Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Brownie Pots

I know the weather is getting warmer so lighter desserts that are kinder to your waistline should be in order but sometimes you just want something decadent. I really love brownies...cheesecake...not so much on its own. However when I put the two together its a match made in dessert heaven.  For this dessert I had some stipulations I needed to follow though for no other reason than challenging myself:

- It needed to go in my ramekins

- It needed to use homemade dulce de leche

- Brownies had to be the base

- They needed to be made together, no cutting and assembling

So now that the challenge guidelines were set I could get to work. The dulce de leche was homemade and is soo easy to make...all you need is a baking pan, salt, and a can of condense milk...oh and your oven!  So I put my dulce de leche in the oven and went about getting the other things ready.  The brownies are ready in just a few minutes and only take one pot. The dulce de leche Cheesecake is also really easy to make as well. This is a great make ahead dessert  and ultra portable whether you make it in ramekins or bar form. I did both to see what I like more and the ramekins win...I mean anything in a ramekin automatically turns sophisticated right! The bars were really good but I wish I had doubled my dulce de leche recipe so i would of had enough to spread on top the bars. Everyone in my family enjoyed this dessert so I'm sure it ll become a staple in my home and maybe after you try it it'll become a staple in yours too. 

Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Brownie Pots

Dulce De Leche

- 14oz can condense milk

- pinch of sea salt

 **Double if you want enough to cover all the final product**

- Heat oven to 450 degrees

- pour condense milk into 8x8in pan (I used a glass Pyrex)

- Sprinkle milk with pinch of sea salt and cover pan with foil

- Place 8x8in pan in a larger pan that is deep enough to allow you to fill it with water that would come half way up the sides of the 8x8in pan. 

- After filling the larger pan with water place everything int he oven and bake the milk for 1-1.5 hours until milk reaches a dark brown color with a soft caramel consistency

- Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature.

Fudge Brownies

Adapted from Bakingbites.com

8tbsp unsalted butter

40z unsweetened chocolate

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1/4tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

- Prepare ten ramekins (or 6 ramekins and a 8x8in pan) by spraying with cooking spray and set to the side.

- Melt chocolate and butter under medium heat. When fully melted turn off the heat and stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt.

- Let mixture cool for 3 minutes and then whisk in eggs one at a time. 

- Finish by whisking in flour.

- Pour brownie mixture into ramekins and pan and set to the side while you prepare cheesecake mixture.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Adapted from Fine Cooking

- 12tbsp cream cheese, softened

- 6tbsp dulce de leche

- 2tbsp flour

-  pinch salt

- 1/2 cup + 1tbsp sugar

- 1/2 tbsp vanilla

- 2 eggs

- In mixer beat cream cheese, dulce de leche, flour, and salt for 5 minutes until fluffy.

- Add sugar and vanilla, continue to beat until smooth. 

- Add eggs one at a time and mix until just combined. 

- pour cheesecake mixture into ramekins (and pan if using) evenly.

- Place ramekins (and pan if using) on a baking sheet and place in a 325 degree oven.

- Bake for 40 minutes 

- Remove ramekins from oven and cool at room temp and then set in refrigerator overnight. 

- The following day top ramekins with remaining Dulce de Leche and serve.

Bars stacked high!

Party Cakes by Pink Room Catering

I mentioned before in a previous post that I do cater for persons in the NYC area. My company Pink Room Catering is small scale but our food is second to none. We do Caribbean Fusion Cuisine along with special occasion cakes and cupcakes. Every dish we make uses the freshest ingredients possible and is made with lots of love! If you would like to contact us for an order you can reach us at pinkroomcatering@gmail.com. Here is a cake we did for a surprise birthday dinner, it was red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and decorated with hand drawn chocolate stars. I really enjoyed making this cake and was overjoyed to hear that it received rave reviews from the guest at the dinner.
Here it is one more time:

I wish I could eat the whole thing!

Honey and Lemon Glazed Roast Chicken

This chicken smelled divine!

If you haven't noticed by the theme of this blog I am a vegetarian or if you want to be technical a pescetarian. A pescetarian  diet is very similar to a vegetarian diet with the exception of still eating fish and other crustaceans...I can hear the strict vegetarians scoffing at me all now.
I went pescetarian in 2003 along with my sister, not for any religious or moral reason but just because. Since then my sister has gone full vegetarian...I'm not sure if I can follow her down that road just as yet, I can do it part time alone. But on to the chicken...so since my sister, mother and I don't eat chicken but we want to make everyone happy we still prepare it for other members of the family and friends. For this specific post my girlfriend Jennice gave me the recipe for her tweaked version of the Food and Wine Magazines Honey and Lemon Glazed Roast Chicken. She decided to help me by giving me her chicken/meat recipes so that my blog could be more well rounded.

