Tiny cheesecakes and pies
lighten up the dessert tray
Frances Pons says none of her recipes are secrets -- in fact, she adapts most from "Joy of Cooking" or an old Good Housekeeping cookbook. It's just that she makes 'em tiny and spends a lot of time decorating.
And sometimes she'll boost the flavorings -- after all, you have to make a complete impression in just one bite.
The key, she says, is patience, especially when it comes to unmolding. She suggests refrigerating the pastries several hours, then carefully unmolding, using a sharp knife to loosen the sides first.
She created this taro cheesecake recipe for Nicole McCrae. Pons notes that different brands of taro produce different colors. The Poi Co.'s product turned out a pale beige cheesecake, while Haleiwa Poi resulted in the more traditional purple, which she intensified with a drop of blue food coloring.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease 4 mini-muffin pans.Miniature Taro Cheesecake
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup poi
2 eggs, at room temperature>> Crust:
2 cups graham cracker or shortbread cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
To make crust: Combine all ingredients. Press dough into bottoms of cups in muffin pans.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla on low speed until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl and beaters; beat some more. Add taro and beat until smooth, scraping again. Add eggs one at a time, blending the first in completely before adding the next. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake 35 minutes.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight before unmolding. Makes about 45 cheesecakes.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Miniature Taro Cheesecakes are topped with whipped cream and sprinkles for Valentine's Day.
This mini-pie recipe is in response to David Oshiro's dilemma. He wrote just after Thanksgiving to note that his family has an annual argument over what kind of pie to make for the big feast. His favorite is Dutch apple, but he usually loses out to the more traditional pumpkins and custards.
Offering these little pies is a good peace-keeping alternative. In a couple of bites they're gone and there's still plenty of room on the plate and in the tummy for a slice of something else.
To make crust: Blend cream cheese, butter and sugar on low speed until just combined. Add flour and mix to incorporate. Do not overmix. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a flat, round disc. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.Miniature Dutch Apple Pie
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon lemon juice or finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons melted butter>> Crust:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
10 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/2 cups flour>> Streusel topping:
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cinnamon
6 ounces cold unsalted butter, in 1/2-inch pieces
To make filling: Toss together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, toss apples with lemon juice or zest. Pour butter over apples and toss to coat. Combine with brown sugar mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 3 mini-muffin pans. Form chilled dough into 1-inch balls and press each ball into the cup of muffin pan, covering the bottom and sides almost to the top. Fill each cup with apple mixture. Bake 20 minutes.
To make topping: Combine all ingredients except butter. Add butter and beat on low speed until coarse and mealy, forming pea-sized pieces. Top each "pie" with streusel and return to oven for 30 minutes.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before unmolding. Makes at least 3 dozen.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Click for online
calendars and events.
