Turgor Pressure

Today, I have a science lesson for you.  I learned it recently from my aunt and was amazed.

Here's the definition from dictionary.com:

turgor pressure

noun.

Also called: hydrostatic pressure; the pressure exerted on a plant cell wall by water passing intot he cell by osmosis

Basically if you have celery that is going limp from being the fridge one day too long, I know how to fix it.  It's all based off of this scientific principle.

Simply cut off the ends of the celery and place in a cup of water for a few hours.  As it sits in the water, turgor pressure will be created and return your celery to as good as new.  Science.  It's amazing, I tell you.

Sweet Tea with Splenda

This is why.  This is where the name came from.  This is how my family likes their tea.

Brew three family size tea bags with one cup of Splenda.  Then, dilute with water and ice to make one gallon of sweet iced tea.

Peaches 'n Cream Cheesecake: Recipe

Alrighty, I've made you wait long enough for this here recipe.  Hope you all had a great Easter celebrating what Christ has done for us.

I made two of these cheesecake over Easter weekend.  Both were eaten right up with only a piece or two leftover for a lucky human soul to enjoy the next day.

 

Even the duck that was decorating the Easter table wanted some, but I wouldn't share.  Okay, not really.

You can read about making it here.  But, without further adieu, here's how they tell you to make it straight from the cookbook.

Junior’s Sponge Cake Crust
 

For one 9-inch cake crust
Ingredients:

1/3 cup sifted cake flour

3/4 t. baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 extra-large eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 drops lemon extract
2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1/4 t. cream of tarter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (preferably a nonstick one). Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides.
2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add 2 T. of the sugar and beat until thick light yellow ribbons form, about 5 minutes more. Beat in extracts.
4. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand, just until no more white flecks appear. Now, blend in the melted butter.
5. Now, wash the mixing bowl and beaters really well (if even a little fat is left, this can cause the egg whites not to whip). Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl and beat with the mixer on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites will stand up and look glossy, not dry). Fold about one-third of the whites into the batter, then the remaining whites. Don’t worry if you still see a few white specks, as they’ll disappear during baking.
6. Gently spread out the batter over the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden (not wet or sticky), about 10 minutes. Touch the cake gently in the center. If it springs back, it’s done. Watch carefully and don’t let the top brown. Leave the crust in the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on while you prepare the batter.

Junior’s Peaches & Cream Cheesecake Cheesecake

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake, about 3 inches high

Ingredients:
1 recipe 9-inch Junior’s Sponge Cake Crust (see above)

Peach filling:

10 ounces dry-pack frozen whole peaches (unsweetened, not in syrup), thawed

1/2 cup cider or apple juice

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. sugar

1/8 t. ground cinnamon

Cheesecake:

Three 8 ounce packages cream cheese (use only full fat), at room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 T. vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream

For the topping:

1 recipe Junior's Cinnamon Crumb Topping (see below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 8- or 9-inch springform pan (preferably a nonstick one). Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides. Make and bake the cake crust and leave it in the pan. Keep the oven on.
2. To make the filling, drain the peaches on papers towels (important!) and refrigerate 5 slices for decorating the cake.  Cut the remaining peaches into 1/2-inch pieces.  Put the cider in a small sauce pan.  Add the cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon and whisk until completely dissolved.  While stirring constantly, bring to a full boil over medium heat and cook 1 minute more, until thickened.  Remove from the heat and fold in the cut-up peaches.  Set aside to cool while you make the cake.
3. Put one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 cups sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the cream just until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix! Gently spoon the batter into the pan, then spoon the peach mixture on top.  Gently spread the peaches almost to the edge of the pan, covering the filling.
4. Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform. Bake until edges are light and golden brown and the top is slightly golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours (just walk away—don’t move it). Then, leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold, preferably overnight or for at least 4 hours.
5. Make and bake the crumb topping.  To decorate, release and remove the sides of the springform, leaving the cake on the bottom of the pan. Place on a cake plate. Top the cake with the cinnamon crumbs and decorate the center with the reserved peach slices.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slice the cold cake with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated one. Cover any leftover cake and refrigerate or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

Junior's Cinnamon Crumb Topping

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

Grated rind of 1 large lemon (about 1 t.)

