Holiday baking
Dec. 24th, 2011 05:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eve11I bought some mini phyllo dough shells and experimented with some holiday recipes. I made mini orange-guava cheesecakes and also mini chocolate-cream cheese puffs with candied almonds.
Recipes below!
Mini Orange-Guava Cheesecakes
-----------------------------
15 mini phyllo dough shells
1 egg
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice
orange zest from approx. 3/4 to 1 orange (to taste)
3 tbsp sugar (these came out quite tart so you could add a bit more sugar if you want them sweeter)
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
15 small (1/2 in. by 1/2 in. square) slices of guava paste, basically to fit in the bottom of the shells. Reserve some extra small strips for garnish.
Guava paste is something I found at the super market out in a display with cheese. It's a Cuban/Caribbean thing, thick pressed guava with sugar and pectin. They had samples out so I tried it. It was really good with cheese so I figured it would be really good in a little cheesecake.
Preheat oven to 325. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour. Blend in eggs, vanilla, orange/lemon juice, and approx 1/2 teaspoon or so of orange zest (reserve some for garnishing the cheesecakes). Place one square of guava paste at the bottom of each phyllo cup, and spoon the cheesecake mixture to fill up each cup. NOTE: I did have some leftover; you could probably do another 8-10 shells with this, or use it to make quick cheesecake bars (which is what I did with graham crackers and some raspberry cookie filling). Bake phyllo cups on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Let cool, garnish with reserved orange zest, guava paste strips, and maybe some powdered sugar.
Finished!:
Candied Almonds
----------------
2 cups whole raw almonds
1 egg white
1 tsp cold water
approx 3 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
approx 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
preheat oven to 250. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (use some melted butter to stick it to the cookie sheet if it won't stay put). Lightly beat egg white, in a bowl, add the water, and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the almonds and stir to coat. Add the rest of the sugar and spices, toss to coat. Add the melted butter (cooled) and stir everything together. Spread out evenly on the cookie tray and bake for an hour. Remove from heat and let cool.
Mini Chocolate Cream Cheese Puffs with Candied Almonds
------------------------------------------------------
This was a bit of an experiment that didn't go so well in the first try. In the first try, I tried to fill the phyllo cups with a mix of melted white chocolate and whipped store-bought frosting. That didn't work so well. So, I rescued it, to some extent. BUT, some of the proportions here are going to be approximate ;) These ones don't need to be baked, unless you want to bake the phyllo shells beforehand to make them crispier, but the shells come pre-baked so I think it's all right either way.
15 mini phyllo dough shells
4 oz cream cheese
~2 oz white chocolate chips
~1 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (you could also use swirl chips)
approx 4 oz (?) Dark chocolate chips
1 to 2 tbsp (?) white whipped topping frosting
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 pat butter
45 candied almonds
1 pinch cinnamon
All of the above can be changed to taste; this is pretty versatile. Using a double boiler and a metal bowl, melt butter in the bottom of the bowl. Add the dark chocolate chips and stir until melted, smooth and glazed. (note if it siezes, add a tiny bit of water to unseize it). Dip the bottoms of each phyllo dough cup in the melted dark chocolate and set them upside down and let them set for 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge until the chocolate cools and hardens again.
Then turn cups back right side up (you can put them right back into the little case they came in). Clean out the double boiler and use it now to melt the white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate (You can probably also use any leftover dark chocolate too if you want). Soften cream cheese. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and melted chocolate together with a whisk, along with whipped frosting, until it is a smooth consistency. (honestly, this might just take some experimentation but anything with a smooth creamy consistency, that tastes good, should work). Fill a piping bag or similar with the mixture and set it aside in the fridge so it's cool (not runny) but not un-pipe-able. Put 2 candied almonds in the bottom of each cup. Pipe cream cheese mixture into each cup to cover. Top with one more candied almond and a dash of cinnamon. Let cool and then serve.
Note, I used a cake decorating tip and a big ziplock bag for piping. You can probably spoon the stuff into the cups, but piping I think is easier.
Finished!:
Recipes below!
