JAPANESE SOUFFLE PANCAKES

Summer's almost here!

I can feel the anticipation in the air!

I've been madly testing Japanese Cheesecake recipes the last few weeks and tweaking my recipe for both Matcha and Londog Fog flavoured Japanese cheesecake.  During all this time I haven't actually tasted the Uncle Tetsu cheesecakes that have been selling like crazy (limit of one per customer!) because of the crazy 2 hour lineups.  

So because I lack patience for lining up for things voluntarily and because I have all the equipment and know-how lol--I decided to make my own.  

London Fog Japanese Cheesecake (infused with looseleaf Earl Grey Tea Leaves)


Matcha Japanese Cheesecake 

These cheeesecakes went over really well with my contractor and workers.  I'm currently still under construction over here!

Perhaps in a few more months we'll be done and I can do more posting of my recipes.  Let me know in the comments if you would like these different flavoured cheesecake recipes.  If you would just like to make the vanilla one, you can scroll down and look for it (or search my archives)

If you have all the equipment for these Japanese Souffle Pancakes, it's a breeze.   Okay I admit it's a little bit of an involved process just like any other Japanese dessert!  But if you persevere you will be rewarded with the fluffiest most delicate, delicious light and airy pancakes you've tasted.

I was shocked at how good they were.  Give it a go!

JAPANESE SOUFFLE PANCAKES

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons neutral flavoured oil (I use grapeseed or avocado oil) or nonstick spray for the pan

To Serve:

whipping cream (canister or whipped heavy cream)

Powdered sugar

Fresh Berries

Maples Syrup

Special equipment: 6 ring molds (stainless steel); or you can make your own from cleaned out tuna cans and parchment paper (you can make parchment paper rings with strips of parchment); nonstick pan; nonstick spray

Makes 6 souffle pancakes

1. Preheat nonstick frying pan on low heat.  Ensure your pan is large enough to hold your 6 ring molds

2. Separate whites from yolks: Whites will go into electric mixing bowl. Yolks will go into another bowl

3. In the Yolks bowl: add milk, vanilla, cake flour & baking powder.  Whisk well to combine

4. In the electric mixing bowl, whip whites until frothy; gradually add in the 4 tablespoons of sugar.  Continue mixing at med-high speed (speed 8 on KitchenAid) for 6 minutes or until stiff peaks form

5.  Take 1/3 of the meringue and add it to the yolk mixture.  Combine well to lighten the batter.  Then pour the entire yolk mixture back into the whites and using a whisk, gently fold the batter until you do not see clumps of egg white.  Be gentle and don't try to deflate the meringue

6.  Using nonstick spray, spray the insides of the steel ring molds.  Spray the nonstick pan surface. Place the molds on the nonstick pan.  

7. Using a ladle or 1/4 cup measuring scoop, pour the batter into all 6 molds...equally dividing all the batter between the 6 ring molds

8.  Maintain a constant low to med-low temperature for the nonstick pan.  Cover with a lid if you can during the cooking process (mine covered the molds but had a big gap and didn't meet the edge of the pan but it was okay)

9.  Set your timer for 6-7 minutes.  Check the bottoms of one of the pancakes to see if it is turning golden brown.  If it is...good!  If not, turn up the heat a bit and keep an eye on it until the bottoms are set and golden brown.  I used rubber-tipped tongs to help hold/tilt the ring molds to check.  

10.  When you are ready to flip, use either rubberized tongs or heat-resistant gloves/oven mitts to help turn the molds over and upside down onto the pan to cook the other side.

11.  If the cakes don't fall down to rest on the pan to cook and are stuck at the top of your mold, you will need to carefully press them down until they reach the bottom of the pan (I used a special circular press to push them down)

12.  Continue to cook the other side of the pancake until it is golden brown.  Remove the molds (I used my rubberized tongs to remove the rings)

13. Serve with whipping cream, fresh berries, powdered sugar and maple syrup 

Makes 6 souffle pancakes

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BRAIDED LATTICE APPLE PIE

Braided Lattice Apple Pie!

Humble Pie

Braided Lattice is insanely time-consuming.  

