This sweet potato cheesecake recipe was a result of the combination of my love for cheesecake and the rapidly dwindling supplies of frozen homemade sweet potato pies that my aunt would send us each year. I’ve made sweet potato pies before, but somehow they don’t seem to impress and/or entice as much as cheesecake. I admit it, sometimes I make a dessert to bring to an event that will impress. I’m only human!

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Crust*:

• 14-ounce bag of gingersnap cookies, finely ground
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake:

• 14-ounce can of canned yams in light syrup*, mashed with fork until it makes ³⁄₄ cup
• 24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons apple cider
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon ginger
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon cinnamon
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 10 1 ¹⁄₂-inch springform pan. (Optional) Line the bottom and sides of the pan with buttered parchment paper to make for an easier removal.
2. If you’re a kitchen gadget person–like me–grind the cookies up in a food processor, if not, place the cookies in a large zip-top bag and crush them to your desired fineness with a rolling pin or empty wine bottle.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs and melted butter and stir well. Pour the crumbs into the bottom of the springform pan, pressing out from the center and up against the sides to roughly an inch. A thicker base crust will mean less height on the sides. Use any round smooth-bottomed glass, measuring cup or kitchen tool to tamp down the crumbs, forming an even crust.
4. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, the edges of the crust should pick up a bit of color but the crust will not be set. Remove from oven to cool slightly while completing the cake batter.
5. In a mixer with paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, butter and sugar. Mix until smooth and combined. You may need to pause to scrape down the bowl once or twice.
6. Add the reserved sweet potato puree and mix to blend. Add apple cider, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cream and mix well. Add eggs, two at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions and mix just until incorporated and the batter is smooth. (With most mixers, paddle attachments are pretty good at collecting "potato strings" for easy removal.)
7. Pour batter into the prepared crust and bake at 350° F for an hour. It should be just set around the edges, and slightly jiggly in the center.
   • Employ your own "cheesecake baking/cooling method" here. I prefer an hour at constant temperature, then turning the heat off and leaving it in the oven another hour or two until it’s cooled down to help avoid cracking.
   • Some cheesecake recipes call for a slow reducing of temperature over time. Ex: 20 minutes at 350, then 20 at 325, 20 at 300, etc. That’s too much bother for me, but your miles may vary and you know your oven better than I.
8. Once the cake has cooled, refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight before serving.

* Notes: My default crust for cheesecakes is now ginger snaps as opposed to graham crackers. It generally adds something extra and I’ve had friends that wanted to nibble on the crust more than the cake. I think the cookie better complements this cheesecake, but feel free to substitute your preferred crust.

I drain the yams and reserve the syrup, adding it back in as needed to make a smooth puree. It’s ok to mash together everything in the can, but be mindful of the level of sweetness.

As I note in the recipe, everyone has their particular cheesecake baking quirks, usually based on their oven or aversion to cracked cheesecakes. Sometimes I use a water bath or just a baking pan filled with water for steam, but the addition of the sweet potato puree to this one seems to ward off cracking, but if you have a standard baking method, there’s no need to deviate just for this recipe.

And before the purists get on my case, I know, the recipe says “sweet potato” and I’m using canned yams. I consider that a result of my upbringing as well since we didn’t really know the difference and more often than not bought cans labeled “yams” for the pie. I have made this with actual sweet potatoes–but not actual yams–before, and when it comes to the supermarket aisle, you’ll often see cans with both “yams” and “sweet potatoes” on the label. From what I can tell, what’s in the cans are sweet potatoes, but the cake will still taste great.

Obviously this cheesecake would be a hit at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but don’t be afraid to serve it anytime. Enjoy!

I’ve seen tricks for quickly peeling a clove at a time, but never for peeling an entire head of garlic at once. When I’ve made Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, I follow Ina Garten’s suggestion of quickly placing the cloves into boiling water to loosen up the skins, which works, but unless you have asbestos hands, you’re still dealing with a lot of work. I may have to try this method next time… after I find two appropriate bowls, that is.

Mark your calendars! Saturday, August 20, 2011 from 1:00-4:00pm is the 1st Annual DC Scoop at Union Market. This is a tasting event and culinary competition you don’t want to miss!

The DC Scoop is a kid friendly event with plenty of activities for the whole family. And it’s all FREE!

