Fig Leaf Panna Cotta

We are in the middle of fig season.  For a good portion of my life, I was unaware of fresh figs...and their season.  I first experienced truly delicious fresh figs while working in Provence in the late 90s. The property where I lived and worked had three massive fig trees.  I was there in September...right in the middle of the main fig season (there is a smaller season in early summer).  We harvested ripe figs daily and set them on the breakfast buffet for our guests—and I was allowed to eat as many as I wanted.  (We used the excess abundance to make jam...as well as crostatas, fig and almond tarts and clafoutis.)  Like so many fresh fruits, there is nothing quite like tasting a fig at its peak...right off the tree.  I was captivated. 

There was a reason that I was so unaware of fresh figs:  Well into my adulthood, fresh figs were pretty rare where I lived in the Midwest.   You might have occasionally seen them in the grocery store...but they would have been pretty inferior.  Certainly they were inferior enough to make me wonder what all the fuss in food magazines and Mediterranean cookbooks was about.  But after having tasted the real deal in France, I understood.  When I returned home, I began seeking them out at specialty stores...and eventually found them at my local farmers market from a grower who happened to have a fig tree growing in his greenhouse. 

Happily, at some point during the last twenty five years, figs have become widely available in the states.  Nowadays, the ones that fill the stores (even regular grocery stores) during fig season are soft, plump, and sweet.  I can’t get enough of them.

Shortly after my return from France, I purchased the start of a fig tree from that grower at my farmers market.  Most fig trees are not naturally at home in regions with cold winters (anyplace that routinely dips much below 25 degrees), so my little tree has required some babying in the form of burial under a mountain of leaves every winter.  The fruit itself takes a surprisingly long time to mature.  So even where summers are long, if you don’t have tiny incipient figs by late June/early July, you probably won’t get to eat any figs off of your tree that year. I’m happy to report that I occasionally do get a few figs from my tree.

These days, since I can get good figs at the store, I prize my tree mostly for its exotic looking presence in my landscape...and for its leaves!  I remember when I worked in Provence that we always harvested a few leaves when we picked figs for breakfast and then used them to line the platters (fig leaves are beautiful).  And we occasionally used fig leaves as a wrapping for fish that was to be grilled or roasted.  When used in this way, the leaves trap the steam—keeping the fish moist and imparting a subtle coconut aroma to the flesh of the fish as it cooks.    

Fig leaf ice cream...topped with a fig from my tree(!)...

A few years ago I began noticing more recipes that use fig leaves in other ways.  Last year I made fig leaf ice cream (similar to the one David Lebovitz shares on his blog).  The delicate, slightly coconut-y flavor of the ice cream is subtle, exotic and delicious.  I thought of that ice cream this year when I was thinking about ideas for a late summer/early autumn panna cotta.

I imagine everyone is familiar with panna cotta at this point, but if you are not, it is a cool and creamy, dairy-based dessert from Italy.  Panna cotta  means cooked cream...and the cream it is made with is indeed heated—but I think this is mostly for infusion purposes (vanilla bean, spices, citrus zests...and in the current case: fig leaves).  Heating the cream also allows you to dissolve the gelatin, which is the means by which panna cotta is set.  You will often find panna cotta served turned out of its mold and onto a plate for a lovely molded dessert.  But I prefer a softer set (less gelatin), so I always serve it in glasses or ramekins.

Before infusing the cream with the fig leaves, they need to be dried.  Some people do this in a low oven—allowing the leaves to dry and curl gradually.  But it is just as easy...and much quicker...to dry the leaves in a wide skillet.  Rinse the leaves to remove any dust and blot them dry.  Then, place a cast iron (or other heavy) skillet over medium high heat.  Add the leaves to the pan (you will probably need to work in batches) and turn them over occasionally until they are curled, have shrunk a bit, and are beginning to crisp—about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

I used a fairly basic, traditional recipe as the starting point for the fig leaf panna cotta.  I substituted milk for some of the cream so that the panna cotta wouldn’t be too rich.  And while every panna cotta I have made over the years has been sweetened with sugar, I chose to substitute honey for some of the sugar in this one since honey and figs are such natural partners.