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 350 F.  Generously butter a jellyroll pan or a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon rind together in a medium-sized bowl.  Work in the butter with your fingers until course crumbs form.
3. Spread out the crumbs in the pan.  Bake until the topping is golden brown, bubbly, and slightly crunchy, about 15 minutes, tossing the mixture with a spatula 2 - 3 times.  Watch it carefully.  It's ready when it turns a light golden brown (do not let it brown too much).  Let the mixture cool i the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then break into fine crumbs.  (If you have any extra topping, put in a zip-top plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month.  It's great over ice cream!)

Note: One recipe of the topping is enough to decorate about two cheesecakes.

Now, go ye, therefore, and make cheesecake!

Peaches 'n Cream Cheesecake

 

I made a cheesecake this weekend.  Let me tell you about it.

Have you ever heard of Junior's in New York City?  Well, if you are ever in NYC, you definitely need to try it out.  I don't make regular trips to NYC, so I was super excited when my sister found me a cookbook of their cheesecakes.  If you like cheesecake, you need this book in your library.

Well, enough about this restaurant.  I'll just tell you about their cheesecake that I made.

Something that is unique about these cheesecakes is that they have a sponge cake crust.  This is most of the ingredients that go into a sponge cake.  Have you ever made a sponge cake?  They can be rather time consuming. 

With a sponge cake, you beat the egg yokes with sugar until they are thick, pale and form a ribbon.  I think it's a lost art.  After you beat the egg yokes, mix in the extracts, butter, and flour.

Then you beat the egg whites until they are stiff and the peaks are glossy.  Next, the egg whites are folded into the egg yoke mixture.

 

Now, the directions call for you to bake the cheesecake in a water bath.  So, you must wrap your pan in foil.  I use heavy duty foil and double wrap.  Double wrapping might be unnecessary, but soggy cheesecake is no good.  You also need to butter your pan.

Spread the sponge cake batter into the bottom of the pan and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

To prepare the peaches, you make a sauce with apple juice, corn starch, cinnamon, and sugar.  Use frozen peaches and slice them into half-inch pieces.

Heat the apple juice, corn starch, cinnamon, and sugar until it thickens.  Then, mix in the peaches.

 

Now, for the yummy cheesecake filling.  Seriously, it's the best ever, and it's made from the simplest of ingredients.

It's very important that the cream cheese is at room temperature.  You begin by mixing the cream cheese being sure to scrape the side of the bowl a lot!  You want to be sure that there are no clumps of cream cheese.  If there are any clumps, it will cause your cheesecake to crack during baking.

When the cream cheese is smooth, mix in the sugar, vanilla, and the eggs.  Finally, add the heavy cream.  Mix this in until it is just mixed in and the batter pulls together.

The batter will be smooth and thick.

Spoon the batter into the pan, then place the peaches on top and spread them to the edge.  To prepare the water bath, make sure that you have a pan that can hold the cheesecake pan.  Fill the larger pan with warm water and place the cheesecake into the pan.  Bake at 350 for about an hour and fifteen minutes.

When the cheesecake is done, it will be golden brown on top.  Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath.  Set it to cool and set on a cooling rack for two hours.  The directions say to not touch or move it.  The cheesecake is rather delicate still and just needs time to set.  When it has set and cooled, refrigerate the cheesecake for several hours until it is completely cold.  When I refrigerate it, I cover it with a paper towel and saran wrap.  The paper towel will help keep the condensation from collecting on the cheesecake.  Like I said earlier, soggy cheesecake is no good.

While the cheesecake is cooling, you can make the cinnamon crumb topping.  It includes flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter.

Mix it all together until it forms crumbs.

Bake the mixture on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 350 mixing it up a few times during baking.  When it is done baking, let it cool for about half an hour.

Decorate the cheesecake with the cinnamon crumb topping and several peach slices.  Whenever, I am given a piece of cheesecake, you know like the kind that you can just pick up from the store, I try not to eat the whole thing.  Maybe because I can see how many calories are in a slice.  But, I seriously scrape my plate when I eat this cheesecake, this recipe is so good.  And like I once read, calories only exist if you count them.  Don't even think about it when you try this cheesecake; you'll want to eat the entire slice that is given to you. 

I'll post the recipe soon...  patience is virtue. :)  You'll need it and energy when you make the cheesecake.  Then, you'll need to have coffee when you eat it.  Just FYI.

Update: here is the recipe for the cheesecake.