With an all-star line up of the District’s best ice cream vendors, the task of crowning the 2011 DC Scoop Winner will not be an easy one. The following vendors will be serving their delicious treats:

• Plush Gelato
• Dolcezza Gelato
• Sinplicity Ice Cream
• Prigel Family Creamery
• Nielsen’s Frozen Custard
• Sweet Willows Creamery
• Milwaukee Frozen Custard
• Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream
• Dolci Gelati
• Coppi’s Organic Restaurant
• Trickling Springs Creamery
• Zendulgence Hemp Gelato
• Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
• Orange Cow
• Tropical Ice Cream Cafe

Luckily, we have enlisted the help of DC food scene activists and community influencers to sit on the DC Scoop Judges’ Panel.

If you don’t like the idea of the winner’s fate being in hands other than your own, fear not! All DC Scoop attendees will cast a vote and help their favorite vendor capture the Consumers’ Choice award.

In addition to tasting delicious ice cream (and gelato, custard, and frozen yogurt) at the DC Scoop, you can also enjoy live music, face painting, balloon artistry, and mingling with other community members and ice cream connoisseurs.

Union Market is at 6th St & Florida Ave NE, near the New York Ave/Gallaudet University Metro stop on the Red Line.

We’ve all been suffering from the heat this summer, so this sounds like a great way to enjoy the sunshine and cool off at the same time! Y’know, if you’re into that sort of thing–ice cream, that is.

Since mentioning Sangria as a good go-to Summertime party drink, many people would tell me how they used to make Sangria in college–always college–and it generally involved adding vodka, brandy or grain alcohol to wine, fruit optional. And while there’s nothing wrong with boozing up some wine, I didn’t think that would create a smooth and sip’able drink. Still, there was some wisdom to be had in adding either more or diverse liquor to my original recipe. I also figured, if this was a next day drink/punch, one wouldn’t necessarily have all the same type of wine lying around, right?

Thankfully, I had a party to attend, so tripling the amount of Sangria–using three different wines–wasn’t a bad thing and it’s a lot easier to transport 3 liters of Sangria in a bucket than trying to funnel it back into bottles. It vanished rapidly, clearly a big hit and I was told by a friend that it was better than my usual, so the recipe is a keeper!

Better than The "Best" Sangria

• 3 (inexpensive or leftover) 750mL bottles of red wine
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Shiraz
  • Shiraz-Grenache
• ³⁄₄ cup sugar
• 3 oz. triple sec
• 3 oz. peach schnapps
• 1 oz. St. Germain (elderflower liqueur)
• 4 sliced lemons
• 4 sliced medium oranges
• 4 juiced medium oranges*

1. Add sliced oranges, lemons and sugar to large pitcher (or bucket) and muddle–not crush–with a spoon until the fruit releases some of its juice and the sugar dissolves a bit.
2. Add orange juice, triple sec, peach schnapps and St. Germaine; stir.
3. Pour in wine, stir to combine and refrigerate for at least 2–and up to 8–hours. Overnight is best.
   • If making a day ahead, remove the fruit with a slotted spoon after about 8 hours. The fruit’s oils will have been imparted into the Sangria and after that point it starts to become bitter from the peel & pith.
   • Reserve the fruit to add back in before serving.
4. Stir briskly to distribute fruit and pulp; serve immediately over ice.

* If you’re not in the mood to pick over oranges in the produce aisle, pick up a 3 lb. bag of oranges that don’t look too bad. It should contain 8 or 9 oranges and you’re all set. Juice the ugly ones and slice the pretty ones.

The type of wines and liqueur you use is up to you, obviously, but the above combo is a winner. It makes a sweet enough drink to have right away and a smooth enough drink to have the next day. If you really want a “quick” batch, I’d use all Grenache blends as they have less acid and tannins so already come with less of a bite, even when blended with stronger reds. Removing the fruit helps the Sangria keep longer–without added bitterness–and makes for a boozy snack that still lets you say you’re getting a daily requirement of fruit… right?

After my last party experience, I’m tempted to suggest that you double the above recipe so long as you don’t throw out your back trying to move it from the counter to the fridge. If there are other libations available, it should last the evening for a party of 10 or so, but don’t count on there being any left over to take home with you. The summer may be almost over, but consider this recipe–whether served in a bucket or tastefully appointed punchbowl–for those “last hurrah” and Labor Day parties.