I like to serve the fig leaf panna cotta topped with a few halved or quartered figs that have been tossed with a little honey simple syrup and allowed to sit for a half hour or so (to encourage the figs to give up some of their juices).  But it would be equally delicious topped with a few raspberries...or some sugared strawberries.  It is also good served plain.  Shortbread or sugar cookies are a fine accompaniment.

If you don’t happen to have a fig tree in your back yard, don’t worry—you can still find a way to make this delicious dessert.  It is highly likely there will be a grower at your farmers market who has a tree and who will be happy to bring a few leaves to the market for you.

Fig Leaf & Honey Panna Cotta

6 large fresh fig leaves (about 1 oz.)
2 1/2 c. heavy cream
6 T. sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 1/2 c. cold whole milk, divided
1 envelope powdered gelatin (2 1/2 t. or 1/4 ounce)
1 t. vanilla

In a cast iron skillet, warm the fig leaves, turning a few times while warming until they are slightly dried out and fragrant…about 1 1/2 minutes. You will probably need to do 2 at time.

Place the cream in a medium-sized, non-reactive saucepan.  Add the fig leaves and push down to submerge.  It’s ok if they break up.  Bring to just under a simmer (Don’t boil).  Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for two hours or so. 

When ready to finish the panna cotta, place a quarter cup of the milk in a small sauce pan and sprinkle the gelatin over.  Let the gelatin bloom/soften for a few minutes. Place the remaining 1 1/4 cup of milk and vanilla in a bowl large enough to hold all the milk and cream. 

While the gelatin blooms, use a pair of tongs to fish the fig leaves out of the cream.  Place the leaves in a fine meshed strainer set over the pan of cream (hold the strainer in one hand while you use the tongs to grab the leaves with the other hand).  Set the tongs aside and use your clean hands to squeeze as much of the cream out of the leaves as possible and back into the pan of cream (letting it pass through the strainer to catch all the bits of the leaves).  The leaves will have rehydrated a bit and become leathery...so this is a pretty easy process.  Discard the figs leaves.  Set the strainer aside. 

Add the sugar and honey to the infused cream and return the pan to the heat.  Gently warm while stirring with a heat proof spatula until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is steaming.  Set aside.

Place the small saucepan of milk and bloomed gelatin over low heat and warm, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the gelatin has completely melted.  Off the heat add the sweetened, infused cream and stir until the two mixtures are fully combined.  Set the sieve over the bowl of chilled cream and pour the hot, infused dairy mix through the sieve.  Stir until well combined.  Transfer the mixture to a vessel from which you can easily pour without sloshing or dripping.  Divide the mixture among eight ramekins, wine glasses, parfaits or other clear dessert dishes.   Each portion is about a half cup...so choose containers that will hold 2/3 to 3/4 cup of liquid.

Place the panna cottas on a sheet pan and transfer to the refrigerator.  The panna cotta will be lightly set in about four hours...they will be fully set after 12 hours.   I think the flavor is better/fuller if they are allowed to set overnight. 

Serve cold, topped with wedges of fresh figs tossed in a honey simple syrup (2 parts honey to 1 part warm water), fresh raspberries, or lightly sugared sliced strawberries—or enjoy plain.  Makes 8 (4-oz) servings.

Printable Version

Cauliflower Risotto with Prosciutto & Crisped Garlic Breadcrumbs

Cauliflower is in season at the moment…and the specimens I have seen at my local stores have been pristine (and on sale!).  The abundance inspired me to feature cauliflower in my February newsletter…  sautéed in a pasta with chickpeas…  roasted in a Mediterranean spiced bulgur pilaf with carrots (and more chickpeas).  Because cauliflower has been a constant presence in my kitchen for the last month or so, I have been eating a lot of it.  And I suppose I have been more tuned in than usual to how other cooks are preparing it as I scroll my social media feeds, thumb through food magazines and cookbooks, etc.

