My First Cheesecake

I moved in and began taking classes at The Culinary Institute of America on May 6th. The CIA is awesome, absolutely awesome! I have learned so much already, and its only been three weeks! I'm taking five classes: Culinary Math, Food Safety, First Year Seminar, Baking Ingredients and Equipment Technology, and Baking and Pastry Techniques. So far, I'm doing well in all of my classes. Chef Rudolf Spiess is my Baking and Pastry Techniques instructor. In his class, my classmates and I have made chocolate chip cookies, blueberry muffins, and pound cake.

On Thursday, I made my first cheesecake. It was easy to make, it didn't take very long to make, and it tasted great! The small depression on top of the cheesecake was a result of air getting trapped in the batter. This is something I'll have to remedy when making my second cheesecake. Also, I will be doubling the graham cracker crust recipe on my next attempt.

To make one 8" cheesecake, you will need the following ingredients:          

(Weighing ingredients is more precise than measuring by volume.)

Cream Cheese - 1.25 #

Granulated Sugar - 6 oz.

Eggs - 3

Egg Yolk - 1

Heavy Cream - 2.5 oz.

Cornstarch - .75 oz.

Graham Cracker Crumbs - 2 oz.

Butter, melted - 1 oz.

Preheat Oven To 200 Degrees Fahrenheit 

Step 1

Cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Use the paddle attachment on a planetary mixer for best results. Set the mixer on low speed, stop the mixer after about two minutes, and make sure you scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Repeat this process until there are no lumps.

Step 2

Add the cornstarch to the heavy cream so it can completely dissolve. 

Step 3

Add the eggs in increments (3-4). After each addition, mix on low speed until the eggs are incorporated into the batter. Again, make sure to stop and scrape the paddle and sides of the bowl before adding the next increment.

Step 4

Add cornstarch/heavy cream mixture to the batter. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl, and mix on low speed until there are no lumps.

Step 5

Melt the butter. Crush the graham crackers. Combine these ingredients.

Step 6

Spray the bottom and sides of an 8" baking tin with cooking oil spray. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the baking tin.

Step 7

Pour the graham cracker mixture into the baking tin. Use a fork to evenly distribute and pack down the mixture.

Step 8

Pour the batter into the baking tin. Try not to get any air bubbles trapped inside.

Step 9

Bake the cheese cake until you can shake the baking tin and the entire cheese cake moves as one. I left my cheese cake in a convection oven for about an hour, but baking times may vary. You don't have to worry about over carmelization (burning) the cheese cake because we're not taking it above 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 10

Once your cheese cake is done baking, let it cool completely. After it is cool, place it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Step 11

Place a  piece of parchment paper on top of the cheese cake. Place a piece of cardboard on top of that. Turn the baking tin over. Use a propane torch and heat up the bottom and edges of the baking tin. This will melt the fat from the cooking oil spray, which will make your cheese cake come out with ease. Before you remove the baking tin, hold it vertically and tap it on a sturdy table, rotating it a quarter turn after each tap. Remove the baking tin, and turn the cheese cake right-side-up.

Variation

If you feel like flavoring your cheese cake, this is what you'll need to do:

Instead of adding 1.25 # (20 oz.) of cream cheese, add only 1# (16 oz.). After Step 4 is complete, add 4 oz. of your favorite flavoring and mix thoroughly. Yes, it's that simple! 

Enjoy!

This post is dedicated to the women and men who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

photo credit: Beverly & Pack via photopin cc

Why We Fight

In late February, I came across the following page on the JSU website:

I decided that I wanted to compete, so I wrote the following message and sent it in: 

Hi Lynne,

My name is Paul Lindsay. I'm interested in competing in JSU's Battle of the Chefs! 

I can win the competition! And I will win by preparing some of my most palatable recipes. I can cook for a single judge, a group of judges, or for many judges. I can compete with a signature dish, or I can prepare a few of my favorite recipes. I juice fresh fruits and vegetables. I make breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I make desserts. I have had experience in cooking for people that are able only to drink their meals through a straw. I'm able to either cook and present a dish, or cook all the dishes at the same time and present them together. 

If you would like to read about the first cooking competition that I competed in, please check out my blog: Paul Lindsay's Cooking Blog.

Please feel free to contact me with any additional information about the competition at: plindsay@jsu.edu

Thank you!

Best Regards,

Paul Lindsay

I received a message on March 5th saying that I would be one of the contestants in the Battle of the Chefs.

 

Preparation

The Battle of the Chef's was to be like the Iron Chef television show, and since I had never watched an Iron Chef episode, I felt it was prudent to do some research. I watched some YouTube videos of the show, and I read about who had won in the past and what worked for them. I found a great video of Michael Symon speaking to the students at The CIA about his Iron Chef experience. In the video, Symon says, "I kept saying - big flavors; great seasoning; and be smart." After I watched the video, that's exactly what I planned on doing at the Battle of the Chef's competition.

I asked my friend, Donna, to assist me in the competition, but she had to work on the day of the event. So, I asked her husband, Jeremy, to be my assistant in the competition. He accepted. 

To Battle

On the day of the Battle of the Chefs, Jeremy and I arrived early and started planning our menu. I decided that we should cook something simple, and also something that I was familiar with. Grilled shrimp and fried pineapple shish kebabs with a side of guacamole sauce would be my appetizer. My entrée included grilled lemon pepper chicken with sides of cauliflower, peppers, and toasted Italian bread. 

Click here for the results. 

In Retrospect

I learned a lot from competing. The biggest thing was not to serve something until I have tasted it. This is something that I had prepared for, but just failed to do during the event. I'm a fan of Gordon Ramsay and his television show Hell's Kitchen. He is constantly telling (and sometimes yelling at) the contestants to "taste everything before you serve it!"  I don't like eating in front of people, especially when they are all watching me cook. Knowing this, I devised a plan that would ease me into sampling the food before I would present the dishes to the judges - I filled a ceramic mug (one that I made this semester) with plastic sampling spoons. I put it at the front of my table, but I didn't use it at all. I cooked all the food, plated it, and served it - no taste testing. 

If I would have tasted the shrimp, I would have realized immediately that I had forgotten to put the Cajun seasoning on. After the awards were given out, executive chef Brian Cosby approached me and said, "everything was cooked perfectly, but I heard some of the judges hit you for unseasoned shrimp." I knew to put Cajun seasoning on the shrimp, I had the plastic cup filled with the necessary amount. I forgot to put it on, and then I forgot to taste it before I presented it to the judges. 

To Victory

I had a great time competing! When I return to Jacksonville in 4 years to make more ceramics, I look forward to trying out for the next Battle of the Chef's!