PERFECT CHEESECAKE TRICK

I love any kind of cheesecake. It doesn't make much difference, to me, whether it is perfectly baked or if it has a big old crack in the middle of it ... I will enjoy it just as much.

HOWEVER, there ARE those special occasions where you want your cheesecake to impress company, so here is a trick that has not failed me yet: bake your cheesecake at a super low temperature for a longer time. It will come out ultra-creamy and will NOT crack.

CRUST
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Spray the bottom and sides of your springform pan with a little cooking spray. Mix everything well and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Bake at 300 for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

(4)  8 ounce packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
5 eggs (room temperature)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until it is light and smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Mix in vanilla.

Pour over graham cracker crust and smooth the top. Set the pan on a heavy cookie sheet and bake at 350 for fifteen minutes, then TURN YOUR OVEN DOWN TO 200 and bake for 75 more minutes. DON'T FORGET TO TURN THE OVEN DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!  After 75 minutes, the center of the cheesecake will be almost set. Take it out of the oven and loosen the sides of the cheesecake by running a VERY thin blade around the edge. Leave it in the pan and let  it cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge. Chill for several hours, or better yet, overnight.

PRALINE TOPPING (this is sinfully delicious!!)

¼ cup butter
1¼ cups brown sugar (packed)
16 large marshmallows
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
dash of salt
1 cup of evaporated (canned) milk
½ cup toasted pecans (or almonds)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar, marshmallows, syrup and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Simmer gently for one minute. Remove from heat and cool for five minutes. Stir in evaporated milk, nuts and vanilla, mix well. This is good warm or cold over the cheese cake. 

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Dad's, Saisaki, and Kamayan: Eat All You Can Buffet

As I have mentioned in my last Friday's post, I made a promise to Alex that if he keeps his grades up for the rest of our summer class, I would treat him to an eat-all-you-can lunch over at Dad's, Saisaki, and Kamayan in SM Megamall. Seeing how well he does in each of our evaluation exams and how compliant he is on the diet I made for him, I decided to give him the treat. 



I learned in our

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PINEAPPLE CHEESECAKE

Last week, Julie over at Better than Hamburgers, posted a great recipe for pineapple cheesecake bars. Hubby loves anything pineapple, so I knew I had to try them. I'm here to tell you they were a big hit!!  The only problem with them is that they are so darn good, we ate way too many!!!

Julie's recipe is baked in a sheet pan, but I opted for mini-cheesecakes which Hubby likes better.
The recipe has a sweet shortbread type crust (partially baked before filling is added) and a pineapple - coconut filling, yum!!! 

CRUST
3 cups all purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups butter, softened
½ cup chopped walnuts
Mix all ingredients together and press into a large 12" x 17" sheet cake pan. Poke holes in the crust with a fork and bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown. While crust is baking, mix together filling.

NOTE:  Instead of making this in a sheet pan, I put 2 heaping spoons of this crust mixture into each cupcake wrapper and pressed it down and baked it for about 12 minutes.

COCONUT TOPPING
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups sweetened coconut, shredded
Mix butter and coconut together and set aside.

CHEESECAKE FILLING
(2)  8 ounce packages cream cheese softened
2 eggs
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons almond extract 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
20 ounce can crushed pineapple (drained)

Beat cream cheese until smooth, beat in eggs, sugar, milk vanilla and extracts. Beat well with electric mixer until smooth.  Drain the pineapple and squeeze it dry, then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

Pour filling over baked crust. Sprinkle with coconut topping and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until coconut has browned and the middle is set.  Chill at least an hour before serving.

NOTE: Hubby likes the taste of coconut, but not the texture, so I  left out the coconut and added  coconut extract instead of almond extract.

NOTE: I filled up the cupcake papers about 2/3 full and baked them at 350 for 20 minutes, then chilled them for 2 hours.

NOTE: If you opt for the mini-cheesecakes, cut the crust recipe in half. You will have plenty of crust for two dozen little cheesecakes.

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