I know that I promised my Oreo cheesecake recipe. Last year was the first time I made it. Scooter loves cheesecake, and I guess that it had been a tradition for his mom to give him a cheesecake on his birthday every year when she was alive. Last year, when I was planning his birthday party, he asked for a cheesecake. I told him to just tell me what kind he wanted and I would make it for his birthday. He chose Oreo cheesecake (the combination of his two favorite sweets), so on my computer I went to research some recipes.
My searching took me to several places, including Cooks.com where I found a couple of recipes that looked promising. I printed out three that I thought might be good, showed them to Scooter, and had him pick which one he wanted. Well Scooter, unable to choose one, asked for the crust in one recipe with the filling in another recipe. I took a stab at it (this was the first cheesecake I had ever made) and ended up with something that I have to admit tasted pretty darn good. His aunt and uncle were at his birthday party, and his uncle fell in love with that cheesecake.
Fast forward to earlier this month. When we were making plans to spend Thanksgiving with Scooter's aunt and uncle, his uncle mentioned that he would not say no to another cheesecake. To me, that's a big hint that says "please make that cheesecake again!" So into the kitchen I went to put together a cheesecake with the following recipe.
What you'll need:
20 oreos with the filling removed, crushed
1 stick of butter
2 lbs of cream cheese (left out until it reaches room temperature)
2 Tbs. flour
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 c. additional oreos (with filling), chopped small
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 extra large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 Tbs. vanilla
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and mix with the crushed oreos. Press into a 10-in springform pan. Put into the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
2. Turn up the oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, flour, eggs and egg yolks, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream. Use an electric mixer and blend on medium speed for one minute, then blend on high speed until all ingredients are well-mixed and the mixture is smooth.
3. Add the chopped oreos, then mix on medium speed for another minute. Oreos should be well-blended in.
4. Pour the filling into the pan with the partially-baked crust. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 50 minutes. I would recommend checking the cheesecake after 40 minutes. Cheesecake will be fairly firm in the center and not move much when you jiggle the pan.
5. Remove from oven and let cool. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours and serve cold.
Enjoy! This dessert has the Scooter Seal of Approval.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Copyright Online
Two posts in one day? I know that's rare for me, but I had to help spread the word about a news story brought up in my class discussion forum today. There seems to be a story that's gone viral on the web regarding copyright infringement.
The story basics: a magazine by the name of Cooks Source seems to be getting a lot of its material via copyright infringement. The magazine is literally taking articles found across the web, doing some light re-writing (or no re-writing) and reprinting the articles without giving credit to the original authors. One article, "The Cooks Source Scandal: How a Magazine Profits on Theft," lists six confirmed cases of blatant plagiarism, with possibly more that have just not been discovered or confirmed yet. One of the writers who had her piece lifted without a by-your-leave wrote about it on her livejournal page. She also posted an excerpt from the response she got from the magazine's editor, Judith Griggs. I think that it's criminal that Griggs told the writer "If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally" and "We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me!" The writer is still comtemplating going ahead with legal action; for her sake and the sake of all past and future victims of this magazine's publishing practice, I hope she decides to sue them.
This writer has gotten a lot of support from around the web from other writers and non-writers alike. Neil Gaiman, a published author (and one I really like) also tweeted about it. People seemed to be outraged, and rightly so. The publicity that this story and the topic of copyright has gotten has really made me think about what I post here. I do post recipes, some of which either me or my family have created, and some which I've found online or from other sources. From the ones that I have no claim to, I do always try to give credit to the original source, even though I end up re-writing the steps in the recipe to match the way I end up preparing the food. Copyright can be a slippery slope, and it's a hot topic both in my class and around the web right now.
So I guess I'll close with a word of caution. Give credit where credit is due.
The story basics: a magazine by the name of Cooks Source seems to be getting a lot of its material via copyright infringement. The magazine is literally taking articles found across the web, doing some light re-writing (or no re-writing) and reprinting the articles without giving credit to the original authors. One article, "The Cooks Source Scandal: How a Magazine Profits on Theft," lists six confirmed cases of blatant plagiarism, with possibly more that have just not been discovered or confirmed yet. One of the writers who had her piece lifted without a by-your-leave wrote about it on her livejournal page. She also posted an excerpt from the response she got from the magazine's editor, Judith Griggs. I think that it's criminal that Griggs told the writer "If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally" and "We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me!" The writer is still comtemplating going ahead with legal action; for her sake and the sake of all past and future victims of this magazine's publishing practice, I hope she decides to sue them.