This past week, Diana Henry’s weekly newsletter for The Telegraph featured a recipe for Cauliflower Risotto with Pangrattato (fried breadcrumbs) in the “week in recipes” section.  I was of course curious to see how she might be treating the cauliflower, so I clicked through.  And I loved what I found.  Since I had cauliflower on hand I decided to use her recipe as a starting point for my Sunday supper.

The main thing I loved about her recipe was the fact that she cooked the cauliflower in the broth that she then used to cook the risotto.  Any time I can enhance the flavor of a dish by using the liquid the vegetables were cooked in to finish the dish, I always try to do it.  I frequently cook vegetables destined for a pasta sauce in the pasta water…and many years ago I shared a Risotto-style Farro with Asparagus that uses water the asparagus stems have been cooked in for the cooking of the farro. 

The method she used to cook the cauliflower for the risotto also reminded me of a cauliflower & broccoli pasta recipe I had just made.  Both recipes instruct you to poach large florets of cauliflower until just tender (not mushy).  In Henry’s risotto recipe, she then allows the stirring action during the final half of making of the risotto to break the florets down further into smaller florets and nubbins.  In my pasta, I rough chop the poached cauliflower before finishing it in the sauce.  I decided to use the method I use when I make the pasta to make the risotto (since it allows me a little more control).

Bucatini with Cauliflwer, Broccoli, Pine Nuts & Currants--a recipe that uses a similar method for cooking the cauliflower and broccoli

I think it would be fair to say that I used Henry’s recipe mostly for inspiration.  I added some julienne prosciutto and lemon zest to the pan with the cooked cauliflower (I think cauliflower gets a boost from a little extra salt and a little lemon).  And because I always like to see some of what’s in my risotto perched on top of my risotto, I held back about a quarter of the poached cauliflower, cut it into smaller, attractive florets and then sautéed them in a little butter.  I think they make a lovely garnish…but you could of course skip this step.  

Other than her method of cooking the cauliflower, the only thing I copied was the final addition of toasted breadcrumbs (Pangrattato).  I love finishing pastas (see the aforementioned cauliflower & broccoli pasta), savory tarts, gratins, etc. with crisped breadcrumbs.  I don’t know why it never occurred to me to top a risotto with them.  They add the perfect garlicky crunch. 

I love breadcrumbs used in this way so much that I try to keep a bag of coarse “fresh” breadcrumbs in my freezer.  As it happens when I made the risotto this time, I didn’t have any.  But since I always have sliced bread in my freezer, I just took out a slice, cut the crust off and used a large-holed grater to grate the still frozen bread into coarse crumbs.  It worked perfectly.

Before I close, I wanted to give a quick plug for my newsletter, Notes from For Love of the Table.  I know newsletters are becoming ubiquitous.  But there is a reason for that.  They are a great way to get the work you do directly to the people who enjoy what you do.  For the writer/creator/recipe developer, they are a reasonable way to earn a living from the actual work they do, rather than relying on irrelevant and intrusive ads.  So…if you like the recipes I share…and the way that I share them…I hope you will check it out—and consider subscribing. I will continue to post free content here on my blog as I am able.  But I’ll be honest and admit that my creative energies go first to my newsletter and my private dinner service.  My newsletter comes out once a month and usually includes three recipes (sometimes more). I also share tips and tricks to help make your life in the kitchen easier. You can see a list of the things I have shared since the newsletter's inception here.

Whether or not you subscribe, I do hope you'll give this risotto a try.  It is delicious...  subtle, light, and satisfying.  A perfect way to enjoy cauliflower.