When my daughter walked by the kitchen and asked me "hey, are you making that pie for someone?" I was attempting to weave the braided lattice pie dough that was akin to wrangling cooked spaghettini. The delicate strands would stretch each time I moved them.  I was not feeling the pie love.

I replied "no, it's for you guys"

"Yay!  I can't wait! it doesn't matter what it looks like mommy...it'll taste great! I can't wait!"

Out of the mouth of my babe.

I stopped trying to weave the triplicate braid & lattice combinations.

And into the oven the pie went

Lots o' butter! 

I was eager to try a new recipe for a pie crust that could handle lattice-work.  I did my research and found a recipe on Serious Eats that sounded promising. It had a higher ratio of butter (how could that go wrong in any way?)

Cold cubed butter! 2 sticks!

I think I was too ambitious.  I even planned to do the Sous-Vide method for pre-cooking the apple pie filling.  What the heck was I thinking?  

Squash the butter cubes. 

Almost immediately into making the crust I nixed the sous-vide idea and decided to just do it on the stovetop.  It was wise as the actual sous vide part would add another hour to the prep time.

The huge chunks of squashed butter are very visible here.

Use the technique of making a quick puff pastry.  You're doing the laminated technique here next

Roll out the dough with plenty of flour.

This laminating technique looks harder than it actually is

Cut in half and wrap in plastic wrap.  Pop it in the fridge!

Roll that out 

The dough is quite strong and stretchy...quite promising for lattice-work!

The pre-cooked apples I used consisted of granny smith and gala.  

After I realized my kids don't care about the weaving, I just gave up and popped that pie in the oven so we could get it in our pie-holes sooner!

Though I saved plenty of time forgoing the weaving...and I didn't do the sous-vide part, we still had to wait 4 hours for the pie to cool before cutting into it.  

Good things come to those who wait!

PIE CRUST RECIPE FROM SERIOUS EATS

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Dough

• 8 ounces all-purpose flour (1 2/3 cups; 225g), plus more for dusting
• 1/2 ounce sugar (1 tablespoon; 15g)
• 1 teaspoon (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
• 8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks; 225g), cold
• 4 ounces cold water (1/2 cup; 115g)

1. For the Dough: Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes (this size is important, as smaller pieces will melt too fast) and toss with flour mixture to break up the pieces. With your fingertips, smash each cube flat—that's it! No rubbing or cutting. Stir in water, then knead dough against the sides of the bowl until it comes together in a shaggy ball. Dough temperature should register between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C); if not, refrigerate briefly before rolling and folding (see note above).
2. Make the Layers: On a generously floured work surface, roll dough into a roughly 10- by 15-inch rectangle. Fold the 10-inch sides to the center, then close the newly formed packet like a book. Fold in half once more, bringing the short sides together to create a thick block. Divide in half with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Dough temperature should still be somewhere between 65 and 70°F (18 and 21°C); if not, refrigerate briefly before proceeding (see note above)
3. For a Double-Crusted Pie: Using as much flour as needed, roll one piece into a 14-inch circle and drape across a 9-inch pie plate; it will be super easy to lift by hand. Dust off excess flour with a pastry brush, using it to nestle dough into the very corners of the pan. With scissors or kitchen shears, trim the edge so that it overhangs by 1 inch all around. For a solid top crust, roll remaining dough as before, or roll into a 9- by 15-inch rectangle for a lattice-top pie. Transfer the entire sheet, uncut, to a baking sheet or parchment-lined cutting board. (The parchment will prevent dough from absorbing any savory odors from the board.) Wrap both portions in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight. 

GOOEY APPLE PIE RECIPE FROM SERIOUS EATS

• 5 pounds (2.25kg) apples (see note above), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (100 to 150g) sugar (see note above), plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (1/2 ounce; 15g)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) fresh juice and 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
• 1 recipe PIE DOUGH (ABOVE)
• 1 egg white

