaining whites are folded in). Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions just until incorporated. Spread meringue over top of cold pie, mounding slightly in center and swirling with knife to create peaks.

Bake pie just until peaks and ridges of marshmallow meringue are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until meringue is cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let pie stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Nothing good ever comes of an addiction. Cigarettes make you cough up a lung. Alcohol rots your liver. Porn scorches your eyes. And snacks...well, snacks make your jeans shrink up real tight. They make the scale tip way too far in the wrong direction. Extra pounds appear seemingly overnight. Yet despite the horrible side effects, we think nothing of bending our elbow toward our mouth for another hit from the snack crack pipe.

My latest snack addiction is these Sensible Portions Pita Bites. You'd think they'd be all good-for-you healthy and stuff and they probably are, but the words sensible and portions should be a clue that CONTROL is key to proper addiction management. When my beloved Harris Teeter advertises these little bites of cracker meth for BOGO, you can bet my pantry is stocked for just those occasions when I'm in desperate need of a hit.

So what do you think happened the one night that I rounded the kitchen corner, peered into the pantry and suddenly realized I was facing an empty shelf? I got an adrenaline rush, my heart raced, my blood pressure sky-rocketed, I shook like a leaf, my pupils dilated as large as saucers, my hairs stood on end, and I broke into a cold sweat. Classic symptoms of the DTs.

Thank heavens for Smitten Kitchen's rendition of Gourmet magazine's Crisp Rosemary Flatbreads. Now I can feed the addiction any time I damn well please. If you're a straight shooter like me, you'll enjoy these on their own but they're also perfect with cheeses and any dip or spread that you can conjure up.

Pass the pipe over this way, would ya? And get me some bigger jeans while you're at it.



Crisp Rosemary Flatbread
Adapted from Gourmet, July 2008
Stolen shamelessly from Smitten Kitchen. (All notes are those of SK's)

Nothing could be easier than making this cracker, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tell people you slaved all day over it because they’re going to be impressed, really impressed, and I see no reason not to milk it.

I think you could easily swap the rosemary for other herbs, such as thyme or tarragon, or punch it up with black pepper or other spices, but personally, I like it just the way it is here.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.

Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.

Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).

Lightly brush top with additional oil and scatter small clusters of rosemary leaves on top, pressing in slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.

Flatbread can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pumpkin is everywhere in the food blogosphere these days. Pie. Bread. Milkshakes. Even my friend Gina celebrates an entire month of pumpkin this time of year.

Dare I admit, for fear of being burned at the stake, that I don't really care for pumpkin? I've just never had anything that bowled me over. There was the pumpkin white chocolate cheesecake that I made for many years and pretended to love. And there were cookies and bars that were okay but it was really the cream cheese frosting that I adored. So why, pray tell, did I decide to spend my time on yet another pumpkin kitchen project? Why did I spend my money on two pounds of cream cheese, a can of pumpkin, and a bag of marshmallows?

Because Bon Appetit tempted me to, that's why.

I had torn BA's recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Sour Cream Topping and Gingersnap Crust from the magazine when it was first published in November 2008 but each year afterward when pumpkin season rolled around, I was guilty of hiding it at the bottom of my "To Try" recipe pile. When it resurfaced again this year, I just happened to be in the right mood.

I think we can all admit that, by itself, pumpkin is boring. Can't we? But add two pounds of cream cheese and typical spices, bake it in a gingersnap/pecan/candied ginger crust and slather it with sour cream and melted marshmallows....well, now we've got something to get excited about!

It was DIVINE, people. I just hate that I waited so long to give it a fighting chance. Don't be guilty of making the same mistake. The cheesecake was very easy to pull together and it baked up beautifully without a waterbath. I have a gas oven and after only 1 hour of baking time, I decided to call it quits. The next day, I cut into what turned out to be a deliciously smooth and creamy center. Deeee vine, I tell you. Try it now.


Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Sour Cream Topping & Gingersnap Crust
Bon Appetit, November 2008


Ingredients:

crust
•Nonstick vegetable oil spray
•2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 9 ounces)
•1 cup pecans (about 3 1/2 ounces)
•1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
•2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
•1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

filling
•4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
•2 cups sugar
•1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
•5 large eggs
•3 tablespoons all purpose flour
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
•1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
•1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•2 tablespoons vanilla extract

topping
•2 cups mini marshmallows or large marshmallows cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•1/4 cup whole milk
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1/8 teaspoon salt
•1 cup sour cream

Preparation:

crust
•Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Grind cookie crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, process to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

filling
•Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill cheesecake uncovered in pan overnight.

topping
•Stir marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Cool marshmallow mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
•Add sour cream to marshmallow mixture; fold gently just to blend. Pour topping over cheesecake and spread evenly, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered around edges. Chill to set topping, at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Cheesecake can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

There are times my mind gets so off-kilter with thoughts and worry for friends and family that nothing sets it right like immersing myself in a kitchen project. I decided on this particular worrisome day that a cheesecake was in order and before long I began to realize how much like a cheesecake that life really is.