Jennice did follow most of the recipe but made some seasoning additions such as:

- using my Homemade Green Seasoning along with the other seasonings the recipe called for. 

- using additional water in the bottom of the baking pan, about 1 cup(stock could also be used)

- a larger roaster style chicken was used instead of three smaller 3 pound chicken. 

- the seasonings were rubbed on top the chickens skin, under the skin, and inside the cavity.

You could choose to follow these simple additions of you can follow the original recipe I will post below, I think either way you will be in for a treat. This recipe goes to show that a few simple and fresh ingredients can produce a spectacular product.

Honey and Lemon Glazed Roast Chicken

www.foodandwine.com

Please excuse my very seasoned pyrex, its been used nonstop for 20yrs.

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Three 3-pound chickens

Salt

9 large rosemary sprigs

9 garlic cloves, quartered

1 lemon, cut into 12 wedges

- Preheat the oven to 450°. 

- In a small bowl, combine the honey, lemon juice and soy sauce. 

- Set the chickens on a large rimmed baking sheet and tuck the wing tips underneath. 

- Season the cavities with salt and stuff each one with 3 rosemary sprigs, 3 quartered garlic cloves and 4 lemon wedges. 

- Brush two-thirds of the honey glaze over the chickens and season lightly with salt. Roast in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.

- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°. 

- Rotate the chickens in the pan and brush with the remaining glaze.

- Roast the chickens for about 45 minutes longer, until the juices run clear when the thighs are pierced; turn the pan halfway through roasting. 

- Transfer the chickens to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. 

- Carve the chickens and serve.

Gnocchi in Browned Butter and Basil Sauce

I have been intimidated by homemade pasta since I took Culinary 1 my second semester of college. Even with a pasta machine, making fettuccine for class proved to be way more difficult than it looked...I was ready to make a quick run by the corner store and buy some Ronzoni honestly.  That night after class I washed my hands of homemade pasta and just told myself it was easier to buy a box. Fast forward a couple of years to may 2011 and I have decided that my culinary skills have improved enough for me to attempt pasta at home. I don't own a pasta roller as yet so I decided that gnocchi would be a great way to start. I usually buy my gnocchi from Trader Joe's or the various gourmet food stores Downtown Brooklyn, but I thought it would be a good idea to taste how fresh gnocchi would compare to the store bought variety. I found a ricotta gnocchi recipe that had rave reviews at Italian Food Forever which I might add is becoming one of my favorite new blogs to read. Making this recipe was not as difficult as I thought it would have been..in my opinion is was very easy. Finishing this gnocchi with my brown butter sauce is equally as easy and makes for an intensely flavorful pasta entree. This gnocchi was so soft and flavorful, my sister said it was like "little pillows" on her tongue. These were much softer than anything I have bought in store thus far. This made such a delightful part of my mothers day dinner and I am extremely happy that I came upon this recipe, I hope that you will give it a try in your kitchen.

I used a silicone mat to roll my gnocchi on.

Gnocchi in Browned Butter and Basil Sauce

serves 4

1 recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi

3 Tbsp Butter (salted or unsalted)

1/3 cup white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp white truffle oil

1/3 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh chopped basil

- Under medium heat, melt butter in large saute pan. 

- When butter is melted toss in gnocchi, turn up heat to medium-high, and let gnocchi brown on each side.

- When both sides are cooked and butter is browned (not burned) add in wine.

- Cook gnocchi in wine for 30 seconds then add in heavy cream, truffle oil, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

- Turn heat down on low and cook pasta for 3-5 minutes until liquid is reduced in half.

- Turn off the stove, toss in Parmesan cheese and basil.

- Adjust salt and pepper to taste and top pasta with additional basil.

- Serve hot.

Ricotta Cake with Orange Glaze

So for Mothers Day I wanted to try something new and make a completely Italian Dinner and dessert. My mothers wasn't here for me to spend the day with her so I celebrated with the rest of my family. My sister loves Italian food for I knew this would be a treat for her. Before I got into cooking dinner I did the Cake. Ricotta cheese in cake does sound strange to many people being in cake but I assume its the italian equivalent to cream cheese. It can be used in savory dishes such as lasagna and pizza and then in cheesecakes and regular cakes. This cake was one of the best cakes I have tasted the ricotta gives it such a soft texture and just great overall mouth feel! I made my glaze a bit thinner than the original recipe by adding additional fresh orange juice, it added just the right amount of additional sweetness. I will definitely make this cake time and time again.