Petits Plats bills itself as, “The best French Restaurant in the heart of Woodley Park with very distinguished cuisine and variety selection of wine.”

As we’ve only been there the once, I can attest to the French part, as they seem to be the only restaurant for that on that strip and our brunch was definitely a pleasant experience. They have patio seating but they also have a porch which allowed us to sit well away from the sidewalk/street while still being able to watch people and enjoy the fresh air.

Their brunch menu was pretty extensive, but we focused on the egg options–wisely deciding to skip the snail dishes. Pictured above is their Croque Monsieur which I’ve never had before, but reading the words: ham, cheese, butter & brioche pretty much sold me on it and I wasn’t disappointed.

This is less of a review and more the writeup of an experience. We try to switch it up for brunch, but the next time there’s an early Saturday with temps in the low 70s… in July, we might just head back to Petits Plats for champagne cocktails and a little bon vivant vibe to get the weekend off to a good start.

Considering what it takes to make a Long Island Iced Tea (recipe below), I wouldn’t be inclined to make one on the fly and it certainly wouldn’t be my party drink of choice unless I was making a pitcher–or bucket–ahead of time and letting guests ladle it out themselves. I do this with sangria and it works just fine. About the only fun of making a LIIT, or any other similar concoction is that you feel like a mad scientist pouring various fluids together to make a seemingly innocent mixture that will knock you on your ass. But beyond that, it’s sort of a pain, especially to make just one. I understand why companies make the pre-mixed versions.

Long Island Iced Tea

• ¹⁄₂ oz. gin
• ¹⁄₂ oz. rum
• ¹⁄₂ oz. tequila
• ¹⁄₂ oz. vodka
• ¹⁄₂ oz. triple sec
• ¹⁄₂ oz. lemon juice*
• ¹⁄₂ oz. simple syrup
• Coke (or similarly cola-like soda)

1. Add ingredients to a Highball or Collins glass with 3-4 ice cubes and stir.
2. Top off with Coke, from a “splash” to 2 oz. or so, to taste and color.

For such a “simple” drink, there are many variations on this recipe, the above is my take on it and produced a well-mixed, nicely sweet result.

* Many recipes call for sweet & sour mix, which I can’t stand. You can usually substitute lemon juice or a 50/50 mix of lemon and lime juice to your liking.

How does the Captain Morgan mix compare to the original recipe? It’s comparable, definitely has the right color, but the taste is a little strong on citrus and caramel to emulate the cola. If you’ve ever gone to a bar offering a special on LIITs, it tastes a bit better than the ones you’d get there. It makes for a prettier drink as mine was a bit murky from the type of juice I used and a blind taste test didn’t help since the original recipe has the slight carbonation that the Captain Morgan mix doesn’t. I’ve never heard of using flat cola to make a LIIT, but after two or three servings of either version, I doubt you’d miss it… or notice… or notice much else at that point except the location of the nearest comfy seat.

We found the 1.75 liter bottles at Calvert Woodley for about $20, so from a cost perspective, if your party theme demanded LIITs and your guests weren’t of terribly discriminating taste², go with the Captain. The cost is a lot better than trying to grab even rail versions of the required liquors and the taste is smoother than making it with really cheap booze.

A Long Island Iced Tea is known as a “sipping cocktail” rather than one that should be slammed, so with proper serving sizes and moderation/discretion, it goes a long way. Given that everyone’s take on the LIIT is a bit different, I’d say that the Captain Morgan version is more likely to be easier on the alcohol percentages than one made by hand, but your mileage may vary.

For my money, I’d stick to keeping a classically stocked bar and not trying to bog down host or bartender duties mixing up tedious cocktails³ on the fly… unless that’s your thing, of course. I don’t judge.

Just over a year ago, I got together with Stephanie of Adventures in Shaw (and now Whisked!) to come up with a seasonal cocktail using strawberries, and I figured why not stick with what works for 2011.

I first tried my strawberry puree with St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, lemon and gin and it was “good” but not great. It had the essence of fruit and floral notes, but was missing something. I recall that one of our favorite drinks at Againn was the Lady MacBeth–recipe here–which uses an egg white to lighten up the drink and give it a lovely foamy head that feels like a pillow on the tongue.