Cauliflower Risotto with Prosciutto & Crisped Garlic Breadcrumbs

 1 1/2 T. unsalted butter

1/2 of a medium onion (about 3 oz.), finely diced

1 small (or half a large) clove of garlic, minced

2 1/2 c. chicken stock

7 oz. large (1 1/2 to 2 inches) cauliflower florets

2/3 c. Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/3 c. white wine

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 T. olive oil

1/2 c. coarse breadcrumbs—see notes

1 small (or half a large) clove of garlic

1/2 T. minced parsley

3/4 to 1 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (2 slices), cut crosswise in 1/4-inch strips

1 t. lemon zest

1 to 1 1/2 T. butter

1/3 c. (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan

1 T. minced flat-leaf parsley

 

Heat 1 1/2 T. of the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and sweat until very soft, but not brown—about 10 minutes. 

Cut the cauliflower in large florets 

While the onions cook, place the chicken stock in a small saucepan, cover the pan, and bring to a simmer.  Add the cauliflower florets and cover.  Simmer until just tender to the tip of a knife—about 5 minutes.  Use tongs or a slotted spoon to lift the florets out of the stock.  Place them on a plate.  Cover the stock and keep it hot for the cooking of the risotto.

When the onions are soft, add the rice and continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes—or until the rice is hot and the grains look pearly white in the center.  Add the wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry.  Begin to add the stock.  Add enough so that the stock is at the same level as the rice in the pan.  Adjust the heat so that the rice cooks at a slow and gentle simmer.  When the pan is nearly dry, add more stock and season lightly with salt & pepper.  Continue to stir and cook the rice, adding more stock as each addition is absorbed. 

While the rice is cooking, sauté the breadcrumbs and finish preparing the cauliflower: Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a small nonstick pan set over moderately high heat.  Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring regularly until they are golden and crisp—a minute or two.  Turn off the heat and using a microplaner, grate the small clove of garlic into the pan and add a half tablespoon of parsley along with a pinch of salt.  Stir until fragrant.  Scrape the seasoned crumbs onto a plate and set aside.  Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and set the pan aside.

Take a quarter of the cooked cauliflower and cut it into smaller (1-inch or less), attractive florets.  Set aside.  Coarsely chop the remaining cooked cauliflower.  You should have a rough mixture of small and medium pieces.

When the rice is about half cooked (after about 10 minutes of cooking), stir in the chopped cauliflower, prosciutto, and lemon zest.  Continue to cook, stir and add stock until the rice is al dente—about 10 minutes more (for a total about 20 minutes from the time of the first addition of stock).  If you run out of hot stock, you can finish the risotto with boiling water.

Two or three minutes before the risotto is done, return the pan the breadcrumbs were toasted in to a moderately high flame and add a half tablespoon of butter to the pan.  When the foam subsides, add the reserved cauliflower and let sizzle until golden in spots, stirring/tossing once or twice.  Season with salt and remove the pan from the heat. 

When the risotto is done, remove from the heat and add a tablespoon of butter, the Parmesan and a tablespoon of parsley.  Stir until the risotto is very creamy.  Cover and let rest off of the heat for a minute or two. Taste and correct the seasoning. Divide the risotto among two shallow bowls, spoon the cauliflower garnish over each and shower with the toasted breadcrumbs.  Serves 2.

Notes: 

• The breadcrumbs should be made from a slightly stale, country style loaf.  Cut away the crusts and process in the food processor to get a coarse chop.  You will need about an ounce of bread with crusts to make a half cup of coarse crumbs.  You can make coarse crumbs anytime you have some leftover bread.  They keep very well in a ziplock bag in the freezer.  If I don’t have crumbs in my freezer, I usually have slices of bread.  To get coarse crumbs you can cut the crusts off and grate the still frozen slices on the large holes of a box grater.
• If you don’t want to go to the trouble of sautéing some of the cauliflower for garnish, simply chop all of the cauliflower (instead of 3/4) and add it all to the risotto with the prosciutto and lemon zest. 

Printable Version

Spring Pizza with Peas, Asparagus, Garlic Cream, and Prosciutto

For most of my cooking life I have been of the opinion that you can put pretty much anything on a pizza….  That a pizza should be viewed as a vehicle for your whims and the bounty of the moment.  But I admit that even I was surprised to hear about topping a pizza with peas. (I’m not sure why…maybe I thought they would roll off…). 

