Happy Thanksgiving!

11/25/10

It's Thanksgiving everyone! I hope everybody has a GREAT day of thanks and, of course, food!
Here are some of the things I made today!

Chocolate Meringue Cookies
Adapted from food network mag. Giada De Laurent's

3 Egg whites in room temp.
pinch of salt
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 t. cocoa powder
1/4 t. vanilla extract

1. With a hand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and salt until frothy.
2. Add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Then add cocoa cream of tarter and vanilla. Whisk until
stiff peaks form. (3~5 min?)
3. On a parchment lined baking sheet place dollops of the meringue batter (about 1/2 to 1/4c.) and bake for 30 min. After this, rotate and bake for another 30 min. Then turn off the oven and leave it for 2 hours!
*Just because it's easy, it doesn't mean it's fast!!!*
Enjoy!!!!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake
recipe adapted by the SoNo Bakery Co. Cookbook

Materials needed:
-Roasting pan
-9x2 in. cake pan
-Hand or stand mixer

Gram Crust:
1 1/2 c. gram cracker crumbs
6 T. canola oil or melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon

1. Combine everything and press down into buttered cake pan (9x2 in.) Set aside

Filling:
1 c. light brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ginger
1 T. flour
16 oz. cream cheese at room temp.
15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
1T. soy milk
4 T. flax seeds with 6 T. water, whisk together to make paste

1. Combine all the ingredients form the sugar to the flour. Set aside
2. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy about 3~4 min. Gradually add the dry mixture. Then add the pumpkin and the soy milk. Mix well. Lastly add the flax seed paste and mix that well.
3. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and set water to boil for a water bath
4. Pour the filling into the prepared cake pan.
+This is the most dangerous and important step! FOLLOW WHAT IT SAYS OR IT WILL BECOME A PEACE OF SHITAKI!!+
5.Put the roasting pan in the middle of the oven, place the cheese cake into the pan, and pour the hot water inside, filling about 1/2 way up the cake. When you are taking out the cake, do the opposite thing of what you did to put the cake in the oven! Take out the cake FIRST. Take out the hot pan LAST
6. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. When you take it out, it will jiggle a little bit in the center, but ignore it! IT IS DONE!
7. Take out and leave it on the counter until it is in room temp. After it has cooled, chill it for at least 6 hours or over night. 

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!