Cheese info (2 of 3)
1 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | x | Information on Cheeses follo |
| 1 | x | (This is part 2 of 3) |
| CREAM Many of the recipes call for cream, either | ||
Directions
sweet or sour. Usually the cream is added to lighten the cake or provide a richer flavor. SWEET CREAM: Cream comes in several different grades, depending upon the fat content. Heavy cream contains about 40 percent butterfat, 5 percent milk solids, and over 50 percent water. it has about 53 calories per Tablespoon. Light cream contains about 20 percent butterfat and 7 percent milk solids; the rest is water. It has about 32 calories per Tablespoon. Half and half, a blending of heavy cream and milk has about 12 percent butterfat, 7 percent milk solids and 51 percent water. It has about 20 calories per Tablespoon. Heavy cream is added to the ingredients of a cheesecake most often as whipped cream. When whipped, heavy cream will double in volume; for best results, use a chilled bowl and chilled beaters. Often confectioners sugar is added as the cream begins to stiffen to help retain the volume. Heavy cream is perishable, so buy only as much as you plan to use within the next few days. A new ultrapasteurized type of cream is now widely available which has a much longer life. Many people find that it does not whip up as high and that it lacks much of the flavor of the more traditional kind. We leave the choice to you. Light cream is used less often in baking but is available in most supermarkets. It is also very perishable and should be purchased in small quantities. In most cheesecake recipes where light cream is indicated, half and half may be substituted. Half and half is also available in most supermarkets, but you can mix up your own from equal quantities of whole milk and heavy cream. SOUR CREAM: This is cream that has been processed commercially so as to be soured under ideal conditions. It contains about 20 percent butterfat, about 7 percent milk solids and the remainder is water. There are about 30 calories per Tablespoon.
Sour cream is sold in containers varying from one half pound to one pound. It is usually dated, so check for freshness when you purchase the container. Sour cream will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Most brands seem to be uniformly good. SUGAR AND OTHER SWEETENERS Every desert cheesecake requires a sweetening of some kind. Most of the recipes use granulated sugar. However, it is possible to substitute brown sugar or honey in almost all of the recipes. HONEY: Remember that honey will make your cheesecakes darker, which you may find undesirable. And, since it is less soluble than granulated sugar, it is necessary to be especially careful that it is blended into the cheese mixture. Honey is used as the sweeter in such cheese cakes as Yogurt No-Bake Cheesecake and No Bake Honey Cheese Pie, but if you want to use it in other cakes, you must adjust the quantities. Since honey is sweeter and has a higher moisture content than granulated sugar, use one-third less honey by volume and, when possible, reduce the volume of other liquids by one-fourth cup for each cup of honey used. This can be done by appropriately varying the proportions of dry (cream cheese) and moist (sour cream) dairy products. BROWN SUGAR: This is fine crystals of sugar coated with molasses, sold in either a dark or light form. Brown sugar is used as an ingredient in the Praline Cheesecake, but could be substituted for granulated sugar in other cakes as well. As with the honey, brown sugar will make your cake darker, and you must blend it in well. Measurements will remain the same. We don't recommend using the granulated brown sugar or the liquid form of brown sugar.
CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR: Also commonly available, this sugar has been crushed to a fine powder similarly in texture to cornstarch. It is used in cheesecakes primarily in beating egg whites as a means of stiffening them. Often it is also added to whipped cream as a sweetening. FLOUR AND OTHER THICKENING AGENTS Although eggs are generally best for holding together the ingredients of a successful cheesecake, there are several other ingredients that can be used in addition or in place of them. Flour and cornstarch also thicken the batter and stabilize the moisture content. FLOUR: In most recipes, we indicate either all purpose flour or self rising flour. The all-purpose flour can be either bleached or unbleached and today usually comes pre-sifted. If not, sift before measuring. Self-rising flour is bleached flour to which has been added a leavening agent such as baking powder. Whichever you use, remember to use it judiciously. Too much flour will make the cheesecake tough.
CORNSTARCH: Finer than flour, cornstarch is more effective as a thickening agent. As with the flour, too much cornstarch will leave your cheesecake tough. GELATIN: Unflavored gelatin is commonly available in one-ounce envelopes. It is a thickening agent that works best when refrigerated, thus this is the basic ingredient in most of the no-bake cheesecakes. It must be blended well with the ingredients and completely dissolved. Too much gelatin will make a rubbery cheesecake.