1. To Cook Filling on the Stovetop: Transfer apples and their juices to a large Dutch oven. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly steaming. Cover and continue cooking over lowest heat setting, stirring frequently, using a thermometer to maintain temperature below 160°F (71°C). Do not allow liquid to come to a boil for first 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until juices thicken enough that a spatula dragged through the bottom of the pot leaves a trail that very slowly closes back up, about 10 minutes more. Transfer apples to a rimmed baking sheet, spread out into a single layer, and allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.
2. Roll 1 disk of pie dough into a circle roughly 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling, piling it into the pie shell until it all fits. Roll remaining disk of pie dough into a rectangle, approximately 10" x 15". Cut dough into strips and weave in a lattice pattern on top of pie.
3. Using a pair of kitchen shears, trim edges of both pie crusts until they overhang the edge of the pie plate by 1/2 inch all the way around. Fold edges of both pie crusts down together, tucking them in between the bottom crust and the pie plate and working your way all the way around the pie plate until everything is well tucked. Use the forefinger on your left hand and the thumb and forefinger on your right hand to crimp the edges. 
4. Use a pastry brush to brush an even coat of lightly beaten egg white all over the top surface of the pie. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon (15g) of sugar. Transfer pie to baking sheet in oven and bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. [NB: I had to add a full 15 minutes of baking time to ensure a golden pie crust.] Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving.

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TOTORO BUTTER COOKIES WITH MATCHA LEAVES

SO, this is me lesson prepping for tomorrow's Creative Writing 11 Book Chat tomorrow.  I had my students select a Canadian Novel for an independent project which culminates in a Tea 'n Cookies Book Chat with their peers.

Silly me...I asked what they'd like me to bake and they said "Totoro Cookies!"  

I don't know why I was hoping they'd all say "CAKE!" --but they didn't.  

Ah well.  They're not for me to eat anyway!

I used matcha powder to create tiny leaf cookies to rest on Totoro's head.  With the leftover matcha dough I made some larger leaf cookies 'cause I didn't want to make any more of those time-consuming tiny leaves anymore 🤣

I added black sesame paste to a blob of cookie dough in order to make the tiny black sesame sprites. They were so cute but something about grey cookies is so unappealing to many people.  I guess they don't look appetizing being the colour of soot!

Raw cookie dough is so tasty-looking to me.  I prefer how it looks to the baked product because you can see the crisp lines and Totoro's cute expression very clearly.

In case you want to make these with a totoro cutter, be aware that they cost $$$.  All you have to do is google it and you'll find plenty of styles of Totoro cutters to buy.  Before I bought a cutter, I used a cardboard template that I cut out.  I traced the cookies with a knife and they were tedious but they turned out well.  Alternatively, if you're crafty you can cut up an Arizona Tea can and create your own personalized cookie cutter.  I have a pusheen one that I made like that because I'm too cheapie to pay money for more cutters.  

Totoro Vanilla Butter Cookies 

• 2 Cups unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Large egg 
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 5 Cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp teaspoon coarse salt
• OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon matcha powder (for the matcha leaves)
• OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon black sesame paste (or ground black sesame seeds) (for the soot sprites)

1. Preheat oven to 350degrees F.
2. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and salt and mix until combined.
3. Halve dough; shape each half into a disk. Place one disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can use the other half for the optional coloured decorations or soot sprite cookies.  Continue making cookies with the remaining refrigerated dough.
4. Roll out dough and cut with a template or cutter.  Transfer cookies to parchment-lined cookie sheet.
5. OPTIONAL LEAVES & SOOT SPRITES:  take a handful of dough and add 1 teaspoon of matcha powder to it, kneading until thoroughly combined. Roll out and cut into tiny leaves to decorate Totoro's head.  Take a handful of dough and knead in 1 teaspoon black sesame paste and knead thoroughly until combined.  Roll out and cut into soot sprites.
6. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned (Totoro's ears will get brown first, so watch them)  The soot sprites will take only 10-12 minutes and the tiny leaves take 7 min.
7. Let cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

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Happy Lunar New Year!

Celebrate with cake!

Happy Chinese New Year! 

Gung Hay Fat Choy!   Sun Neen Fai Lok!

It's the year of the rooster...and today married Chinese people everywhere are handing out red envelopes to kids.  So the kids are raking in the money$$$

My kid's birthday party is today and she wanted a DQ ice cream cake, which means pretty much nothing for me to blog about.  So I made my go-to cake for all-around snackin' while the kids indulged in their oreo blizzard ice cream cake.  

