Apple Pie Cheesecake

I went apple picking upstate with the bf's fam two weeks ago and hauled a bag of apples home. I've been eating one daily and now have BECOME SICK OF APPLES. Soooo, I decided to make apple pie filling and put it in a cheesecake! After moving to New York, I can't and won't stop eating cheesecakes. It did give new life to plain apples and they were tolerable again :P

The apples that we could only pick were the Shizuka variety, since we went late and everyone already picked all the fuji and honeycrisp apples. It was like a plague of locusts just swept through the apple trees. But it worked out for me because shizuka apples are sweet, slightly tart, firm and perfect for baking or cooking. Since we had to pay an entrance fee to enter the grounds, you bet your butt I ate a lot of apples to get my money's worth! I couldn't look at another apple for days. Except I'm stuck in the SICU for 5 weeks and my food tray always includes an apple :(

I wanted to make a lighter cheesecake and incorporated a lot of yogurt. It still tastes very much like a rich cheesecake, but so much better for my muffin tops ;)

Apple Pie Cheesecake

makes one 9" cake

Apple pie filling
2 large apples peeled and diced, use firm slightly tart apples like pink lady
1 tsp butter
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water

1. On low medium heat, melt butter and spices. Add 1 tbsp water, diced apples and sugar
2. Stir often and cook for about 6-8 mins until apples are slightly soft
3. Make the cornstarch slurry by adding water and cornstarch together until no lumps. Drizzle into apple filling
4. Cook for additional 3-5 minutes to thicken and until it bubble. Set aside to cool

Yogurt Cheesecake

Your favorite pie crust recipe (I use Ina Garten because she is a Food Goddess!)
2 8oz cream cheese
1 3/4 cup whole milk Siggi (I used) or greek yogurt
2/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400F. No need to roll out the pie dough. Just press into a 9" springform pan and up the sides a little. Poke holes with fork. Blind bake pie crust for 15 mins
2. Reduce oven temp to 325F. In a mixer or large bowel beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in yogurt, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice
3. Beat in 1 egg at a time, making sure not to over beat as it can introduce bubbles
4. Cover springform pan sides with foil and place in larger pan to make a water bath. Pour room temp water into the bath until half way up cheesecake pan
5. Bake for 50-60 mins until middle is just set. Crack oven door open and cool in oven for 1 hour. Let cool completely at room temp afterwards
6. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight to set
7. Make the top pretty with dried apple slices and pie crust leaves!

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Matcha Cinnamon Apple Scones

Whoa! It's been way too long since I updated the blog. Honestly when residency started, I thought I would never come back to it because on the little free time I had off I just wanted to veg on the couch or sleep. I'm now on night float so I've been able to make things during the day and werk, werk, werk all night.

I'm also updating just in time too for my favorite season! I love, love sweater weather and all things cinnamon and pumpkin spiced. For my comeback, I've made these matcha cinnamon apple scones that were adapted from King Arthur Flour.

 Unfortunately the weather was rainy and dark, so these pictures aren't the best :(

Matcha Apple Scones

makes 16 mini scones

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp matcha (I used panatea culinary grade matcha)
1 stick cold butter (cut into pieces)
1/2 cup finely diced apple
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce

turbinado sugar to top
Icing sugar mixed with a little milk

1. In a large mixing bowel, mix flour, sugar, salt, matcha, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut cold butter into dry mix until crumbly. You'll have some larger chunks of butter but that's okay!
2. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla and apple sauce. Add wet to dry ingredients, toss in chopped apple and stir until just moistened
3. Line pan with silpat or parchment paper. Flour surface and your hands. Divide dough, which is pretty goopy) in half and pat each half into a 6" circle about 3/4" thick
4. Brush each circle with milk and top with turbinado sugar. Cut each circle into 8 wedges and pull them apart from each other just a bit so there is some space
5. Place scones uncovered into freezer for 30 minutes. This is important for best texture and rise!
6. Preheat oven to 425F. Bake scones 20-24 mins or until edges are slightly golden brown
7. Cool briefly on pan before transferring onto rack.
8. I mixed some powdered sugar with a little milk to glaze on top

This post was sponsored by panatea matcha. I was provided products to use, but all opinions are my own.

