Personal Invention: Raspberry Cheesecake

I never thought it could happen. I am good at following recipes. I am great at improvising and making them my own. But I never actually thought I could invent one! The process getting to this point was a smooth one - it started with a Rhubarb Pound Cake where I added my own filling to make it unique. That was the beginning. But this recipe marks a new transition because I can honestly say it is my own. It is very loosely based off one I found in Williams Sonoma - but seeing as I changed the amounts of basically everything and most of the ingredients, I like to think it's a Sheila original :)

What you need:

Group 1

2 packages 1/3 fat cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp cornstarch plus an 1/8 of a teaspoon

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups sugar

Group 2

a little under 3/4 cup raspberry jam, strained to remove seeds

1 Tbs raspberry framboise liqueur

Group 3

1/3 cup frozen raspberries

2 Tbs water

1-2 Tbs sugar

squirt lemon juice

Group 4

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix together the ingredients in Group 4 to make the crust. You might have to add a bit more butter if it seems like it's not holding together. Pour into a greased springform dish and pack into the bottom using a measuring cup to get into the little edges. Bake the crust at 4oo degrees for 10 minutes until it's golden and slightly set.

Mix together Group 2.

Over medium high heat, cook together all the ingredients from Group 3. Let this cool, then add it to Group 2.

Mix together the ingredients in Group 1 - make sure the cream cheese is room temp (or nuke it for about 30 second in the microwave). This ensures there are no lumps in the batter. Then add everything else and beat really well. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, don't dump it in - otherwise it'll clump.

Take one cup of the batter, put it in a separate bowl and add to this Groups 2 and 3 - making your raspberry layer. Pour this into the bottom of the crust. Pour the rest of the white batter over this and, if you can, use a knife to swirl the two together. If you can't don't worry about it -you'll still see a nice pink layer at the bottom.

Turn the heat to 300 degrees and bake the cheesecake for about 60 minutes - maybe a little less/more. The center will jiggle slightly and that's fine. The nice thing about the filling is that it doesn't burn as easily as just cream cheese, so you have some wiggle room in terms of over-baking.

Let it set for overnight in the fridge. Unfortunately, this is the best way to maximize flavor. The cake just gets nice and dense and flavorful. Mmm. Mmm

Secret Ingredient...

Usually I am the chocolate chip cookie maker in my house and my sister handles the peanut butter. But I needed to thank some friends for driving me to the airport so I decided to try my hand at spicing up the good ole JIF recipe. Just go to GOOGLE and type in JIF peanut butter cookies and the recipe will show up - or look under the paper wrapper on your peanut butter jar. The trick to making these taste special is to add a couple tablespoons of cream cheese to the batter. Seriously, try it! The cream cheese adds a little tang which is just delightful. I got this idea because a) I am kinda weird and sometimes mix cream cheese and peanut butter on my bagels and b) I didn't have enough butter to make the recipe in the first place. So there you go - your handy trick for the day.

Childhood Chicken

The other day I was describing to a friend a chicken dish I frequently make. She asked me where I got the recipe and I said I just made it up based off the flavors of something my mom used to make when I was little. And since I've been feeling more than a little homesick, below you will find the recipe to my own version of my mom's chicken because, understandably, I was too young at the time to carefully observe what she put in it. It's funny how certain smells and tastes can remind you so distinctly of a specific time in your life. This meal reminds of a very good one, so when I'm lonely I make it and think of the people who I care about many, many miles away.

What You Need:

2 pounds chicken, defrosted and cut into small cubes

4 Tbs cream cheese

crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/3 cup cooking sherry

3-5 Tbs milk, cream, or half and half

What You Do:

Saute the onion and garlic in a skillet until golden brown

Add the spices

Add the chicken and saute until the chicken is almost cooked through

Add the sherry and stir

Add the cream cheese and stir to combine

Add milk/cream as needed according to how dry the mixture is

You can finish the dish off with chopped chives if you'd like

Serve With:

You can serve this meal over rice or with warm Italian bread...

... but perhaps a lovelier treatment (and a more impressive one) would be to package it into rounds of puff pastry - forming a pocket. Brush the tops with egg wash and a little salt and bake according to the directions on the puff pastry package. This makes for a gorgeous entertaining meal. You can form the pockets into any shape you want - I like triangles because I think they look super classy. Don't forget to cut air holes into the top so they don't burst from the steam in the oven!