This Coconut Chiffon Cake is made from coconut oil instead of veg oil or butter, which gives it a nice light coconut scent and flavour.  Because I'm gluten intolerant (hello Hashimoto's disease...you suck) I used my current fave gf flour mix that I picked up from Costco in the States.  Costco Canada doesn't carry it here in Vancouver which is a shame. 

I wish you Health, Wealth & Happiness this Lunar year and may your celebrations be filled with a good amount of cake too!

Gluten Free Coconut Chiffon Cake with berries

COCONUT CHIFFON CAKE

(adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Master Recipe for Chiffon Cake)

• 1 ½ cups organic evaporated cane sugar
• 1 1/3 cups gluten free flour (measure unsifted) [I used Namaste flour I picked up at the Costco in Bellingham] 
• 2 tsp gf baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 7 large eggs, 2 left whole, 5 separated (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup water

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°F. Whisk sugar, GF flour, psyllium husk powder, baking powder and salt together in large bowl (at least 4-quart size). Whisk in two whole eggs, five egg yolks (reserve whites), water, coconut oil and extract until batter is smooth.  I used a stick blender to blend the batter smooth.

2. Pour reserved egg whites into large bowl; beat at low speed with electric mixer until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar, gradually increase speed to medium-high, then beat whites until very thick and stiff, just short of dry, 9 to 10 minutes with handheld mixer or 5 to 7 minutes in standing mixer. With large whisk, fold whites into batter, smearing any blobs of white that resist blending. 
3. Pour batter into ungreased large tube pan (9 inch diameter, 16-cup capacity). 
4. Bake cake on lower middle rack in oven until wire cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 60-70 minutes [mine took 70 min]. Immediately turn cake upside down to cool. If pan does not have prongs around rim for elevating cake, invert pan over bottle or funnel, inserted through tube. Let cake hang until completely cook, about 2 hours. 
5. To unmold, turn pan upright. Run frosting spatula or thin knife around pan’s circumference between cake and pan wall, always pressing against the pan. Use cake tester to loosen cake from tube. For one-piece pan, bang it on counter several times, then invert over serving plate. For two-piece pan, grasp tube and lift cake out of pan. If glazing the cake, use a fork or a paring knife to gently scrap all the crust off the cake. Loosen cake from pan bottom with spatula or knife, then invert cake onto plate. (Can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature 2 days or refrigerated 4 days.)

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MINI STICKY RICE WRAPPED IN BANANA LEAVES "Joong/Zongzi"

Toisan Pork and Chinese Sausage Joong (Zongzi)

My kids are carb-addicts.

I have always loved joong (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) from New Town Bakery because the fillings most closely approximate the ones I grew up with made by my Poh Poh.  Unfortunately, when she passed away when I was in my early 20s, I lost the source of all the recipes I loved eating growing up. I hadn't had the forethought to ask her for the recipes in my youth and that is my one big regret.  

Now, my kids love them all year 'round and sometimes they take joong to school for lunch in their thermoses.  In the morning, I would take the joong out of the freezer, microwave one on high for 3 minutes and then plop it into a saucepan full of boiling water for 15 minutes to ensure it was heated all the way through.  We have always lamented the fact that each joong was too big for each kid; yet one joong was not quite enough for both to share.  I always supplement with extra Chinese sausage because the store-bought joong only had a miniscule little sliver of sausage that the kids fought over. The salt-pork, mung beans and salted duck yolk were parts of the joong I'd pick out because the kids didn't care for it.

My mother is not a font of information when it comes to cooking Chinese food.  She is more apt to buy cooked food from the market or go out to eat.  She was a career woman so never had the time to stay at home with her mother to watch her cook or learn the secret recipes.  So, that leaves me to search the internet for Toisan mothers and grandmas online who make what most closely resembles foods of my youth.

Fortunately for me, people have documented how to wrap these tricky-to-fold rice dumplings on youtube.  I had no idea how to go about it having never made them with grandma in my youth.  So today was pretty much a test to see if I could do it.  I made a small batch in mini shapes so that I wouldn't be frustrated if I had problems.   Let me know if you want a video of me doing it and I will make one; otherwise there are plenty on youtube if you look.  I learned a few tricks from watching several.

I think I was channeling PohPoh because these turned out fabulously!  The sticky rice was perfectly seasoned, the fillings were so tasty and proportional to the rice.  The problem with other peoples' joong--their fillings were chosen for their family's tastes.  