This writer has gotten a lot of support from around the web from other writers and non-writers alike. Neil Gaiman, a published author (and one I really like) also tweeted about it. People seemed to be outraged, and rightly so. The publicity that this story and the topic of copyright has gotten has really made me think about what I post here. I do post recipes, some of which either me or my family have created, and some which I've found online or from other sources. From the ones that I have no claim to, I do always try to give credit to the original source, even though I end up re-writing the steps in the recipe to match the way I end up preparing the food. Copyright can be a slippery slope, and it's a hot topic both in my class and around the web right now.
So I guess I'll close with a word of caution. Give credit where credit is due.
Back in Action
I've been gone from my blog for awhile. It wasn't intentional by any means; I do enjoy posting about school, issues in librarianship, my family, and of course the weekly recipes. But it's hard to feel the motivation when you are sick and just want to lie in bed nice and quiet and stare at the wall, hoping that swallowing chicken broth won't be so painful next time. All last week, I was effectively put out of commission because of strep throat. I've had it before (I had it a lot when I was a child), so I know what to expect. That doesn't make it fun, just bearable.
Anyway, I'm back in action and a lot has happened in the last few days. I had the exhausting but exhilerating experience of helping my mother cook a grande dîner for some important church dignitaries. It's a very big deal for her, as she's a very devout member of the Church (and she mentioned how happy Nonni--my great-grandmother--would be to have them there as it was her house many years ago and she also loved the Church). I have chosen a different path than my parents (at least in terms of religion), but that doesn't change the fact that I know my duty to my parents and my family. She needed the help, so I offered mine.
Now, about this dinner. It was a ten-course formal French dinner (although we pushed the last three courses together because it was getting very late at that point and us poor folks in the kitchen were getting exhausted). French dining is very different from American dining, even formal American dining. A formal French dinner can easily take 4-5 hours, especially if the courses aren't rushed (something which Americans tend to do). And the French have made a sort of religion of eating--there is a ceremony to the way the courses are planned to allow a person to fully enjoy and appreciate the flavor of every course. Here's a break down of our menu:
Course 1: two kinds of paté with toast points and fig preserves, all served with a black muscat (a wonderful sweet wine)
Course 2: a potage, a type of soup that's made with vegetables in a very specific way that really brings out all the subtle flavors of the vegetables (I'll see if I can convince my mom to let me post this recipe!)
Course 3: bouché à la Reine, which was shrimp and scallop in a white wine sauce over puff paste
Course 4: lemon sorbet with a few drops of brandy over it. The sorbet is to cleanse the palette between the fish and meat courses; the brandy helps to make the flavor of the sorbet pop out even more.
Course 5: the main course (the meat course)--pork with a creamy sauce of wild mushrooms, served with beets and roasted potatoes
Course 6: a simple salad of butter lettuce tossed with oil/vinegar and salt/pepper
Course 7: a selection of 4 French-style cheeses including chevre, a bleu cheese, a Saint Andres, and a hard cheese (I forgot the name of it)
Course 8: whole pears cooked in red wine
Course 9: coffee
Course 10: cognac and port with chocolate truffles
One big difference you may notice between this and American cuisine is that the salad is served after the main course. I don't remember the reason the French do it this way, but my older brother--a true francophone and French culture expert--would know. I will ask him. Another difference is that coffee traditionally gets its own course--it's served solo without any dessert to accompany it. Also, the reason that cheese is served after the majority of the meal is to "close the stomach," as my brother puts it; the cheese helps with digestion after a big meal. A dinner like this is something that many French would only have a few times in their life; Americans probably never have a meal like this presented with the ceremony and ritual of formal French dining. It is a wonderful experience; I would recommend that you try it once.
For the cooking crew, it is a lot of work. With the guests that we had, I don't think that they realized what was coming. I don't think any of them had any idea what a formal French dinner is before now. Regardless, they very much enjoyed it, and one of the dignitaries (a bishop) called it Babette's Feast. So it was a very special night for all.
The other thing that has happened is that a wiki I helped to inspire is up and running. One of the topics that had come up in my class is homelessness and librarians' de facto role as social service providers, which led to my comment on a reading that said no list of social services resources being used in libraries yet exists. My question was "why not?" So my instructor talked to someone she knew who started work on getting a wiki up to act as a resource where people can post those services, resources, and information about social responsibility in libraries. I'll post the link after the semester since we're not advertising it quite yet; right now, there's not a lot up, but as more information is added it will continue to grow. I'm so excited that it's up; I've already made several contributions and plan to continue to do so on an ongoing basis. I really hope that it can grow into a valuable resource for all public libraries (and even academic or school libraries). The people that can benefit from these services and resources are the ones that are most often shoved under the carpet by society, and it's horribly cruel and degrading to them that it should be this way. Libraries should be the leading force behind helping these people to feel valued especially since many libraries are seen as and behave like community centers; this wiki is another step towards that goal. Please don't disregard this part of the population; they are people just like you and me. I'll step down off my soap box (for now).