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Hot Cross Bun Spiced Pretzels

It's almost Easter and I've been admiring all the pretty egg, coconut and bunny pictures on Instagram! I don't really do too much during Easter other than follow my mum to church, but what I can't miss is eating hot cross buns! I was given this Silpat pretzel mat and since I was going to make bread anyway, I thought why not put the same stuff in pretzels?! So I've added all the nice things, like sugar, cinnamon, ginger, orange zest and cranberries into these pretzels.

Also how awesome is this mat? It totally helps a pretzel shape challenged person like me to roll out pretty pretzels!

I love the spicy and fruity flavor of the dough, and it's all shiny and sticky with melted butter and honey. You can eat these plain or they actually go pretty well with this Maille Acacia honey and Orange blossom mustard. The taste is pretty floral and fruity with a very good amount of sharpness and tang. It pairs quite well and is a nice play of sweet and salty.

I'm currently on a one-week bootcamp at med school (last week ever!), which is pretty much learning how to adult. Like buying a house, paying off loans etc... I just can't adult yet! Ah! 

Hot Cross Bun Spiced Pretzels

makes 14-16 pretzels

4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup dried cranberries or currants

1/4 cup baking soda
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp butter, melted
1.5 tbsp honey

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp of white sugar in the warm water until bubbly, about 10 minutes
2. In a stand mixer with the dough attachment, mix flour, brown sugar, salt and spices. Add oil, yeast and vanilla extract and mix to form a dough. Adjust flour and water if mixture is too sticky or dry. Add orange zest and currants and knead until smooth. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in it and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours.
3. Punch dough down, cover bowl with plastic wrap and another damp cloth and let rise overnight in the fridge. This makes the dough more elastic!
4. Allow the chilled dough to come to room temperature, about an hour in a warm place. Prepare baking sheets with silpat mat or wax paper
5. In a medium bowl, dissolve baking soda in 2 cups of hot water and set aside
6. Divide dough into 15 equal pieces. Dip your fingers in the baking soda solution and rub in your hands. Roll each piece between your hands into a rope. Start in the middle and roll using medium pressure with both hands as you work out to the ends. You're done when the dough thickness is about the size of your finger (it will puff!). Grab each end and slap on your surface like a jump rope a few times. Be careful not to use too much force or the dough will tear. Twist into a pretzel shape and place on prepared sheets. Cover with plastic wrap while working on the rest of the dough
7. Once all shaped, brush baking soda water solution over the pretzels. Let rest for another 10-15 mins. You can sprinkle with raw sugar (optional). Preheat oven to 425 F, place rack above middle 
8. Bake in preheated oven in top rack until browned, about 10-12 mins
9. Brush mix of melted butter and honey together and brush over pretzel when they come out of the oven

This post was sponsored by Silpat and Maille. I'm teaming up with them via CoactionPR to create awesome recipes. I was compensated for this post, but all opinions are completely my own and not endorsed. Thank you for supporting products that keep this blog running!

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Hotteok Waffles [Korean cinnamon pancake waffles]

I'm currently on a college tour with my brother and mum and it has been EVENTFUL. By that I mean extremely terrible, because being stuck in the car with a surly teen and a high-pitched tiger mum for several hours is almost as bad as being duct taped to a chair listening to nails scratching on a chalk board. I feel a little crazy since we've hit 5 different states in 5 days with me as the sole driver. The only thing that's keeping me going is eating at all the bomb places I've been wanting to go in each state! I just left Boston with a box of Flour Bakery cookies and I'm in heaven! It's also crazy snowing in Boston.

This year's spring is cold and weird, so it's time to snuggle up to something toasty and cinnamon-y, like these Korean pancakes in waffle form. I eat Hotteok, a street food found everywhere in Korea, in any weather actually. They are like cinnamon buns, but chewy and flat like a pancake with an oozing middle full of melted brown sugar and peanuts. So good and so perfect for chilly weather (or all four seasons ha!)