My kids hate seafood (dried scallops & shrimp), don't care for dried shitake mushrooms, would rather not eat salted duck egg yolk (though I'm starting to enjoy it as I age) and don't appreciate mung beans (which I love).  The 9 yr old is allergic to peanuts and it seems that every auntie that gifts some joong to my mother makes theirs with tons of peanuts.  It's like biting into a nut-bomb.  I dislike the texture and flavour of peanuts myself and find them quite repulsive (sorry peanut-lovers).  

So these mini joong were specifically made for the kids and each one is smaller than my fist.  Each contains: 3 slices of Chinese sausage and 1 piece of salted pork belly.  That's it.  So simple and so yummy. No weird stuff.  Just good ol' pork fat that renders out into the glutinous rice to infuse it with rich flavour.  The fantastic thing about joong is that the fillings are customizable.  You could even go vegan if you wanted to by filling it with red beans, peanuts, firm tofu.  I'm going to try making the sweet joong which is served in my household with maple syrup!  My Poh Poh always put a red stick in the centre which I assume is for good luck because it certainly didn't leave any flavour...just a stain of red dye that radiated from the centre.  I might also try a sweet tapioca and red bean mini joong too. They look so cute and yummy.

MINI STICKY RICE WRAPPED IN BAMBOO LEAVES (TOISAN PORK and CHINESE SAUSAGE JOONG/ZONGZI)

• 36 dried zongzi (bamboo) leaves (2 leaves per zongzi)

• 5 Cups uncooked short grain sticky rice (also called glutinous rice, or "sweet rice")
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce (for seasoning rice) [I used gluten-free tamari]
• 2 tsp salt (for seasoning rice)
• 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or any veg oil (for seasoning rice)

• 1 lb Fresh pork belly, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (for the pork)
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (for the pork) [I used tamari]
• 1/2 tsp sugar (for the pork)
• 2 tsp shaoxing wine (for the pork)
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper (for the pork)
• 1 tsp oil (for the pork)

• 3-4 links of Chinese sausage (4 if you're making just salt pork and sausage; 3 if you're including optional mung bean filling
• Kitchen twine 

Optional ingredients:

• 14 oz of green mung beans, shelled and split (these look yellow, actually) (14 oz package)
• 4 tsp Salt, kosher (for the mung beans)
• 2 tsp Avocado Oil or veg oil (for the mung beans)

• 6 salted duck egg yolks
• Things we never put in joong but other people like: Raw peanuts, chestnuts, rehydrated dried shitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried scallops, preserved duck & pork, red beans, shallots, 5-spice powder, bbq pork, bbq duck, dried abalone

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Prepare the bamboo leaves:

1. 36 to 40 bamboo leaves (use 2 leaves for each mini joong; 3 leaves for large joong)
2. Place the dried bamboo leaves in a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Drain and refill with cold water.  If you need to weigh them down with a plate, do so to keep them submerged.  Soak the leaves overnight. The next day, wash and rinse each leaf front and back, keeping them in a large bowl or tub of water until wrapping time so they don’t dry out

Prepare the sweet rice:

1. Use 5 cups of short grain sweet rice for approximately 15 mini joong
2. Soak the sweet rice overnight. The next day, drain completely in a colander. Mix the soaked, uncooked rice with light soy sauce [or tamari]. 2 tablespoons avocado oil and 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Prepare the mung beans (if using):

1. Soak the mung beans overnight.
2. Drain. Mix mung beans with 2 tsp oil and 4 tsp salt

Prepare the pork belly:

1. 1 pound pork belly, cut into 12 equal pieces
2. 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
3. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
4. 2 teaspoons shaoxing wine
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
7. 1 teaspoon oil

MAKING THE JOONG:

Prepare the additional ingredients/fillings:

1. 3-4 Chinese sausages (lop cheung):  cut on the diagonal in bite-sized pieces
2. 6 salted duck egg yolks (if using): using a sharp knife cut each in two

Wrapping the zongzi:

