Caramel Cheesecake

Salty Caramel over a baked cheesecake - perfection

Ingredients

1 cup crushed digestive biscuits
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
4 Tbsp salted butter, melted
400 gms cream cheese, softened - Britannia has a new cheese
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream

Salted Caramel Sauce - click for recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 

In a mixing bowl, mix together crushed graham crackers with granulated sugar. 

Pour in melted butter and stir mixture until evenly coated. 

Put the mixture in a cheesecake tin.  Press mixture into an even layer. 

Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together castor sugar with flour until well blended. 

Add softened cream cheese to a separate mixing bowl and mix sugar mixture over top. 

Blend mixture on low speed until smooth. 

Mix in eggs one at a time and blend on low speed, while scrapping sides and bottom of bowl and mixing just until combined after each addition. 

Add vanilla, sour cream and heavy cream and mix just until combined. 

Put mixture on top of baked crust. 

Bake in preheated oven 20 - 23 minutes, centers should still jiggle slightly, don't overbake (if they begin to crack they are starting to become overbaked). 

Remove from oven and allow to cool 1 hour. 

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator and chill 2 hours. 

Once chilled top with Salted Caramel Sauce

Caramel Apple Pie

Apple Pies are an all time favourite and can be had the year round.  This variation has a generous amount of caramel sauce added in to give that ooomph.

I used an all butter pie dough instead of the regular pastry as this is crisper and holds up well.  It has a really rich buttery flavour.  The recipe is supposed to make enough dough for 1 double crusted pie [however I felt it fell short slightly].  I made the dough using a food processor - for two reasons - firstly its faster and cleaner and secondly the butter does'nt get a chance to melt, which makes for a good crust.  The flour, baking powder and salt are quickly pulsed in the processor to incorporate all, then the butter cut in 1" chunks is added in.  This just needs to be pulsed so that the flour gets a biscuit like texture.  Not too fine but chunky.  Then a little ice water is added to bring it all together.  The crust does not require kneeding by hand - just dump the entire thing on a sheet of cling film and bring it together.  Cover with another sheet and leave it to rest.

The hero of this pie is the caramel.

The apples are peeled, cored and mixed in with a buttery caramel sauce.  I make this sauce in a larger lot - it can easily be doubled - as it stores well.  This can then be added in brownie mixture to make a caramel layered brownie, or to top of ice cream.  

The apples I used were the regular Washington Apples as I was to lazy to go and look for Granny Apples.  To counter the sweetness I added in the juice of 1 lemon.  If using the tarty Granny Apples then the lemon juice can be skipped.

This time around I made an 10 inch pie but to keep up to my love for all things small, I have done this in a small version in a 6 muffin dish.  It is more tedius making the baby variants but they look so cute that I need to indulge that mood sometimes.

Serve with lots of Vanilla Ice cream or with some fresh cream

Recipe

For the Pie crust All-Butter Pie Dough

• 140 gms flour
• 1 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 115 gms very cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces - I use Amul so skip the salt.
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor add and pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt till combined.
2. Throw in the butter, and pulse briefly, until the butter is the size of large peas.
3. Add 3 tablespoons of the water and pulse to combine. 
4. The dough should just hold together. 
5. Put the mix on a sheet of cling film and bring together - DO NOT Kneed.  Cover with another sheet and keep in the fridge to rest for 15 mins at least
6. After 15 min of resting the dough, divide into 2 parts.  Roll out the two parts, separately, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or cling film.  It makes it easier to fit into the pie dish.
7. Layer the pie dish with one sheet of dough and put back in the fridge to keep cool, while preparing the filling.

Caramel

• 60 gms sugar
• 20 ml water
• 30 gms butter
• 35 gms cream

To make the caramel sauce

1. Dissolve the water and sugar in a heavy bottom pan over low heat.
2. Add butter and stir to combine till butter has melted.
3. Bring the mix to a boil and cook till a golden caramel colour is achieved.
4. Remove from heat and add in cream.  Mix will foam over.  Using a whisk combine well
5. Return to low heat and cook for 10-15 min till creamy consistancy reached.

For the Apple Filling

• 3 Washington apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1.2-inch slices
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• Juice of 1 full lemon
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar, for sprinkling

Mix all above and keep.  Add in warm [not hot] caramel and mix well

ASSEMBLING

1. Fill the lined pie tin with the apple caramel mix.
2. Using the second dough cover the top or make a lattice design.
3. Brush with Egg wash and bake at 180C for 30 min
4. Put under the grill for 5 mins to get the desired colour.

Let it rest for 10 mins before cutting and serving.

Banoffee Pie

This one was made quite some time back and I never got around to posting the recipe or pic. This is a simplified version of the original Banoffee Pie.

The term Banoffee is derived from a combination of Banana and Toffee and is an old English Dessert. The base is normally a shortbread pastry crust. a filling of Dulce de Leche which is a caramalised condensed milk, covered with Sliced Banana and then topped with whipped cream. The Dulce de Leche can be made at home by cooking a can of condensed milk this thick and golden

My version is quicker and easier. Also I like to make small portions as everyone at my home wants a new dessert daily hence this was made in individual pie dishes.

I like to use caramel sauce instead of the Dulce de Leche as its faster to make.  Also I can them make a big batch and keep away to use with brownies, apple pies etc.

The recipe below serves 8 - 10 people so can be scaled down.  

Ingredients

250g digestive biscuits, crushed100g butter, melted
1 cup Dulce de Leche or 1 cup caramel sauce
4 small bananas
300 ml whipping cream, whipped


Method

Crush the biscuits in a ziplock bag and tip them into a bowl. Add the melted butter and mix well till it clumps. Line an 8" pie dish with the crumbs going up the sides also. Keep in the freezer to set

To make the Dulce De Leche

Empty the condensed milk into an oven-proof dish and tightly cover it with foil.

