Cheesecake Brownies

Throughout my years in middle school, I had a specific after-school snack that I made myself every day. I combined a large glob of cream cheese, a tablespoon or so of butter, and a few spoonfuls of sugar in a small bowl, after which popping in the microwave for a few seconds would get all smooth and warm. Then, I would eat it. Just like that. You’d be right if you said it seemed like I was just eating uncooked cheesecake batter, because frankly, that’s basically what it was.

(I think it is important to mention, in order to justify myself, that at this time in my life I was doing year-round competitive swimming six days a week. Let’s just say counting calories wasn’t first on my priorities.)

Anyway, this little habit came about when after school one day I was watching a food network show that was featuring cheesecake. What with the fact that cheesecake was one of my favorite foods (and not to mention that I was always hungry back then), I decided I needed to recreate it, uncooked, in a snack-sized form. But as I’m sure you can guess with its three-ingredient-list, it wasn’t that hard to  come up with. How I managed to eat cheesecake batter as a snack preceding a three hour swim practice, on the other hand, is kind of boggling my mind at the moment. Nonetheless, the point I’m trying to get across with this little and somewhat embarrassing anecdote about my past eating patterns is that I really like cheesecake.

Fortunately,  the quantity of cheesecake that I eat (batter or otherwise) has drastically declined over the years since I quit swimming.  This is not due to a drop in my affinity for it, but rather from a nasty little presence I’ve learned to call will power–something I still haven’t mastered yet (one has to hope that it’s possible). And even though I’ve learned to politely refuse an offering of cheesecake from the dessert menu or bakery shelf, the whisper of a the existence of a cheesecake-swirled brownie from Smitten Kitchen had that silly little will power conquered. Thank goodness cheesecake found its way back to me!

This is the second time I’ve made this cheesecake brownie recipe, and it certainly won’t be the last. The brownies themselves are dense, fudgy and chewy. The liberally-swirled cheesecake running through it is pretty self-explanatory in its delights–need I mention, once again, how satisfying the combination of cream cheese and sugar is? And the chocolate chips on top are the perfect textural foil for the creaminess of the cheesecake. Basically, in my opinion, these brownies have it all. They need no adjusting, no contemplation on whether or not they are worth it. Because let me tell you, they are. Good luck, will power, in trying to stay away from these.

Cheesecake Brownies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (where would we be without her?)

Be generous in swirling the cheesecake batter into the brownies. You want a marbled effect, not a two-layered cheesecake-brownie bar (unless, I guess, you don’t). Also, these really are best when you let them cool all the way. Try them cold, from the fridge. They’re really, really great that way.

1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

To make the brownie batter, preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in middle position. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Heat butter and chocolate in a double boiler (glass or stainless steel bowl over a simmering, shallow pot of water) over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

For the cheesecake batter, whisk together the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, yolk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a butter knife or spatula. Don’t be afraid (like I was) to really swirl the cheesecake batter in–using your knife to swirl the brownie batter up and throughout the cheesecake layer. It’ll leave you with a prettier marbled effect in the end. Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl.

Bake brownies until edges are slightly puffed and a little golden and center is just set, about 35 minutes. A toothpick pricked in the middle won’t come out entirely clean, but have faith. You don’t want to overcook these. Let cool completely. I like storing them in the fridge, and eating them cold.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I must admit, I’m not your usual contender for pumpkin whoopie pies. I mean, whoopie pies? They sound like something you’d see featured on Paula Deen’s show: you know, humble home cooking, stuffed with the usual butter and cream cheese and oil. There’s no frills about them, and they don’t pretend to be something they’re not. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of this, nothing at all. I enjoy those types of things, in fact. But I just don’t seek them out, I don’t order whoopie-anything when I see it, and I don’t put them on my list of things to make.

That is until my twin sister, good person that she is, introduced them to me. It was a little less than a year ago, the night she made a batch, and I was visiting her apartment in Seattle. I remember trying one of the cookies when they first came out of the oven and I became immediately shocked with how moist and cakey they were. Reaching to grab another to much on, she slapped my hand and told me to wait until she had  made the buttercream filling. Needless to say, I managed to eat my fair share of whoopie pies that night. I had been converted.

This humble little whoopie pie has been catching my attention ever since, and I marked it on my list of things to make for this autumn. Make it I did, last Friday when a friend and I deemed the time appropriate for a “treat and movie night.” The cookies, once cooled and slathered with cream cheese frosting, were addictingly tasty. But something was a little funny about them–they were delicious, of course, but very moist. Just enough to be too moist. I know, shocking! But it happens. To see a picture of just how moist, see here. Even after extending the baking time, they just weren’t quite right.