1. Check out youtube videos for wrapping technique:
   2 leaved mini joong: (will make about 15)
2. Using kitchen shears, cut off the stem end about half an inch 
3. Have ready the kitchen twine and sharp scissors for cutting the twine.
4. If leaves rip anywhere during the wrapping process, you’ll need to start over and discard the ripped leaf. The recipe calls for extra leaves to mitigate these rips
5. Take 2 leaves:  layer the leaves with the shiny side up; larger leaf on the bottom. If you are OCD, you can place stem ends in opposite directions and trim off the tips to even out the ends.  Fold lengthwise close to the centre.  Then fold up about a third from the end facing you.  Create a cone by opening up the leaves leaving the folds to the right. 
6. Fill with a little rice on the bottom, along with your egg yolk, pork belly and pieces of Chinese sausage. I used 3 small pieces of sausage for each mini joong.  Use 1 tbsp mung beans if using.
7. Top with a bit more rice.
8. Fold the top of the leaf towards you so that it covers the rice.  Ensure that you bend crisply at the fold making clean corners pointing out. Then fold down the edges of the fold to create a point using the trapezoid shape to guide you...all the time cupping your hands at the bottom of the cone so it doesn’t fall apart. Watch the youtube video.  It's easier seen than explained.
9. Tie the joong securely with twine. Cut off excess bits of the leaves with kitchen shears.
10. Continue until your leaves and filling are used up.

To cook the zongzi:

1. Place joong in a large stock pot.  You might need a plate to weigh them down. Fill the pot with cold water, until the zongzi are submerged. Place the pot on the stove over high heat. Once the water boils, turn the heat to low/medium-low, and let it simmer for 1-2 hours.
2. Check the pot occasionally to make sure the joong are always submerged in water. Only add boiling water to adjust the water level—do not add room temperature or cold water. 
3. Remove and cut open the joong leaves to serve, discarding the twine and bamboo leaves. 
4. After cooling to room temperature, you may place in freezer bags, where they will last for months.  When you want a quick meal, you can defrost by putting each in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or you can boil them for about 20 minutes to reheat.
5. Yield: 12-15 zongzi

NOTES:

1. My KIDDIE VERSION: 5 CUPS OF RICE (no mung beans) makes 15 2-leaved mini-dzung
2. Any leftover salt pork can be frozen for future use
3. Any leftover leaves can be dried for future use
4. Serve piping hot with hot sauce (I prefer XO sauce) and soy sauce.  The kids only use sweet soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce on theirs. 

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Upon Her Turning 12: Mini Crême Brûlée Birthday Cheesecakes (gluten free)

Birthday Cheesecake.

Say what? 

You want me to make Mini Cheesecakes for your birthday?

okay. sure.

16 oz of Cream Cheese--softening; awaiting transformation into my daughter's celebratory Birthday Cheesecakes.

Today we celebrate my 1st born's 12th birthday.  For this auspicious occasion, I thought back to the many birthday cakes I baked for my two children and decided to ask her what she would like me to make. Remember the epic Ariel's Underwater Castle Cake I made for Bebe's 5th bday? While walking through the cake-decorating section of Michael's, I had asked her what she wanted me to bake her for her 5th birthday party. She stopped in her tracks and pointed to a huge box at her eye level.  It was the Wilton Castle Cake kit. I had a 40% off coupon and just thought, heck...why not? It wouldn't be that hard.  It's just a cake.

Ariel's Underwater Castle Cake: Bebe's 5th bday cake...just in case you weren't around this blog back then

Okay, I admit that for my second child, I was not so ambitious...and I had hidden the Castle Cake Kit Box by that time--far in the dark recesses of a cupboard inaccessible to preschoolers lest she decide that she wanted one too, like her big sister.

ahh. those days are over when I could dedicate a couple weeks to planning her birthday and bake her cake.

"I dunno...it doesn't matter" she says in response to my query the other day about what she'd like me to bake.

My trusty KitchenAid making short work of beating the cream cheese until smooth

My eldest child is not a sweet-tooth (like her daddy.)  She is a savoury-girl.  In the past 12 years she is gradually showing her personality and preferences.  Do you remember a time when you chose her clothes; the foods she would eat in a restaurant and decided what she would play with by filtering things for her?