Ricotta Cake with Orange Glaze

Adapted from www.Italianfoodforever.com

1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter At Room Temperature (6 Ounces)

15 Ounces Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 Large Orange 

1 1/2 Cup All-purpose Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

For The Lemon Glaze:

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

3 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a bunt or ring pan. 

- In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

- Add the ricotta cheese and blend well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. 

- Add the extract and orange zest and mix until fully combined. 

- Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. 

- Add the dry ingredients in two parts, mixing just until incorporated. 

- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon as needed. 

- Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean. 

- Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Cool completely. 

- Whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth and thick.

-  Drizzle the orange glaze over the top of the cake. 

- Let the glaze set for 30 minutes and then cut into wedges and serve.

Tequila Lime Cupcakes

Yesterday was my brother's birthday and it was also Cinco de Mayo. Anyone that knows my brother knows he has a deep love affair with Mexican cuisine. Since we were all little kids he loved to make tacos, burritos, nachos, and the like it was that same passion for Mexican cooking that carried over into his adult life. I figured he would fully indulge in Mexican food after work so I decided to make him cupcakes as a birthday surprise. In honor of the holiday and his taste I decided to go with Tequila and lime flavored cupcakes. The base for the cupcakes is poundcake and the icing I used was a swiss meringue. The recipe I used made six king sized cupcakes but should produce a dozen regular sized cupcakes.

Tequila Lime Cupcakes

adapted from BAKING911.com

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

4oz cream cheese (half a box)

1 cup sugar

1tsp vanilla

3tbsp tequila

zest of one lime

3 large eggs

- Prepare cupcake pan with liners and heat oven to 325 degrees

- In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set to the side.

- In bowl of stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, place butter and sugar, beat until softened and combined.

- In the mean time combine your eggs, tequila, vanilla, and lime.

- Check on your butter and add in the cream cheese at this point. Beat butter and cream cheese until combined taking care not to overwhip.

- Make sure to scrape mixing bowl often so that ingredients aren't pooling at the bottom and not getting mixed in.

- Add in egg mixture one yolk at a time, letting 20 seconds pass in between. Only mix two yolks into the mix at this time leaving one for in between flour additions.

- When your two yolks are fully mixed in pour in 2/3 of your flour mixture. Mix until combined.

- Add in your last egg yolk, when absorbed add in your last 1/3 of flour.

- Mix until smooth and stop the mixer.

- Pour batter equally into cupcake liners and bake for 20-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

adapted from Annies-eats.net

3 large egg whites

1/2 cup + 1tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 tsp tequila

1 tsp lime juice

- To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

- Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together!)  Stir in the tequila and lime juice and mix just until incorporated.  Tint with gel icing color as desired.

- Pipe unto cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

My brothers nickname is Goody :)

Tequila Lime Cupcakes

Yesterday was my brother's birthday and it was also Cinco de Mayo. Anyone that knows my brother knows he has a deep love affair with Mexican cuisine. Since we were all little kids he loved to make tacos, burritos, nachos, and the like it was that same passion for Mexican cooking that carried over into his adult life. I figured he would fully indulge in Mexican food after work so I decided to make him cupcakes as a birthday surprise. In honor of the holiday and his taste I decided to go with Tequila and lime flavored cupcakes. The base for the cupcakes is poundcake and the icing I used was a swiss meringue. The recipe I used made six king sized cupcakes but should produce a dozen regular sized cupcakes.

Tequila Lime Cupcakes

adapted from BAKING911.com

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

4oz cream cheese (half a box)

1 cup sugar

1tsp vanilla

3tbsp tequila

zest of one lime

3 large eggs

- Prepare cupcake pan with liners and heat oven to 325 degrees

- In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set to the side.

- In bowl of stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, place butter and sugar, beat until softened and combined.

- In the mean time combine your eggs, tequila, vanilla, and lime.

- Check on your butter and add in the cream cheese at this point. Beat butter and cream cheese until combined taking care not to overwhip.

- Make sure to scrape mixing bowl often so that ingredients aren't pooling at the bottom and not getting mixed in.

- Add in egg mixture one yolk at a time, letting 20 seconds pass in between. Only mix two yolks into the mix at this time leaving one for in between flour additions.

- When your two yolks are fully mixed in pour in 2/3 of your flour mixture. Mix until combined.

- Add in your last egg yolk, when absorbed add in your last 1/3 of flour.

- Mix until smooth and stop the mixer.

- Pour batter equally into cupcake liners and bake for 20-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

adapted from Annies-eats.net

3 large egg whites

1/2 cup + 1tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 tsp tequila

1 tsp lime juice

- To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

- Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together!)  Stir in the tequila and lime juice and mix just until incorporated.  Tint with gel icing color as desired.

- Pipe unto cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

My brothers nickname is Goody :)