I decided I wanted to make a pizza with peas, so I looked into it a little further and found that peas are a fairly common topping for a style of pizza called “Portugeusa” that is served in Brazil.  You will of course find versions of this style of pizza all over the internet/blogosphere, but in general, it seems that that this pizza also typically includes ham, eggs, olives, onions and tomato sauce. 

I may someday try a true Pizza Portuguesa…but when I first heard of peas on pizza, I mostly just wanted to make a pizza with peas—one in keeping with my favored “pizza as vehicle” habits.  Peas are in season at the moment and they frequently appear on my table…in salads, pastas, pilafs, etc. 

As I was poking around to discover more about peas on pizza, I ran across a pizza at The Modern Proper that rang all my bells.  It was topped with white sauce, peas, goat cheese, and prosciutto.  A pizza like this is exactly what I had in mind when I decided to make one with peas.

At The Modern Proper, they use a garlic infused béchamel for the sauce.  This put me in mind of one of my favorite pizza sauces: reduced garlic cream. If you have never made a pizza with this sauce, and you make pizza regularly, you need to put it on your “to try” list.  It makes a great base for all kinds of pizzas.  I have posted one here that also includes mushrooms and asparagus.  And I shared one in my newsletter last summer that includes zucchini, olives and potatoes (another interesting starchy pizza topping).

Because asparagus was also in season when I read about peas on pizza, I decided to add asparagus to the mix.  Peas can be put on the pizza raw (or thawed, if using frozen).  And if the asparagus is cut properly for pizza (thinly, on a long bias), it doesn’t have to be cooked ahead either.  I also decided to add some thin, bias cut scallions (or spring onions—also in season at the moment) to the mix to add a little mild zip. 

The resulting pizza was quick (since nothing needs to be cooked ahead but the garlic cream), loaded with flavor…and totally seasonal.  If you keep seasonal vegetables on hand…cream and goat cheese in your fridge… and prosciutto in your freezer…this pizza constitutes an easy “pantry dinner.” 

I liked this pizza so much that I taught it in a recent re-launch of my online cooking classes.  In April I taught a Zoom cooking class through the Lawrence Public Library.  The structure of the class was different from my previous Zoom classes (which I had modeled after my pre-pandemic, in-person cooking classes).  It was just one simple recipe, taught in a one hour format over the pre-dinner hour so that people could cook along and then afterwards enjoy a delicious meal. 

The class was quite popular…so popular I decided to revisit the idea of Zoom classes.  I realize some of the appeal of this class was the fact that the library offered it for free.  But it occurred to me that the same format could be offered through my own platform for a price that was significantly lower than my previous offerings.  I settled on  $10…$7 for newsletter subscribers. 

As I mentioned…the spring pizza with peas, asparagus, garlic cream and prosciutto was the first outing of the new format (after the library).  It was very well-received…and people sent me some great pictures of the pizzas they made!  I hope to offer more classes like this as my schedule allows.  If you would like to be on the mailing list to receive announcements for upcoming classes, you can sign up here.  And if you are interested in seeing the recording of the pizza class, I will keep the recording available until I teach a new class.  You can purchase the recording here.

Spring Pizza with Garlic Cream, Peas, Asparagus, & Prosciutto

Garlic Cream:
1 T. unsalted butter
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced (or, in early summer use 1 stalk/head of green garlic—white/ivory and pale green parts—finely sliced)
salt & pepper
1 T. white wine (see notes)
1/4 c. heavy cream

1 recipe/10 oz. pizza dough made through the first rise and rested (recipe below)

1 scallion, root and tattered greens trimmed away (use as much of the white, pale green and dark green as you like)
2 oz. (trimmed weight) asparagus, thoroughly rinsed
2 oz. fresh peas (or frozen…thaw before using)
1/3 c. (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan
1/2 to 1 t. olive oil
4 thin slices/sheets (2 oz.) prosciutto
3 oz. goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

An hour before baking the pizza, place a baking stone (if you have one) on the center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°.

