How Do You Milk an Almond?

Now I have tried soy milk and honestly I do not like it at all.  I do not like the taste whether plain, vanilla or chocolate, and the after taste is even worse.  I kept seeing commercials for almond milk and this interested me somewhat.  Being diabetic, I knew that almonds, as a snack, reduce blood sugar and blood pressure levels; so could this almond milk do the same?  I purchased a carton of Silk brand Pure Almond, Vanilla Flavor, Unsweetened to try out, not just on cereal as the commercials suggest, but also for my coffee.  50% more calcium than milk, only one gram of carbs per a one cup serving, and loaded with vitamins; how bad could it taste...its almonds.

On cereal, it was pretty good; it enhanced the whole grain flakes with a subtle flavor of vanilla and almond.  My cereal already had a sweetener added to it and good thing. The almond milk alone is very bland tasting of watery almonds, and no wonder why!  I looked up how almond milk is made; basically almonds are soaked in water for 8-12 hours.  Strained (wouldn't that remove some of the nutrients?), then blended with filtered water until smooth.  It is strained twice more to remove any fibers or particles before it can be used.  During the blending process, sweeteners can be added, or not; and nutrients added in also; I guess to replace the ones that went out with the "bathe" water.   So yes, it is basically watery almond juice of sorts.  Oh, and my blood sugar reading afterwards was lower than if I used skim milk, so a plus in the "on cereal" column.







Next came the real test for me, how does it match up against coffee creamers (sugar free of course) or half n' half?  First I tried it without adding any sweetener to my coffee (regular, not flavored)...not good.  Again the subtle hint of vanilla and almond, but the bitter coffee taste was still strong.  I added two packets of stevia, much better, but not quite there.  I added two more packets and there it was, just the sweetness I liked and the vanilla and almond flavors were much stronger too. 









 
 
 


Now texture wise I wasn't too happy; it was very thin, thinner than even skim milk.  It also looked like milk that had been watered down...a lot.  I like my coffee light, but the almond milk only achieved a muddy looking color.  I also had to use twice the amount of almond milk, as opposed to creamer or half n' half, to get it to that coloring.  While the taste, with the stevia added in, was fine; the coloring really turned me off.

 

 

Basically, using almond milk for cereal is fine, if you don't mind the watery texture.  Using it for coffee though gets a huge thumbs down from me.  Drinking it as a substitute for milk; well I won't give judgment on that as it was unsweetened, and milk has its own natural sugar to sweeten it. 

Mary Cokenour

Vanilla and Chocolate in One Cheesecake; No Complaints Here.

I guess it has only been about a year or so since Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese introduced their "Indulgence" line. During the 2012 holiday season, I pulled out of a cooking magazine a recipe for their "Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake", but didn't get around to making it.  Last week though, I took my mother-in-law out for dinner, yes we get along very well, and she kind of hinted that I hadn't made her a cheesecake in awhile. Looking through my cheesecake recipes, I came across that recipe I had pulled from the magazine; as I read it, changes came to mind. Instead of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies for the crust, how about chocolate cookies? Instead of fruit as a garnish, what about more cookies, or chocolate candy?

I wanted this cheesecake to be all about the vanilla and the chocolate, no other flavors would do.  I crushed up Oreo cookies that had chocolate filling instead of the traditional white cream; no mixing with butter, prebaking or cooling in the refrigerator.  As the vanilla layer baked, the chocolate filling oozed up into the cake layer here and there to create little pockets of chocolate inside the vanilla.  When I removed the springform pan, a little side piece broke off and it tasted so good!  For the chocolate mousse topping, I increased the amount used from one eight ounce container of Milk Chocolate Indulgence to two and only used the recommended two cups of whipped topping.  Oh my, Oh my, Oh my!!!  Drooling yet? 

When it comes to baking I've always been told that you have to follow all the precise measurements, ingredients and rules.  Sometimes being a rule breaker can be a really great experience.

 

 

Vanilla Cheesecake with Chocolate Mousse

 

Ingredients:

14 Oreo cookies with chocolate filling
2 (8 oz) packages plain cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 (8 oz) containers Philadelphia Brand Milk Chocolate Indulgence Cream Cheese
2 cups whipped topping
10 Hershey kisses

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325F; spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and spray the paper with the nonstick baking spray. Put 12 of the Oreo cookies into a resealable plastic bag, crush them and spread them out over the parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat the plain cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs until smooth; about 5 minutes on high speed. Spread mixture evenly over the cookies and bake for 35-40 minutes; cool cake on counter for a half hour, then for two hours in the refrigerator.

While cake is cooling, set milk chocolate cream cheese containers on the counter to soften. Once cake is cooled, remove from refrigerator. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute on high. Fold in the whipped topping until well incorporated and a uniform chocolate coloring. Spread over the cake in pan; place back in refrigerator for one hour to set.

When ready to serve, use a sharp knife to help release cake sides from pan before opening springform. Place unwrapped kisses evenly around cake; place remaining two Oreo cookies in center.

Makes 10 servings.

Note: Usually I bake cheesecakes in a bain marie, but since this cake was getting a topping, I wasn't concerned with the top cracking.  However, do wrap aluminum foil around the base of the pan, in case any fluidss find a way to seep out.

Mary Cokenour

"Sex in the Mouth" for Dessert.

There comes a time when you try out a new dessert and it's so good; well it's almost like your mouth is having an orgasm.  My latest cheesecake recipe is one such sweet dish...completely decadent and luscious.

For the holidays, it's not unusual for me to be making cookies, brownies and cheesecakes to give as gifts.  Normally I stick to my two favorite cheesecakes, "Mint Chocolate" or "Toffee Shortbread", but I had several bags of white chocolate chips leftover from cookie making and felt inspired.  I perused several baking books and online recipe sites for ideas; common ingredients were kept on the list, unusual ones discarded.  Baking temperatures were anywhere from 325F to 450F, so I kept to my normal 350F and water bath (bain-marie)baking technique.  As to time within the oven, the 60 minutes allows the cheesecake to bake entirely while the center still looks jiggly; yet it firms up completely once it sets overnight in the refrigerator.

The taste, however, is absolutely, without a doubt, completely decadent.  Rich, creamy, smooth and just the yummiest concoction your mouth could experience.  Nevermind the holidays, this would make a great dessert for Valentine's Day or any other special romantic occasion.  Enough said, lets get to the recipe for an ultimate cheesecake experience.

White Chocolate Vanilla Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust

2 cups ground graham crackers or Nilla wafers
8 oz unsalted butter, melted

Filling

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
8 oz white chocolate, melted
2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Spray the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray; line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with the spray also. Mix together the crust ingredients; press into bottom and slightly up sides of pan. Place in refrigerator while preparing the filling.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth; gradually add one egg at a time until incorporated. Slowly add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy; mix in the sour cream, melted chocolate and vanilla extract well.

Take pan out of refrigerator and place on aluminum foil which can be drawn up sides of the pan. Pour the filling over the crust and spread out evenly. Place pan into a roasting pan and pour warm water halfway up outside of pan. Bake for 60 minutes; turn off heat and prop oven door open slightly. Let cool for 45 minutes before removing springform pan and place in refrigerator overnight.

Loosen sides of cheesecake with knife before releasing lock on pan; lift off ring. Put large round plate over cheesecake and invert; remove bottom of pan and parchment paper. Flip cake onto another plate to cut and serve.

Option: puree mixed berries (strawberry, raspberry, black raspberry) and spread over top of cake; grate or shave white chocolate over puree.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour