Recipe 8: Honeyed Cheesecake

The recipe for cheesecake has been advancing since 200 AD, but the concept remains the same: a mix of cheese, honey (sugar) and dough. The recipe below is for one of the best cheesecakes I've ever made. It was perfectly creamy, fluffy and sweet. I love that it has honey instead of sugar.

The danger of making a dessert this good is that you and your loved ones may eat an entire cheesecake in 4 days...

Honey Cheesecake

• 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup of butter, melted
• 4 8oz packages of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• zest from one lemon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. I put a piece of parchment on the bottom of the pan to stop the crust from sticking.

Preheat oven to 350°F

In an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, honey and flour. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in milk, lemon and vanilla. 

Pour cream cheese mixture over crust and bake for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 200°F and bake for 1 1/2 hours. 

Let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door ajar for an hour. Refrigerate for 4 hours or more before serving.

Recipe 7: Another Sauce for Fowl

I have been meaning to make this recipe since a friend gave me Radically Simple by Rozanne Gold for Christmas a few years ago. The photo in the cookbook shows a golden brown chicken breast in a bright purple sauce. My sauce doesn't have the same purple color but the sweet grape flavor is powerful and delicious.

Sauteed Chicken with roasted Grapes & Grape Demi-Glace
Radically Simple by Rozanne Gold

• 3/4 pound small seedless red or black grapes
• 3/4 pound small seedless green grapes
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, 8 ounces each
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Remove the grapes from their stems. Put half of the graphes on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes. Puree the uncooked grapes in a blender until very smooth. Strain through a sieve, pressing down hard on the skins.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook 4 minutes on each side. Add the grape juice and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the juice become syrupy, 5 minutes. 

Transfer the chicken to a platter. Add the remaining butter to the pan and cook, stirring over high heat, 1 minute. Add the roasted grapes and cook 2 minute longer. Pout the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with chives.

Recipe 6: Roasted Goat

"So where roasting - or burning - food distinguished us from animals, boiling was proof of civilization" - William Sitwell


 My inspiration for this meal was this recipe for  Goat in Chile Marinade on Epicurious. I loved the story and detailed directions on how to make an authentic Barbacoa de Cabrito. I made a simplified version and chose to use dried California peppers, mostly because that was all I could find. They were not very spicy but added a nice toasty flavor to the dish.  Honestly, I don't know anything about peppers. My mother is Scandinavian, growing up the norm was boiled potatoes and fish sticks.  Depending on the level of spice you are looking to achieve, you can substitute different kinds of peppers.

 

Goat with a Chili Marinade

• 2 dried California chilies
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon oregano 
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2.5 lbs bone-in goat or lamb
• 1 bayleaf 
• 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes

 

Remove tops and seeds from chilies. Soak in boiling water for at least 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor combine chilies, cumin, allspice, fennel, oregano, thyme, garlic, onion, vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend until it becomes a smooth puree. If the mixture isn't blending add a few tablespoons of water.

In a non-reactive air tight container, add goat, marinade and bay leaf. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove meat from refrigerator two hours before cooking. 

 Preheat oven to 325°F

Roast for 5 to 6 hours in an airtight container. If you don't have a lid, use tightly wrapped tin foil.

Remove meat from the oven and shred. Place the roasting pan on the stove on low heat. Deglaze the pan by adding a can of chopped tomatoes. Scrape down the sides to incorporate the brown bits and simmer until the tomatoes melt into a sauce.

Serve shredded meat with tomato sauce and potatoes.