I’d never used an egg white in any of my cocktails before, but after a little research I felt confident enough that it would work and had a very small chance of making me sick. I don’t have egg allergies and the risk of salmonella is small. Plus, as I use raw eggs in my cooking all the time, clearly I have no fear. So I modified the recipe, added in an egg white, shook until I thought my arms would fall off and ended up with a definite winner.

English Garden

• 1 ¹⁄₂ oz. gin
• ¹⁄₂ oz. strawberry puree*
• ¹⁄₂ oz. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
• ¹⁄₂ oz. simple syrup
• splash lemon juice
• 1 large egg white (about 2 tbsp?)**

1. Pour gin, strawberry puree, St. Germain, simple syrup and lemon juice into cocktail shaker and give a good stir to blend ingredients.
2. Add egg white, stir, then give a good shake (no ice, yet) to mix ingredients and prepare yourself for what’s about to come. I was also advised that removing the spring from a cocktail strainer, balling it up and adding it to the shaker in this step would help. The insert from a ball whisk would likely also do.
3. Add ice, I usually fill 2/3 of the way, and shake like your life depended on it. I found that a clear shaker was the most fun for this because you can see the mixture get really frothy. But seriously, give it a good hard shake. You aren’t trying to create a mousse or meringue, but you are trying to get that quality from the egg white to lighten the drink.
4. Using a mesh strainer, strain into cocktail glass. As you’ve likely pulverized the ice into shards and pellets, this will keep the drink ice-free, it should also keep strawberry bits out of the drink depending on how smooth your puree is. You may find that you need to tap or shake the strainer to get everything through.

* Strawberry puree is made by chopping and hulling strawberries, add sugar to taste and stir. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, then puree in blender, food processor or with immersion/stick blender. Strain and keep in fridge. (If solely for cocktails, adding a tablespoon vodka will help it last longer)

** If you have an egg allergy or just fear raw eggs, you can also use pasteurized or powdered egg whites. No promises that it will have the same effect, but may be easier if making a lot at once.

I call it an English Garden because it has the feel of having afternoon tea, with cakes and biscuits, out on a patio or in the garden… while getting nicely hammered. Unfortunately there’s already a drink called English Garden that is similar but tries to be more English than Garden. Still, I should probably find a new name for mine.

Any ideas? Let me know in the comments!

Starting today through May 15, if you hit Starbucks during “happy hour” between the hours and 3-5pm, you can get yourself a Frappuccino^® for half off:

Frappuccino^® blended beverages are completely customizable – you call all the shots, so you can create the perfect drink for your perfect summer day. And what could make a warm, sunny day better than strolling around with one of our NEW Mocha Coconut Frappuccino^® blended beverages? Just tell us how you like it and we’ll do the rest.

Ah, from their text, I believe that they’re saying it’s Summer. Apparently Starbucks doesn’t really do Spring. Let’s hope that in a month or two, they’ll also offer their afternoon $2 iced drink special as they’ve done in past years.

Depending on how adept your local barista is, you may be better off heading elsewhere for a milkshake, but if you want a cheap afternoon pick me up, it’s a good way to save a few bucks. Just be sure to check out the nutritional stats on your favorite Frapp. It’s a good treat, but perhaps not something to make a habit of.

Admittedly most slow-cooker recipes aren’t so simple, but when America’s Test Kitchen came out with their Slow Cooker Revolution, I prodded them on Twitter to ask just how much pre-prep was required for their recipes. I was happy to hear that “most” of them don’t require a lot of work and once I got the book, it was nice to see many of the recipes marked as “Easy Prep.”

After finding their barbecue style chicken to be a huge improvement over my usual method, I was ready to give their Red Beans and Rice Stew a try. The dish is a household favorite, my other half naming it as one of his comfort foods. So I was definitely encouraged to see if I could skip the box mix and make it myself for a change. The ingredient list is simple enough for anyone with even a lightly stocked spice rack and a nearby grocery store. The only stumbling block is time. Slow-cooker recipes take a while–by virtue of the name, naturally–but this one needed 9-11 hours to cook on low and I always prefer to cook on low when I can. It also says 5-7 hours on high, but I prefer low. Also, they recommend salt-soaking the kidney beans overnight, though they also offer a method for quick soaking (as do most pre-bagged beans).