Make a water bath by placing the covered dish in a larger pan and filling it up with water to the 3/4 level. Bake at 220 C for 1-1.5 hours checking every 30 minutes on the water level and adding more as needed.

Dulce de leche is ready when the condensed milk it takes on a brown caramel-like appearance. Remove from the oven and whisk to smoothness. Let cool before storing.

To make the Caramel Sauce

60 gms sugar
20 ml water
30 gms water
35 gms cream

Place water and sugar in a heavy bottom pan and stir with a spatula over low heat till sugar dissolves

Add butter and stir to combine till butter has melted.

Let mix come to a boil and cook till a golden caramel colour

Remove from heat and add in cream. Mix will foam over. Using a whisk combine well

Return to low heat and cook for 10-15 min till creamy consistancy reached.

Assembling

• Spread the top of the frozen biscuit base with caramel or Dulce de Leche. 
• Then layer with sliced bananas
• Spoon the whipped cream on top covering the bananas.
• Decorate with grated chocolate or a slice of banana just before serving.

Creme Caramel

I know, I know everyone does Caramel Custard.  As a kid I hated it - my mom cooks absolutely beautifully but cannot make this.  Everyone I know would make this in the cooker  ?????? and it would taste eggy.  

I had the most amazing creme caramel on a trip to the UK and decided I had to overcome my fear of making this.  I absolutely hate using the cooker for any dessert.  My recipe is a baked one and uses half milk half cream.  In fact higher the proportion of cream to the milk the tastier it is.

Start of by making a nice caramel.  All this needs is sugar and a little bit of water.  You need to remember only to stir the sugar till it melts.  Once its melted please do not put a spoon into it.  Else it will crystalise.  Also you need to be careful not to let the sugar burn.  The time from a good caramel to a burnt caramel is probably just seconds.

Next you will need to make a custard - lots of eggs required.  This again requires care as to not let the eggs curdle so the temp of the milk / cream needs to be below boiling.  

Then all is simple.  Pour into the mould and stick it into the oven.  Recipe given below.

Recipe to follow

Serves - 08 people

Time - 15 min prep              45 min baking time                4-5 hours chilling time.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp sugar + 30 ml water
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 300 ml milk
• 300 ml cream
• a few drops of vanilla essence 

METHOD

• Start be preparing the dish for baking.  You will need a mould with a larger pan as this is going to be baked in a bain marie - well actually steamed.
• Fill the larger dish with water upto halfway mark.
• Preheat oven to 150C

• Make the caramel by melting 4 tbsp sugar alongwith 30 ml water.  Stir till sugar melts.  Once melted do not touch the pan with a spoon but swirl gently.
• Once it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and let is bubble till a golden colour is achieved.  
• Remove from heat immediately and pour into the mould that is being used.  Swirl the mould to cover the base and sides.  
• Place the mould in the larger pan.

• Beat the eggs and sugar till thick and creamy
• Mix the milk and cream till almost boiling.  DO NOT BOIL
• Pour into the egg mix, beating constantly.
• Add in the vanilla
• Strain the custard, if you see any lumps, directly onto the caramel.
• Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 40-45 min.  If the water reduces, top it up.

• Once done, cover with a cling film and bring to room temp
• Chill in the fridge for 4-5 hours and unmould before serving.

PARIS BREST

During a trip to Bangalore we went for dinner to a place called Sunny's.  It was a trip after to Bangalore after some 15 years and how has the city changed.  

Everything we ate was excellent.  The highlight of the evening was the Paris Brest.  It was just wonderful and I had to make this once we came back.  

The Paris Brest is a celebration cake made for a 1200 kilometer bicycle race that goes from Paris to Brest and back to Paris.  It is a choux pastry filled with a praline caramel creme and topped with nuts made in the shape of a wheel to honour the race.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY1/2 cup oil or butter
1 cup boiling water
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs

FOR GLAZE

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup Flaked Almonds

FOR THE CARAMEL

50 g sugar

3 tbsp. water 
50 g salted butter

2 cups Whipped Cream

METHOD

1. In a saucepan melt butter / oil in boiling water.  
2. Add flour and salt all at once,  Stir vigorously till the mix forms a ball that does'nt separate
3. Remove from heat.  Cool slightly. 
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, till smooth.
5. Draw an 8 inch circle on a piece of parchment. 
6. Transfer the dough to a large piping bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe a 1 inch (2.54 cm) thick ring of dough just inside the circle that is drawn on the parchment paper. 
7. Pipe another 1 inch (2.54 cm) thick ring inside the first ring, making sure the rings of dough are touching. 
8. Pipe a final ring of dough on top, along the center seam between the first two rings of dough.
9. With moistened fingertips, gently smooth the rings of dough. 
10. With a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze on the top and sides of the dough. 
11. Sprinkle with the shaved almonds. 
12. Bake for 20 minutes at 400F [200 C].
13. Reduce to 170 C and bake another 10 min.

Meanwhile prepare the caramel with salted butter cream

1. Melt the sugar with water in a heavy bottom saucepan till it changes colour.  Do not stir once the sugar has melted.  
2. Remove from heat and add in salted butter and whisk well to mix. 

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Split the pastry shell in half horizontally and remove any wet pieces of dough. 
2. Keep a couple of tablespoons of caramel aside and spread the balance over the shell
3. Spoon (or pipe) the whipped cream into the hollow center of the shell. 
4. Place the top half of the pastry shell on the whipped cream and dust with powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar.
5. Drizzle the balance caramel on top of the shell