Hotteok Waffles

makes 10-12 square waffles

Dough
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp sugar
2 tsps instant yeast
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup warm milk

Filling
heaping 3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp flaked almonds, coarsely chopped
2 tbsps each white and black sesame seeds
pinch of salt

1. For the dough, place all the ingredients into your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Work on a low speed until everything comes together and then turn it up a the next level for about a minute or so. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a damp cloth and leave in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1 hour)
2. Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl
3. When the dough is ready, punch it down and place on floured surface. Divide dough into about 10 balls. While working with 1 ball, cover the rest with plastic wrap so they don't dry out
4. Flatten ball gently with your palm to get a circle the size of your palm (about 4 inches). Place 1 tbsp of filling in the middle and bring edges of dough to cover and pinch to seal. Continue doing that to all the hotteok dough.
5. Preheat your waffle iron and oil surfaces generously each time. Cook according to your waffle iron's directions and they should be nice and brown on the outside
6. Serve hot!

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Pumpkin Maple Cheesecake

Happy Halloween! Today, I feel like I have to rant (when do I not?). I came to school dressed like Wednesday Addams (yea I still dress up >.<), with stripy socks, collared shirt buttoned to my neck and braided pigtails. I thought I was dead on with the costume, but I have had 2 people in my class think I was Britney Spears. Yes, the Britney Spears in her school girl outfit. I mean... my dress up is SUPER conservative. I'm choking in my buttoned collar and have absolutely no skin exposed! Other than that, I've been told I look like a Japanese schoolgirl. Ungh...

On a brighter note, this pumpkin cheesecake was such a hit! It has a subtle spicy-ness and warmth with a definite pumpkin note. This is a cheesecake I need to make again! 

Pumpkin Maple Cheesecake

adapted from allrecipes.com (makes a 5" cake)
*double ingredients for 9" except use 3 eggs not 4

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1.5 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 tbsp butter, melted

Cheesecake
12 oz cream cheese, softened (1 1/2 packages of 8oz)
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk (7oz)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (drained*)
2 medium eggs
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice + 1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. layer 2 kitchen towels in a bowl and put 1 cup of pumpkin puree and let it drain for 10 mins. Cover it with another 2 kitchen towels again. The puree won't stick at all but this gets rid of all the excess water. You should end up with 3/4 cup of a ball of pumpkin that you can pick up
3. To make the crust, mix the crumbs, sugar, ginger together. Drizzle in the butter and mix. Pat the crust mix into a 5" spring form pan. Bake for 8-10 mins and let cool
4. For the cheesecake, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the condensed milk. While beating, add the pumpkin puree, eggs, syrup, vanilla and salt and spices.
5. Gently mix the flour in (try not to over mix). Bake at 325F for 50 mins.
6. DO NOT take it out of the oven. Just switch the oven off and let it sit there for 3 hours. This prevents the surface from cracking and no meddling with water baths!
7. Chill for at least 2 hours and best overnight for a perfect cheesecake texture. Enjoy!

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Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake

Yay I'm back from my cross country road trip! In one whole piece too. It was actually a lot of fun, with only some yelling and a few tears (ha!). Today is officially the start of classes and I just cannot bring myself to do anything productive. Yesterday, I watched Spiderman 2 during orientation but for Andrew Garfield...anything :D. The ending was so shocking and sad, and when it comes to sappy endings, I can't stop the flow of tears... even if I'm in the lecture hall :P Then my body felt like a jellyfish the entire night so no productivity there. I do need to get back to the grind though...because med school :(

I got a new 5 inch springform pan and other kitchenware stuff over the summer. Now I have absolutely no counter space so my mum made me put it all in a box in a living room. Soon half the living room will be filled with my stuff. Sorry, roommate! My first apology in the form of a cheesecake (with a oatmeal cookie crust! nom)

Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake

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