TWD: Tall and Creamy Cheesecake

December 30th, 2008 by Erin

Anne of Anne Strawberry picked this week’s TWD recipe, a classic cheesecake recipe.  I’m excited to see all of the variations that people come up with for this one!  This will be my last official Tuesdays with Dorie post, however, because I’m back on the “healthy eating” bandwagon, and as much as I love Dorie and all of her recipes, I don’t think they quite jive with wanting to take off some pounds.

I made my cheesecake following a few of the variations listed mixed together.  I started with a chocolate cookie crust.  The filling was made as directed, and then I added orange juice, zest, and orange extract.  I took out about a third of the filling, and mixed it with some melted semi-sweet chocolate.  Then, my friend John who runs BlogCanoe, and who also happens to be a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, performed some marvelous marbeling action for me.  So, we had a chocolate orange cheesecake.  Everyone doubted me, but I reminded them of what I call the “thwacky oranges” - the kind you smash and are made of orange flavored chocolate.  This was a great cheesecake - amazingly textured.  I used all whipping cream, when the recipe says to choose between that and a combination of sour cream and whipping cream, or all sour cream.  I’m not a fan of the tang that sour cream gives to cheesecake, and didn’t think it would go well with the orange flavor.


Posted in sweets, twd || 9 Comments

TWD: Grandma’s All Occasion Sugar Cookies

December 9th, 2008 by Erin

Another TWD post!  This week’s recipe was selected by noskos at Living the Life.  Check out her blog for the recipe :)

I made these sugar cookies for a bake sale fundraiser that my school’s Relay for Life team was having.  Although I can’t say these are my favorite sugar cookies, they were very easy to make, and the texture was good.  I may have cut mine too thick (as I went the slice and bake route) so bear that in mind if you choose to make them.  I added orange zest to mine (and beat it with the sugar, as suggested, to let the orange flavor really permiate the cookies.)

And then I frosted with a simple mixture of confectioner’s sugar, orange juice, butter, and a few drops of food coloring.

Here they are, all wrapped up for the bake sale.  Cute!

My next TWD tackle will be Butterscotch Pudding.  Mmm…  I just made fudge today though, so that will have to wait until the fudge is gone.  For Christmas, a TWD Orange Chocolate Cheesecake!


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TWD: Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

November 27th, 2008 by Erin

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorrie recipe was selected by Vibi of La Casserole Carree.  At first, I wasn’t going to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but my mother informed me that if I didn’t, I’d have some very unhappy men in the house when it came time for dessert.  This was an interesting twist - incorporating a pumpkin pie base and a pecan pie top.

I used an all butter pie crust from Smitten Kitchen that was just amazing - perfectly flaky and buttery and delicate and all things that pie crust should be.  I plan on whipping up another batch to make turkey pot pie later this week.

I knew that even without the pie filling, this pie crust was great, because I had to make two of them.  We ate the first one with great happiness as a little buttery snack.

The ill-fated first pie crust… (whose picture I included because I like the photo.  Check out my fancy rolling pin!)

My first pie shrank soooo much when I prebaked it because I thought I could get away without pie weights.  Silly me.  Then, I made my first fluted pie crust!

Which, alas, sort of melted when I filled the crust and baked it for another 40 minutes, removing all of my precious fluting ability.  But there is photgraphic proof!  I did it!  For real!

Anyway, the pie came out fantastically and was a cinch to make, even though I had to make two pie crusts.  Next time I make it, I might bake the pumpkin layer for a few minutes so the top sets to prevent the two from mixing- I didn’t think it had the novelty factor of a “double layer pie” which would have been interesting.


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TWD: Arborio Rice Pudding

November 18th, 2008 by Erin

This is my first post with the Tuesday’s with Dorie group.  Whoo hoo!  This week’s choice was Arborio rice pudding, either vanilla or chocolate.  Seeing as how no one in the house is a huge fan of rice pudding to begin with, I thought I’d try the chocolate variation and see if I couldn’t get it to go down a little easier.

Rice pudding is not very photogenic.

You can find the recipe at Isabelle’s site, Les gourmandises d’Isa.  (We’re on rotation39 and I’m not up until 309, so let’s see here… I won’t be picking the recipe for about 5 years.  Ha!)  Next week’s creation I’m a little more excited about:  Thanksgiving Twofer pie, which is essentially pumpkin pie topped with pecan pie.  Much better, I’d expect.

My first attempt was not very successful.  Despite following directions, I ended up with this after it had chilled for 6 hours:

It was chocolate milk with glumpy rice in it.  Not my thing.

Even kitty disapproves.

So I did it again.  (Such perserverence for someone who doesn’t like rice pudding and will never make it again…) this time I only parboiled the rice for 5 minutes, and I let it cook in the milk for an hour.  I also split it because the sound of chocolate was a little unappealing at the time, so I made half vanilla and half chocolate.  I served up my vanilla with a swirl of raspberry preserves.  Delicious, even for this rice pudding non-lover.


Posted in rice, sweets, twd || No Comments