Make the garlic cream.  Place a tablespoon of butter along with a tablespoon of water in a small sauce pan and set over moderately low heat. When the butter has melted, add the garlic along with a good pinch of salt.  Gently stew the garlic until it is softened and the water has evaporated/been absorbed and the garlic has softened (about 5 minutes).  Add the white wine and continue to simmer until the wine is reduced and the garlic is sizzling gently in the butter again.  

Add the cream and simmer until thickened and reduced by one third.  You should have 3 or 4 tablespoons of a thick sauce.  Taste and season with salt and pepper; set aside.  

While the garlic cream cooks, prepare the toppings:  slice the scallion very thinly on a long bias.  

Place in a small bowl and cover with ice water.  Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.  Drain, rinse under running water, and blot well.  Slice the asparagus very thinly (1/8 inch thick) on a long bias.  

Place the crisped scallions, asparagus and peas in a medium-sized bowl.  Drizzle in a small amount of olive oil and season lightly with salt & pepper. Toss to coat. Add the Parmesan and toss again.

On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch the dough out into a 12- to 13-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a rimless baking sheet or peel that has been dusted with semolina, fine cornmeal, or rice flour.

Spread the garlic cream over the crust, leaving a quarter to half inch border around the edges bare. 

Tear two or three of the sheets of prosciutto into rough 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces and arrange/ruffle evenly over the garlic cream.  Scatter the vegetable mixture over the garlic cream, distributing evenly.  Tear and arrange the remaining prosciutto over the vegetables.

Crumble the goat cheese over all.   

If using a pizza pan or baking sheet, place the pizza in its pan on the pizza stone in the pre-heated oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling, about 8 to 10 minutes. To insure a crisp crust, after the crust has set (5 to 6 minutes), slide the pizza off of the pan to finish cooking directly on the pizza stone.

If you are using a pizza peel, slide the pizza directly onto the hot stone and bake until browned and bubbling (about 7 to 8 minutes).  In my oven, I usually rotate the pizza after about 5 minutes so it will bake evenly.

When the pizza is done, transfer to a cutting board.  Cut into wedges and serve.  (If not serving immediately—if making a second pizza, for example—transfer the uncut pizza to a wire rack so that the crust won't get soggy.)

(Garlic Cream adapted from Food & Wine)

Notes: 

• If you don’t have …or don’t want to use…wine, just continue to cook the garlic with water as needed until it is soft.  Before adding the cream, make sure the garlic is sizzling in the butter (i.e. all the liquid—whether wine or water—has evaporated off).
  

• You may of course use purchased dough instead of making your own. Just make sure you have 10 oz./285 grams.

 

Pizza Dough

1/2 cup (113g) warm water (100º-110º)
1 1/8 t. (1/2 package) active dry yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (145g to 170g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt

Combine the water, yeast, and 3/4 cup (85g) of the flour in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the oil, salt and another half cup (60g) of the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough that holds its shape. Sprinkle some of the remaining flour on a smooth surface. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and sprinkle with a bit more flour. Knead the dough, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed lightly with a finger—about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size—about 1 hour. Punch down the dough. At this point you may use the dough immediately or cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours. Pull the dough out of the refrigerator to let it warm up a bit, about an hour before baking the pizza.

When ready to make the pizza, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a ball. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes. The dough is now ready to be shaped, topped and baked.

(Crust adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins)

Food Processor Method:  Place the water and yeast in a small bowl and let sit until the yeast has dissolved.  Place 160 grams (about 1 1/4 cups plus 2 T.) of the flour and salt in the food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to blend.  Add the oil and yeast/water mixture and pulse until the dough is homogenous.  Begin to run the mixture in long pulses until the dough is smooth and elastic—it shouldn't take more than a minute.  If the dough seems wet and sticky, add some of the remaining 2 T. of flour a bit at a time, pulsing after each addition.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and give it a few kneads by hand.  Let rise as directed above.

