Mixed Berry Cheesecake Pie

It's been about a month since my last post...things have been a little haywire here. Interviews, rental car accidents, Superbowl, mice in the house, and lots of 11 hour days at work.

Needless to say, all of these events have greatly affected the amount of time I have to bake delicious goodies.

The recipe I bring you this morning comes once again from King Arthur (yes, I love their site, what can I say).  I'm going to try and post pics more often of the process as well as the final product so you can see things along the way as well!

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=R1040

The recipe is posted as "cherry cheesecake pie".  The first time I made it, I used dried cherries...but this time I opted for a mixed-berry blend which I think came out really well. Alright, lets go!

Crust

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk, (save the white for the cheesecake filling)

2 tablespoons water1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

*I used almond extract to give the crust a slightly different flavor than the cheesecake

1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Cherry Filling1 cup dried cherries, sweet or sour

*I used mixed berries instead.  Make sure you have at LEAST one cup.  An exact cup will just barely cover the bottom of the pie crust so don't be afraid to use more

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Instant ClearJel(r) or cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Cheesecake Filling

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup  sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract or 2 drops bitter almond oil (both optional)

*I didn't use either of these

2 large eggs plus the reserved egg white

1/4 cup heavy cream

Crust: 

Beat the butter, sugar and salt until fluffy, then add the egg yolk, water, and flavoring. 

Stir in the flour. 

Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of a deep 9-inch pie pan. 

*Note that you do not roll the crust.  It's hand-pressed to give it some thickness.  It will not be a thin, rolled crust

Chill for 30 minutes.

Bake the crust in a preheated 375°F oven for 16 to 18 minutes, until it's a light, golden brown, using pie weights or your favorite method to weigh it down as it bakes. Set it aside to cool.

*Make sure its COMPLETELY cool before adding in the filling.  It's a good idea to make the crust way in advance of prepping the filling.  Give yourself adequate time for it to cool so that the fruit filling sets properly

Cherry filling: Mix the dried cherries, sugar, and thickener in a small saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil, then set aside.

Cheesecake: Slowly blend the cream cheese with the sugar and salt, until no lumps remain. 

When smooth, add the cornstarch or flour, and flavoring. Stir in the eggs and the reserved egg white, then the cream.

Spread the cherry filling into the baked crust, then top with the cheesecake batter. 

Bake the pie in a preheated 325°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's barely set.

Turn the oven off and let the pie sit in the oven with the door propped open for 20 minutes, then remove it from the oven and cool to room temperature. 

Refrigerate for several hours before serving. 

*I recommend at least 4 hours.

Garnish with whipped cream and sliced toasted almonds, if desired. Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

Golden Vanilla Pound Cake

There's nothing quite like a slice of a simple, dense pound cake. No icing or frosting necessary...just a plain cake, moist and flavorful. If this sounds lovely to you, this recipe is bliss.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=79

Unlike most pound cakes, this one has a crispy top, resulting from a last-minute drizzle of a vanilla/sugar mix. The cake is not too sweet, but is a really nice, warm vanilla flavor that doesn't overpower the palette.

Cake

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

*I'm not entirely sure if a 3oz package exists...I certainly couldn't find one. 6 tbsp = 3oz
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Topping
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon water

*If you want extra crispy topping, double this recipe so that you will have more to drizzle on the cake

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" x 2 3/4" loaf pan, or a 12" x 4" x 4" tea loaf pan. To avoid overflow, be SURE to use the correct size pan!

*They are not kidding. This thing raises up quite a lot, so be sure it's deep enough
2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese, salt, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.
3) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; the mixture may look slightly curdled/grainy. After you've added the final egg, beat at high speed for 3 minutes. The batter will still look a little curdled, but will have gained a bit of volume.

*When I did this step, the mixture looked VERY curdled. It's kind of like runny cottage cheese, oh boy!
4) Sprinkle in the flour gradually, with the mixer going at low speed. Mix just until combined. The batter will be smooth and thick (not pourable). Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

*The batter is definitely not pourable. It was almost thick enough to stick in the bowl when turned upside-down :)
5) To make the topping, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water. Stir till the mixture is syrupy. At first it'll seem very stiff, but will become "drizzlable" as you stir.
6) Drizzle the topping over the batter.
7) Set the cake on a baking sheet, for easiest handling and as a precaution against potential overflow (which shouldn't happen if you use the correct size pan). Bake it for 60 to 70 minutes (for either size pan), until the cake is golden brown, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The center should register at least 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. If you prefer a lighter crust, tent the cake with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes or so of baking.
8) Remove the cake from the oven, and after 15 minutes loosen the edges, and turn it out of the pan to cool on a rack.

This was a pretty simple recipe...not too many weird things and the end result is awesome!

If you're a pound cake fan, I highly recommend trying this out. The crispy topping is a really delicious addition to a simple pound cake. It's a little difficult to tell when this is done...it will look kind of gooey on the top because of the drizzle. I have an internal temperature thermometer, which was a big help, but the edges still came out a darker brown than I would have liked, but nothing burned :)