I'll be posting a recipe for the cheesecake I'm making for Thanksgiving later today or tomorrow (I don't have the recipe with me right now).
Anyway, I'm back in action and a lot has happened in the last few days. I had the exhausting but exhilerating experience of helping my mother cook a grande dîner for some important church dignitaries. It's a very big deal for her, as she's a very devout member of the Church (and she mentioned how happy Nonni--my great-grandmother--would be to have them there as it was her house many years ago and she also loved the Church). I have chosen a different path than my parents (at least in terms of religion), but that doesn't change the fact that I know my duty to my parents and my family. She needed the help, so I offered mine.
Now, about this dinner. It was a ten-course formal French dinner (although we pushed the last three courses together because it was getting very late at that point and us poor folks in the kitchen were getting exhausted). French dining is very different from American dining, even formal American dining. A formal French dinner can easily take 4-5 hours, especially if the courses aren't rushed (something which Americans tend to do). And the French have made a sort of religion of eating--there is a ceremony to the way the courses are planned to allow a person to fully enjoy and appreciate the flavor of every course. Here's a break down of our menu:
Course 1: two kinds of paté with toast points and fig preserves, all served with a black muscat (a wonderful sweet wine)
Course 2: a potage, a type of soup that's made with vegetables in a very specific way that really brings out all the subtle flavors of the vegetables (I'll see if I can convince my mom to let me post this recipe!)
Course 3: bouché à la Reine, which was shrimp and scallop in a white wine sauce over puff paste
Course 4: lemon sorbet with a few drops of brandy over it. The sorbet is to cleanse the palette between the fish and meat courses; the brandy helps to make the flavor of the sorbet pop out even more.
Course 5: the main course (the meat course)--pork with a creamy sauce of wild mushrooms, served with beets and roasted potatoes
Course 6: a simple salad of butter lettuce tossed with oil/vinegar and salt/pepper
Course 7: a selection of 4 French-style cheeses including chevre, a bleu cheese, a Saint Andres, and a hard cheese (I forgot the name of it)
Course 8: whole pears cooked in red wine
Course 9: coffee
Course 10: cognac and port with chocolate truffles
One big difference you may notice between this and American cuisine is that the salad is served after the main course. I don't remember the reason the French do it this way, but my older brother--a true francophone and French culture expert--would know. I will ask him. Another difference is that coffee traditionally gets its own course--it's served solo without any dessert to accompany it. Also, the reason that cheese is served after the majority of the meal is to "close the stomach," as my brother puts it; the cheese helps with digestion after a big meal. A dinner like this is something that many French would only have a few times in their life; Americans probably never have a meal like this presented with the ceremony and ritual of formal French dining. It is a wonderful experience; I would recommend that you try it once.
For the cooking crew, it is a lot of work. With the guests that we had, I don't think that they realized what was coming. I don't think any of them had any idea what a formal French dinner is before now. Regardless, they very much enjoyed it, and one of the dignitaries (a bishop) called it Babette's Feast. So it was a very special night for all.
The other thing that has happened is that a wiki I helped to inspire is up and running. One of the topics that had come up in my class is homelessness and librarians' de facto role as social service providers, which led to my comment on a reading that said no list of social services resources being used in libraries yet exists. My question was "why not?" So my instructor talked to someone she knew who started work on getting a wiki up to act as a resource where people can post those services, resources, and information about social responsibility in libraries. I'll post the link after the semester since we're not advertising it quite yet; right now, there's not a lot up, but as more information is added it will continue to grow. I'm so excited that it's up; I've already made several contributions and plan to continue to do so on an ongoing basis. I really hope that it can grow into a valuable resource for all public libraries (and even academic or school libraries). The people that can benefit from these services and resources are the ones that are most often shoved under the carpet by society, and it's horribly cruel and degrading to them that it should be this way. Libraries should be the leading force behind helping these people to feel valued especially since many libraries are seen as and behave like community centers; this wiki is another step towards that goal. Please don't disregard this part of the population; they are people just like you and me. I'll step down off my soap box (for now).
I'll be posting a recipe for the cheesecake I'm making for Thanksgiving later today or tomorrow (I don't have the recipe with me right now).
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