There are plain cheesecakes and plain lives. Even though neither are embellished with extra goodness, they are still rich with quality ingredients and aren't nearly as simplistic as they appear at first glance.

There are those whose lives are likened to a rich, decadent, exotically flavored cheesecake. The same quality ingredients as the plain, but the extra frills make each bite of life sickeningly sweet.

And no matter how much patience, time and attention you dedicate to any flavor of cheesecake, there are times when, due to some cosmic kitchen disaster or outside life interference, it's going to have a momentary lapse of reason and crack wide open.


What if my life were compared to a cheesecake? It would be just like this Black Raspberry jewel with Chambord Glaze. Plain in appearance, but once you delve in, you'll find it slightly sweet and a bit fruity. Rich in things that matter, but not obnoxiously so. A hint of intoxication and only a slight few surface cracks but nothing that needs major repair.

If you find yourself pondering the meaning of life as compared to a cheesecake, try this one on for size and see how it suits you!

Black Raspberry Cheesecake with Chambord Glaze

Crust:
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 cup chocolate wafer cookies, crumbled (I used chocolate Teddy Grahams)
Filling:
2-1/2 pounds of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
6 eggs
17 ounces seedless black raspberry preserves
Topping:
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons Chambord

Crust: combine melted chocolate and butter. Cool slightly. Stir in crumbs. Pat in bottom of a greased 10" spring form pan. Chill 1 hour.

Filling: Cream together cheese and sugar. Add flour and continue creaming, scraping down sides of bowl. Add eggs, 2 at a time, beating on low speed until blended. Blend in blackberry preserves. Pour into prepared crust and bake 325 degrees for about 60 minutes or until edge of cake is dry and rounded and begins to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from oven, cool and refrigerate.

Topping. After cake has cooled and has been removed from pan, combine topping ingredients until well blended. Gently pour over cake (tip: you may want to heat the combined ingredients in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make it easier to pour).

Cheesecake is best if made the day before serving.

Will you please allow me one more summer-inspired rambling post before you tell me to move on to more seasonally appropriate topics?

I realize mid-September should be all about Fall, football, pumpkins and hoodies, but my land of goodness our temps are still in the 90s! I can't even think about snow boots and parkas without breaking out in a sweat! I promise you won't be sorry that I managed to squeeze this little goodie in just before things cool off.....

My friends and I hosted a cocktail and food pairing social for Goodeats and Meets! Charlotte earlier in the summer and during the menu planning stage we decided to make double duty of one of the cocktails by turning it into a palate cleanser.

Palate cleansers are commonly found in French cuisine and used to cleanse the mouth from lingering tastes and flavors of previous courses so that the next may be enjoyed with a fresh perspective. You'll find lemon, lime or mint sorbets on the list of traditional cleansers but since there are no hard and fast rules as to what should be used, sparkling water with citrus, a spring of fresh parsley or lightly brewed green, mint or black tea may also be served.

By the time I monkeyed around with the standard lime sorbet recipe that I had, I wound up with a lovely combination of rosemary infused lime sorbet with Cruzan Coconut Rum. It's not very often that I'm totally bowled over by one of my wingnut creations but this was THE. BOMB. We almost didn't have enough to serve to the 25 party guests because I kept sneaking off to the freezer for another quality control sample.

The end result was fresh, crisp, tropical and refreshing. In retrospect, I should have garnished it with toasted coconut and a fresh rosemary sprig but when you have hungry guests waiting, you do the best that you can. Keep in mind that alcohol will not freeze solid so don't feel compelled to add more as your sorbet will not freeze to proper consistency. Chilly temperatures or not, this goodness will be coming out of my ice cream maker again very, very soon.


Rosemary-Lime Sorbet with Cruzan Coconut Rum

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
3 cups half-and-half
4 fresh rosemary spears, about 3" long
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Juice of 3 limes
1/3 cup Cruzan Coconut Rum
toasted coconut, for garnish

Preparation

1. Between two pieces of wax paper, lightly crush rosemary with a meat mallet (if you don't have a mallet, use a small saucepan, or the bottom of a glass. This will release the fragrant oils of the herb.

2.In a large saucepan, combine sugar, half-and-half, rosemary spears and corn syrup. Whisk lightly and bring to a boil, making sure mixture does not boil over, then strain into a bowl. Let cool, then chill in refrigerator. (If you want a more intense rosemary flavor, strain AFTER it is cool.) Remove from refrigerator and slowly whisk in lime juice and rum. If mixture shows signs of curdling, whisk harder or transfer to a blender.

3.Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Serve garnished with toasted coconut.

Yields about 1 quart