Mini Orange-Guava Cheesecakes
-----------------------------
15 mini phyllo dough shells
1 egg
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice
orange zest from approx. 3/4 to 1 orange (to taste)
3 tbsp sugar (these came out quite tart so you could add a bit more sugar if you want them sweeter)
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
15 small (1/2 in. by 1/2 in. square) slices of guava paste, basically to fit in the bottom of the shells. Reserve some extra small strips for garnish.
Guava paste is something I found at the super market out in a display with cheese. It's a Cuban/Caribbean thing, thick pressed guava with sugar and pectin. They had samples out so I tried it. It was really good with cheese so I figured it would be really good in a little cheesecake.
Preheat oven to 325. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour. Blend in eggs, vanilla, orange/lemon juice, and approx 1/2 teaspoon or so of orange zest (reserve some for garnishing the cheesecakes). Place one square of guava paste at the bottom of each phyllo cup, and spoon the cheesecake mixture to fill up each cup. NOTE: I did have some leftover; you could probably do another 8-10 shells with this, or use it to make quick cheesecake bars (which is what I did with graham crackers and some raspberry cookie filling). Bake phyllo cups on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Let cool, garnish with reserved orange zest, guava paste strips, and maybe some powdered sugar.
Finished!:
Candied Almonds
----------------
2 cups whole raw almonds
1 egg white
1 tsp cold water
approx 3 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
approx 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
preheat oven to 250. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (use some melted butter to stick it to the cookie sheet if it won't stay put). Lightly beat egg white, in a bowl, add the water, and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the almonds and stir to coat. Add the rest of the sugar and spices, toss to coat. Add the melted butter (cooled) and stir everything together. Spread out evenly on the cookie tray and bake for an hour. Remove from heat and let cool.
Mini Chocolate Cream Cheese Puffs with Candied Almonds
------------------------------------------------------
This was a bit of an experiment that didn't go so well in the first try. In the first try, I tried to fill the phyllo cups with a mix of melted white chocolate and whipped store-bought frosting. That didn't work so well. So, I rescued it, to some extent. BUT, some of the proportions here are going to be approximate ;) These ones don't need to be baked, unless you want to bake the phyllo shells beforehand to make them crispier, but the shells come pre-baked so I think it's all right either way.
15 mini phyllo dough shells
4 oz cream cheese
~2 oz white chocolate chips
~1 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (you could also use swirl chips)
approx 4 oz (?) Dark chocolate chips
1 to 2 tbsp (?) white whipped topping frosting
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 pat butter
45 candied almonds
1 pinch cinnamon
All of the above can be changed to taste; this is pretty versatile. Using a double boiler and a metal bowl, melt butter in the bottom of the bowl. Add the dark chocolate chips and stir until melted, smooth and glazed. (note if it siezes, add a tiny bit of water to unseize it). Dip the bottoms of each phyllo dough cup in the melted dark chocolate and set them upside down and let them set for 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge until the chocolate cools and hardens again.
Then turn cups back right side up (you can put them right back into the little case they came in). Clean out the double boiler and use it now to melt the white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate (You can probably also use any leftover dark chocolate too if you want). Soften cream cheese. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and melted chocolate together with a whisk, along with whipped frosting, until it is a smooth consistency. (honestly, this might just take some experimentation but anything with a smooth creamy consistency, that tastes good, should work). Fill a piping bag or similar with the mixture and set it aside in the fridge so it's cool (not runny) but not un-pipe-able. Put 2 candied almonds in the bottom of each cup. Pipe cream cheese mixture into each cup to cover. Top with one more candied almond and a dash of cinnamon. Let cool and then serve.
Note, I used a cake decorating tip and a big ziplock bag for piping. You can probably spoon the stuff into the cups, but piping I think is easier.
Finished!:
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Date: 2011-12-25 01:17 pm (UTC)Merry Christmas!
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Date: 2011-12-25 07:07 pm (UTC)Merry Christmas to you, and yours... ;)
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Date: 2011-12-26 04:28 pm (UTC)Merry Christmas!
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Date: 2011-12-28 01:48 am (UTC)