Printable Version

A half recipe makes a nice little 8- to 9-inch pizza

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

I decided to serve a raspberry swirl cheesecake as the dessert for a recent pop-up dinner.  I didn’t have an exact recipe at hand, but I have a basic cheesecake formula that I like to tweak for most cheesecake type preparations.  I figured that I could look around at what others were doing by way of incorporating the raspberry swirl (or marble) to get some ideas…and then adjust my recipe accordingly.

As is almost always the case when I search for “what others are doing,” I find one main thing that most people are doing…and then a few outliers that are quite different.  I should say up front that my experience is that there is no guarantee that the thing most people are doing is correct…or will even work at all.  It is a sad fact that in our food blogging world, anyone can post a recipe…and if something is beautiful in a picture or done by a widely read blogger…that many people just post it again—whether it works or not.  

My main question as I looked at recipes was about whether or not to cook the sweetened raspberry purée.  Most people cook the purée (one or two even used jam).  But I didn’t find anyone who explained why they did it one way or the other.  From my perspective, the main argument in favor of not cooking the raspberry purée is that it will remain thinner and won’t tend to want to sink in the batter.  Creating a marbled batter is not always a straightforward thing.  If one of the components is a lot thicker/heavier than the other, it will sink…and you will end up with two layers of batter rather than two batters that are marbled.  Most cheesecake batters are sort of thin and pourable, so a thinner purée makes more sense.

The argument against using fresh, uncooked purée is that the flavor isn’t very concentrated.  And since there is nothing in the purée to make it “set” during the cooking process, you can’t add a lot of it.  It literally needs to be a thin ribbon—a suggestion of more.  In many marbled cakes/cheesecakes/etc. the portion being marbled in is a quarter to a third of the total batter.  This would never work with a fruit purée (the resulting cheesecake would fall apart when cut). 

You could of course mix some of the cheesecake batter into the raspberry purée/sauce/jam—and then marble this fruit batter back into the main batter.  (This is how chocolate marbled cheesecakes are made.)  But since I wanted my raspberry swirl to have a deep, jewel-tone character, this didn’t appeal to me.

At the other end of the spectrum from fresh purée is jam.  Jam’s flavor is concentrated and would therefore give you a lot of flavor punch for the quantity…but jam is cooked until quite thick and heavy.  I was certain it would sink. I didn’t even consider using jam for this reason.

So…in the end…what “most people” were doing was what I went with:  a lightly cooked sweetened purée of raspberries. It gave me a more concentrated flavor than fresh…but was still thin enough that it didn’t sink.  If you cook it too long (making it too thick and heavy), you can always add water back in. 

As far as the actual process of adding the swirl, I added it in two layers.  The reason for this is that you can add more purée if you tuck some of it in the middle.  Part of what makes marbled things beautiful is the contrast on the surface (one of the reasons I baked my cake in a wide shallow pan is to give more surface area).  If you add all of the purée to the top (where it will stay since you’ve gone to lengths to keep it from sinking) you won’t have as much “swirl”—you’ll have “blobs” of raspberry instead. 

To add the raspberry purée in layers:  First, add a scant half of the cheesecake batter to the prepared pan over the crust and spread it out into an even layer. Drizzle about a third of the purée evenly over this first layer of batter (I use a squirt bottle—but a drizzling from a spoon will work just fine).  There is no need to swirl this part in…adding the rest of the batter and swirling the second addition of raspberry will be sufficient. 

The tricky part is adding the remaining batter.  You can’t just pour it on and spread it out.  You have to add it a spoonful at a time, holding your spatula/spoon/(whatever you are using to transfer the batter) just above the batter and moving it as you do (sort of like laying paint on a surface), so that each addition covers a wide section of the drizzle.  When you are done adding the batter, you shouldn’t need to spread it—other than a nudge here and there—since you were effectively spreading it as you laid it in the pan.  All the drizzle should be covered.