Since this was my first time making it, I didn’t want to let it cook overnight since some slow-cooker recipes need more attention than others. Believe me, now I know better! I did all the prep on the meat and veggies the night before, had everything staged and ready to go… for waking up at 6 the following morning to get things cooking. Pretty easy though, soften veggies, rinse beans, dump everything into the pot and back to sleep!

Red Beans and Rice Stew (serves 6)

• 2 onions, minced
• 1 celery rib, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or ¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra as needed
• 3 cups water
• 1 pound dried red kidney beans (2 ¹⁄₂ cups), picked over, salt-soaked, and rinsed
• 1 pound andouille sausage. sliced ¹⁄₂ inch thick
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped medium
• ¹⁄₂ cup long-grain white rice
• salt and pepper
• red wine vinegar
• 3 scallions, sliced thin

1. Microwave onions, celery, garlic, oil, thyme, paprika, and cayenne in bowl, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
2. Stir broth, water, beans, sausage, and bay leaves into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beans are tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
3. Let stew settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves.
4. Stir bell peppers and rice into stew, cover, and cook on high until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. (Adjust stew consistency with additional hot broth as needed.) Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Aside from the overwhelming compulsion to lift the lid and stir it, this stew really doesn’t need a lot of babysitting. It’s also not very exciting to photograph, until you have a finished product.

I used Wild Boar Andouille sausage from Red Apron Butchery and it’s excellent though next time I think I might put an extra half-pound of sausage in the mix, or grill it separately to serve on top. I also bumped up the amount of rice to ³⁄₄ cups and still didn’t feel like it was enough, so prepared another ¹⁄₂ cup (before cooking) rice separately and stirred it in. The Test Kitchen recipe is designed to make more of a stew, but I like my red beans and rice thicker. I’m always skeptical of adding dry rice to any meal, but giving it over 30 minutes to cook in was about the right time and it didn’t get too mushy. Next time I’ll try serving it over rice, but I admit that fast food and box mix versions have gotten me used to having it all mixed together.

The splash of red wine vinegar is definitely a must, but I usually skip garnishes so didn’t bother with the scallions. I might also replace the cayenne with chipotle in future as I like things spicy, but this dish makes me sweat when I eat it. Some might want that, but until I get the proper ingredients and glasses for hurricane cocktails at home, I need to take it easy! Once I figure out how to better hack the needed cook/prep time, I could see making this recipe a lot, especially in colder seasons.

I’m really impressed with Slow Cooker Revolution and am already planning my next slow cooker experiment. The lasagna recipe is tempting, but I think I’d like to try a dessert… or wings!

‘Kitchen’ is probably one of the most evocative words in the English language. Yes, it is a noun denoting a room and its purpose, but more than that, it is a word resonant with symbolism. It conjures up warmth and welcome, safety and security, in short, the very notion of home.

If a kitchen is not comfortable nor will you be. So make it suit you, and not the universal customer. Make it an extension of your personality. Above all give yourself, and it, over to the chaotic coziness that in a cold universe is the kitchen’s soul-saving grace.

She goes on to mention some of her kitchen essentials, a knife magnet block and her favorite tool, the mezzaluna–which she actually uses regularly on her televised segments. Unfortunately for many cooks and food lovers I know, she also mentions customizing a kitchen which is not an option available to that many people though we’d love it!

And even though Nigella doesn’t believe in a kitchen full of the latest gadgets, I admit to buying up more than a few and then throwing out the ones I barely use. Ok… trying to throw them out. Thank goodness for my recent move encouraging me to lighten the load of kitchen equipment. But one gadget-laden thing I have bought recently is this poster from Pop Chart Lab which reads like an intervention for Kitchen Gadgets Anonymous.

I’m not going to admit to how many items on that list I already own or have owned at one point. But I will say that I’ve never owned a melon baller or pie weights. No comment on the rest of them, but at least I’ll have a guide gracing my kitchen to keep score–I mean track. And if I have any food neophytes over for a visit, they’ll have this handy chart providing a visual reference when I ask them to hand me something instead of staring blankly and handing me a pairing knife when I demanded for a shrimp deveiner.