Unsatisfied that my experience wasn’t as pleasing as I remembered, I sought out to adjust the recipe (after comparing it with just about a hundred others) and try again. Yes, there I was the following night, mixing up pumpkin and sugar and flour. Sometimes I’m not sure it pays off having this unnatural interest in baking.

But who am I kidding? Of course it does. Because the second time around I was left a pumpkin whoopie pie worthy of creating nostalgia. It is fantastically moist (but not too much so), spicy with cinnamon, cloves and ginger, and wonderfully balanced by a smooth cream cheese frosting. Scoff all you want at the idea of a whoopie pie (if you are once like I was), but in the end this humble little treat will always be around because it is simply pleasing. Eventually you’ll come around, just like me.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes about 16 2-inch sized whoopie pie sandwiches (about 10 if you make them the 3-4-inches size I did)

The spice amounts  may seem like a lot (they are even more so in the original recipe), but trust me on this one. Also, although I just plopped the dough onto a cookie sheet, I think an ice cream scoop (a smallish one) with a release would make the tops prettier as they bake–more crackly. One more thing: this recipe halves easily, just so you know.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)

To make the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. The consistency should look like something between that of batter and dough. It won’t be stiff like regular cookies.

Using a small ice cream scoop that has a release (or a couple of spoons), drop heaping tablespoons (about the size of golf-balls)of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 12 minutes. The tops should look set and fully cooked, but the cookies will look moist. Let cool completely.

To assemble the whoopie pies, pipe or spread a large dollop of the cream cheese frosting on one cooled whoopie cookie and then press that together with another cookie. After assembling the cookies, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. However, if the frosting is somewhat chilled, it shouldn’t be a problem eating the cookie sandwiches as is without the refrigeration. Assembled cookies will last refrigerated for up to three days.

Cream Cheese Frosting
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces (1 package, usually) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth.

Wild Rice Risotto with Butternut Squash and Mushrooms

It’s a strange thing, cooking (or baking) for one. Most of the reason I got into baking, and later cooking, in the first place was because of others. I love nothing more than spending an evening making a cake or gratin or whatever-it-is to share with others and sit around and talk and eat. I don’t think I’ve ever made a batch of cookies or brownies for my benefit only. After all, what’s the point if you’re not going to get anyone else’s gain in happiness out of the effort? I think it’s what Molly Wizenberg in her book A Homemade Life called “winning hearts and minds”–the reason we bake chocolate cakes and all that other stuff. (Have you read that book, by the way?)

Anyway, I’m in something of a state of limbo right now where I’m not sure how to approach food or what I make. I bake treats, and I share them with friends, I really do! But most of the time for three meals a day (four if you’re counting dessert, and oh let’s count dessert) where I’m stuck making a meal that I, and I alone, am going to have to enjoy. Oh there’s nothing wrong with this, nothing at all. It’s just a little strange, I suppose, if you’re not used to it.

This risotto dish, taken from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, is one of my experiences with getting used to cooking for myself. I made it in the middle of last week, as my reward for dutifully paying attention in classes and keeping up with my work that day (okay, that part is kind of a stretch but it’s still a relaxing treat to be able to cook after a day of school). As I was cooking the risotto and adding more and more stock, I realized that this recipe made quite a lot of risotto. Maybe not so much if you’re comparing it with the amount my mom makes to feed her family of six, but for only me? I put the remainders of the risotto in the largest tupperware I have that evening and I ate it for dinner for the next four nights.

There is something, however, to be said for cooking and eating for yourself. Although I didn’t have wild mushrooms like the recipe calls for (which I’m sure would be delicious), I didn’t worry when I added the sliced cremini mushrooms in their place even if my housemate has a “texture thing” with them. Likewise when I decided later that week to add some kale to the leftovers–an addition my boyfriend wouldn’t be too happy about due to the fact that he rarely eats anything if it at all is associated with being “healthy.” This dish was for me and me only, after all! I added what I pleased.

But besides that addition of kale, I didn’t change much to the recipe. Next time, I’d cut out the additional step of cooking the wild rice by itself and adding it to the risotto later, seeing as my mom in her risottos adds the wild rice at the same time as the arborio and I’ve never noticed any textural difference resulting from the added step. And after all, so long as we are cooking for ourselves, who wants to tack on an extra pot to clean?

Wild Rice Risotto with Butternut Squash and Mushrooms
Adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
Serves 4 to 6

Amy’s Notes: Although Judy discourages it (due to the fact that it will take away from the pure taste of the rice) you may add in other additions if you’d like–like kale, in my example. 