Then, use the squirt bottle or a small spoon to dollop the remaining raspberry puree evenly over the surface.  Use the tip of a table knife or small palette knife to marble in the puree.  The marble/swirl is best made with wide sweeping motions…zigzags and loops that sweep from one side of the pan to the other. You only need to do three or four passes one way…and then three or four the other…with a possible final swirl to “correct” any solid blobs of raspberry or spots of cheesecake that need a bit of raspberry swirled into them.

Finally, you will notice that there is white chocolate in the cheesecake batter…but not in the name.  I suppose you could call it “White Chocolate Cheesecake with a Raspberry Swirl” if you wanted to.  But to be honest, it doesn’t really taste like white chocolate.  I mostly add white chocolate because it adds an unidentifiable ”something-something”—in both the texture and the flavor.  You will notice when you add it, that it gives the batter more body and a slightly pearly sheen.  It also adds a bit of sweetness that compliments the raspberry particularly well.  I think you could probably leave it out…but I wouldn’t.

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust:
5 oz. graham crackers, finely ground (to make a scant 1 1/2 cups crumbs)
3 T. granulated sugar
2 oz. (4 T.) unsalted butter, melted

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving an overhang. Butter or spray the pan. Combine the crust ingredients until homogenous and press into the pan in a compact even layer. Bake in a pre-heated 350° oven until just beginning to brown—10 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
125 g. white chocolate, chopped
3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
165 g. sugar (3/4 c. plus 1 T.)
2 T. all-purpose flour, sifted (15 g.)
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. sour cream (121g.)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 t. vanilla
95 g. raspberry sauce (about 1/3 c.)

Set a large pot of water over high heat. When it is steaming, reduce the heat to very low and place the white chocolate in a bowl that is wider than the pot and place the bowl over the steaming water. Let the chocolate melt. Remove the bowl from the pot and set aside in a warm spot while you make the batter. Bring the pot of water to a boil and keep hot.

Briefly beat cream cheese to break up. Beat in the sugar until smooth; scrape the sides. Beat in the flour & salt; scrape the sides. Add the sour cream and beat in. Scrape the sides. Beat in the eggs and vanilla in two or three additions, just until smooth and fully incorporated. Add a quarter to a third of the batter to the melted chocolate and quickly stir in until smooth. Add this tempered white chocolate batter to the main batter and mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape a scant half of the batter (a little over 500 grams) into the prepared pan. Using a squirt bottle with a medium tip, drizzle a couple of tablespoons (30 g) of the raspberry sauce over the batter. Carefully spoon the remaining batter into the pan…covering the drizzle completely. Using the squirt bottle, squeeze small dollops of the remaining 65 g of sauce evenly over the surface (6 by 6 works well). Use a table or small palette knife to swirl through.

Place the pan on a half-sheet pan and place on the oven rack in a pre-heated 325° oven. Pour in the reserved hot water to come up at least half as high as the batter in the pan. Bake until just set—about 50 to 55 minutes.  Lift the foil that is wrapped over the edges of the pan so that it is free to move as the cake shrinks while cooling. 

Cool the cake to room temperature (about 2 hours). Chill, uncovered, until cold (at least 2 hours, but cheesecake may be baked a day or two ahead…or even frozen).

To portion, lift the cold cake out of the pan using the overhang of foil. Cut the cake using a sharp, thin knife dipped in hot water (and wiped dry) in between cuts. First, trim the edges. Then cut into three strips. Cut each strip evenly into 3, 4 or 5 pieces depending on whether you want 9, 12 or 15 portions. You may also cut 18 buffet-sized portions by cutting 9 squares and then cutting each square in half on the diagonal.

If you like, drizzle some of the sauce on each plate and top each portion with a rosette of whipped cream and some fresh raspberries.

Raspberry Sauce

6 oz. raspberries, fresh or frozen
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. lemon juice

Purée and strain the raspberries. You should have a half to two-thirds cup of purée. Add the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened and darkened in color. Cool. Makes a scant half cup or 125g. sauce. If you have much less than this, simply add a little water to thin the purée back out.

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