After adding the eggs one by one and beating until smooth, we're ready to go

Well.  Bebe's not into cake.
Truly not.
I know!
Such a shame!
I was slightly disappointed but my 2nd child has a sweet-tooth so no fear, she'll inherit my bakeware.

Meanwhile, the Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crusts have come out of the oven and are cooling on my counter.  We made the mini crusts by pulverizing store-bought GF Graham Crackers and combining with melted butter. Then we pressed into my mini cheesecake molds.

Thus, when I pressed her for an answer again, "well, what should I bake for your birthday?"

She replied with a smile and eyes-popped-wide-open, "mini cheesecakes!"

Any excuse to use my trusty "batter pen!"  I filled the batter pen with cheesecake batter and then squirted the batter evenly between the cheesecake molds. I didn't spill a drop of batter on the pan's sides as I usually do when I try using a spoon, ice-cream scoop or spouted measuring cup. 

So here it is, with a brûlée crust.  When brûléed just before serving, you get a crunchy candy crust. If you refrigerate the brûléed cheesecakes overnight, then you get a lovely caramel sauce (just like crême caramel) the next day.  So this would make for a great make-ahead dessert for any occasion if you love crême caramel cheesecake.

After refrigeration, the crunchy brûlee crust turns into a lovely drippy, sticky caramel sauce. 

I embraced her differences and respected her wishes and gave her what she really wanted.  I didn't try to guide her towards another choice I thought she would appreciate better (as I am apt to do.)  I just sucked it up and let it go.  A birthday cheesecake.  Well, actually a whole bunch of mini birthday cheesecakes.  There would be no cutting of the cake. That's okay.  And it was vanilla. She doesn't really like chocolate.

I know!
You think that was easy to accept for me? I mean my mom and I (and the 8 yr old too) love chocolate.  What happened here with this one?  Let's say I went back and forth several times these last few years to make sure she was sure she didn't really like chocolate.   Lots of Godiva chocolates were ingested to ensure this fact. We consistently entered chocolate stores whenever we were in malls--just to "browse"--and because sometimes they give out free samples.

I started this blog while I was on maternity leave with my first born.  My intention was to create an archive of recipes for my child.  Today she's 12.  wow.  Don't worry. That's my espresso. 

I always mis-time capturing the candle blow-out! Here's Bebe's chin after blowing out her bday candle. 

Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes (gluten free) with caramel topping 

The brûlee dissolves into a caramel sauce that drips down the sides of the mini cheesecakes.  Serve with fresh local ripe berries like we did.  

MINI CRÊME BRÛLÉE OR CRÊME CARAMEL CHEESECAKES (gf) 

adapted from Williams Sonoma recipe on the back of the bakeware box

For the Crusts:

• 1 cup (114 g) Gluten Free Graham Crackers, crushed or pulverized in a food processor
• 2 T sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 16 oz (500 g) cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (125g) sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped into the cream
• pinch of salt

For decoration:

• I used fresh seasonal strawberries or berries
• organic evaporated cane sugar, for sprinkling on the cheesecakes; to brûlée

1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat the cups of the 12-cup cheesecake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. To make the crusts, in a small bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs, sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the cups and using your fingertips, press it evenly into the bottom. Bake until the crusts are set, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Reduce the heat to 300°F.
3. To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese on low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and salt and beat until incorporated, about 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Pour the batter into the crusts, dividing it evenly among the cups. [NB. I used my "batter pen" by filling it with the cheesecake batter and squirting the batter evenly between the mini molds.] Bake until the cheesecakes are set, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. Using a small teaspoon, sprinkle organic cane sugar evenly over each cheesecake (while still in the cheesecake pan).  Using a brûlée torch, caramelize the sugar until golden brown.   
6. To unmold, gently push up from the hole in the bottom of the mini cheesecake pan to remove the cheesecake from the cup. Use a small spatula or butter knife to remove the cake crust from the metal bottom. If the cheesecakes are sticking to the pan, gently run a toothpick around each cheesecake to loosen it before pushing it out of the cup. 
7. If you would like a caramel sauce instead of the brûlée, simply place the unmolded brûléed cheesecakes into a container with a lid and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning, you will notice that the brûlée crust has melted into a lovely oozy sticky caramel sauce.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh ripe local berries.
8. Makes 12 mini cheesecakes.

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