4 tablespoons butter
6 ounches cleaned, sliced mushrooms (wild such as porcini, chanterelles or hedgehogs preferrable)
About 1-2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 4-6 ounces)
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (2 ounces)
2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
1/4 cup wild rice
5 to 6 cups chicken stock
about 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Maintain the simmer at a medium-low or low heat.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter into a 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms, salt lightly, and cook, stirring or tossing a few times, until they color slightly, about 3-6 minutes depending on how wet the mushrooms are. Judy notes you should “just begin to smell their nutty aroma.” Add the squash cubes, salt lightly, and saute to warm through, about three more minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.

Warm the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and salt lightly. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the both the risotto rice and wild rice and stir until the grains are coated with fat. Add about 2 cups of stock. Adjust the heat to bring it to and maintain a gentle simmer, then stir as needed until it has been mostly absorbed (Judy notes it’s important not to let the rice dry up). Add another cup of stock or two and do likewise. The risotto should “look like a shiny porridge of pearls,” as she says.

Stir in the reserved mushrooms and squash into the risotto and add another cup or so of the stock and stir as needed until just absorbed. Taste again, checking for flavor and doneness. Add additional stock a few spoonfuls at a time if close to being done until the rice is al dente; the squash should be nutty-tender as well.

Off the heat, stir in the grated parmesan, and serve warm–although, I must admit, I have a soft spot for leftover, cold risotto straight from the fridge.

Asado’s Lentils (Spiced and Sweet Lentils with Bacon)

I like going out to eat, a lot. It’s not just the restaurant food—whenever my parents ask me if I want some food from a restaurant for takeout I respond with a no, thank you. I love the whole experience of it, sitting and talking and hearing others talk around you and the clanking from the kitchen. Picking over the menu (and if you’re like me) taking about four times as long as it should to decide on something just because everything sounds so intriguing. I love waiting for the food to arrive and when it does I love oohing and ahhing over everyone’s picked plates.

Luckily for me, I have a boyfriend who loves to go out to each just as much as I do. During the summer we developed what we called our “basic four” restaurants to go eat—places all within the general same area, varying from very, very greasy and cheap to the more “sophisticated” fine dining, I guess you could say. One of these places is an Argentine Steakhouse called Asado, which serves the best breaded and deep-fried calamari with red pepper aioli I’ve ever had, as well as some phenomenal meats and fish entrees. On the back of their menu insert listing all the specials is “Asado’s Favorite Lentil Recipe”—the lentils they serve underneath their seared, juicy steaks.

So yes, friends, you know what this means! Another lentil recipe.

My boyfriend’s mom was the first to make these at home, and I think I liked them even better than the restaurant’s. In the batch I made, shown here, I tried to recreate the lentils as she had made them. (I’ve been told she now has formed the recipe into a stew of sorts, which sounds delicious, but I have yet to attempt to make it that way.) This means substituting green for yellow lentils as called for in the recipe and serving them freshly topped with sliced green onions. What you end up with is a perfect balance of spice from the cumin and cinnamon and sweetness from the maple syrup. And the bacon? Well it’s bacon, quite a lot of it, it’s a lot of fat, and it’s really delicious. Especially with these flavors, it’s now become my favorite way to eat lentils.

Funny thing is, making these lentils at home doesn’t interfere one bit with the pleasure I get from going to the restaurant and eating them there. It’s not some form of take-out and it’s not trying to recreate an exact dish from the restaurant. The tastes are a little different and so is the experience. But I like their separate spheres, with one being crowded and exciting and quite a trip in itself and the other being quieter, more subdued, with mulling over the pot of delicious stewing lentils. Either way, it’s one of my favorite restaurants and at home this is one of my favorite lentil recipes.

Asado’s Favorite Lentil Recipe
Adapted from Asado Restaurant
Serves four as a side dish

8 strips of 1/4-inch cut bacon (about a half-pound, a little less)
1-2 red onions, diced
1/2 teaspoon chicken base (optional, if you want a deeper chicken flavor)
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups dry green lentils
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
3-4 green onions, sliced thinly

Sauté the bacon over medium heat until brown and just starting to get crispy around the edges, 12-15 minutes. Add in red onions and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in chicken base.

Deglaze with wine and add lentils. Then add the stock, and stir in the seasonings. Cook lentils over medium heat, stirring periodically, until lentils are al dente and almost all the liquid has been soaked up, about 25-30 minutes. Off of the heat, stir in the maple syrup and season to taste.

Pour onto a sheet pan to cool. After a minute or two, sprinkle the sliced green onions on top and stir them into the lentils.