Orange Honey & Ricotta Cheesecake

"Thank you for being a friend... traveled down the road and back again..." The Golden Girls had it right. A cheesecake is the perfect accessory for any late night fest... an after dinner dessert... an mid-afternoon pick-me-up... or simply a great breakfast. Cheesecake is my guilty pleasure and I am happy to share this recipe with you!

Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis and her honey and ricotta cheesecake, I started to experiment, and come up with my own. The texture is smooth, slightly sweet, and the almond and orange burst on your taste buds the moment you take your first bite. A little lighter than a traditional cheesecake, you'll feel a little less guilty about eating that second slice! Enjoy...

12 servings
30 minute prep time
1 hour 20 minute cook time
6 hour set time

Ingredients
1/2 box (8 ounces) honey flavored graham crackers
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 (15 ounce) container of whole milk ricotta, room temperature
2 (8 ounce) packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange blossom honey
1 tablespoon almond extract
Zest of one orange
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, room temperature


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the outside of a springform pan with three layers of aluminum foil.

2. In a food processor pulse together graham crackers and brown sugar until no large chunks of cracker remain. Add melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture onto the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes.

3. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed mix ricotta until smooth. Add cream cheese and sugar mixing only until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add honey, almond extract, orange zest, and salt. Mix only until combined.

4. Still on low speed, add one egg at a time until combined. Do not over mix. Excess air will cause your cheesecake to crack and bubble.

5. Pour the cheese mixture over the crust. Place the springform pan into a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with warm water until it comes halfway up the side of the springform pan. Transfer to oven and bake for roughly 1 hour and 5 minutes until the top is golden and the center of the cake jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken. The cheesecake will firm up when it is chilled.

6. Remove spring form pan from water bath and let cool 1-2 hours. Loosely place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the cheesecake and refrigerate over night or for at least 6 hours.

7. To release from pan, run a butter knife under hot water and then around the edge of the springform pan. Once the cake has been separated from the sides, open the springform. Warm the butter knife again and slide it underneath the crust to separate it from the bottom of the springform pan. Carefully transfer cake to a flat plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, garnish with an orange rind, and serve!

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Quick & Dirty Tips

Preventing cracks and bubbles are key to having your cheesecake look fabulous and not taste dried out. So, here are the three "must never be broken rules" when it comes to making your own.

1. Don't over mix the ingredients... you don't want to add extra air to the batter.

2. Use room temperature (68-76 degree) ingredients.... helps ingredients combine easily.

3. Don't skip the water bath... it helps the cake cook evenly rather then the sides cooking faster then the middle.

Other tips: Use Philadelphia cream cheese... it just tastes better! You can substitute any type of honey for the orange blossom honey. If you use low-fat or no-fat ricotta or cream cheese, expect your cheesecake to taste low-fat or no-fat! Blah...

Lemon Curd Tassie Cups

I love tart-yet-sweet-treats that make your mouth pucker. A few weeks ago while watching Paula Deen on the Food Network, I was amazed at the look of her creation: mini pastry cups filled with a tart lemon curd. So, I whipped up a batch the next day at The Pomegranate Inn, and now, a few weeks later, I am ready to post my own recipe for these delicious treats.

I've added a bit more pucker to the curd and sweetened up the tassie cup just a little bit... Enjoy!!!

24 cups (12 servings)
15 minutes prep time
60 minutes inactive time
10 minutes cook time

Ingredients
Tassie Cups
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Curd
4 large lemons, zested & juiced
1/8 cup bottled or fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted

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1. Place all ingredients for the tassie cups into food processor and process on low until a single pastry ball forms. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, press into a disk, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Using 2 ungreased 12-cup mini-muffin pans, divide pastry into 24 even balls, and press into the bottom and sides of each cup. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and remove from pans.

4. Heat a large sauce pan filled about a 1/3 of the way with water until it is boiling. Reduce to a simmer. Meanwhile...

5. In food processor, place lemon zest and sugar and process until well combined. Add the squeezed lemon juice, the fresh or bottle lemon juice, lemon extract, and eggs to the sugar mixture and process till smooth. Slowly add the butter through the feed tube until well combined.

6. Place mixture in a metal bowl and place over the simmering water creating a double boiler. Whisk the mixture until and the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened; about 5-10 minutes.

7. Spoon the warm lemon curd into each tassie cup. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Don't throw away any extra lemon curd... eat it by the spoonful yourself!

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Quick & Dirty Tips
If you are in a rush while making the curd, whisk in the double boiler until the mixture does not seem to thicken anymore. Transfer the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice. Continue to whisk mixture to cool it and it should thicken a great deal more.

When panning up the tassie cups, really press the pastry onto the sides of the muffin tin. It may seem very thin, but it expends a great deal while cooking.

If you want the powdered sugar, wait for everything to cool down... otherwise, it just melts!

Marmalade-Stuffed French Toast with Orange Syrup

Found this recipe in an old Bon Appetit magazine a long time ago and have made my own little changes to it. It is a great twist on French Toast and easy to make! As much as I would love to eat it each and every time I make it, I know I should really only have it once a year. Great for a holiday breakfast when calories don't count!

4 servings
10 minute prep time
20 minute cook time

Ingredients
Filling
1 8oz brick of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup marmalade
1/4 cup powdered sugar

French Toast
1 French loaf bread
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Butter

Syrup
3/4 cup orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup butter
1 cup simply syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Zest of 1 orange

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Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees and prepare a baking sheet.

2. Combine orange juice concentrate, butter, and simple syrup in a small sauce pan. Stir over low heat until butter melts. Keep mixture on low heat until it reduces by 25%. Add cinnamon and orange zest, mix, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat or keep warm.

3. In a kitchen mixer, cream together cream cheese, marmalade, and powdered sugar. Set aside.

4. Cut French loaf bread into 8 equal parts, at least 1 inch thick. Cutting through the top crust of each slice, make a pocked in each slice of bread. Spoon a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese and marmelade mixture into the center of each slice.

5. In a large kitchen bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

6. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip 4 stuffed bread slices into egg mixture and place in hot skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer French toast to baking sheet and place in preheated oven. Repeat dipping and cooking until all bread slices are cooked.

7. Serve 2 French toasts to a plate and top with warm orange syrup. Enjoy!

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Quick & Dirty Tips
Stuffing the toast can be a bit messy. I suggest putting the bread in the fridge over night and slicing it cold with a bread knife. I then use a paring knive to make the pocket. Instead of spooning the filling in, I put all the filling into a piping bag and pipe it into the pocket.

Orange syrup can be made several days in advance. Just reheat when ready to use.

If you don't want to use French bread, you can use two slices of white bread. Make a sandwich with the filling and then cut in half. Dip in the egg mixture and serve one "full sandwich" to a plate.

Eggs Benedict with Orange Mock Hollandaise

This recipe is actually a little healthier over real hollandaise sauce and tastes so good! Why a mock hollandaise? Well, when people are eating over a course of an hour or two, it is so easy for real hollandaise to separate and/or over-cook. The mock sauce is much more forgiving and only needs a stir every 15 minutes or so. The less I have to remember, the better!

You'll be amazed when you try the orangey-citrus flavor on top of eggs... it blew my mind! Who knew those flavors went so well together? I like my yokes runny so under poach if I'm at your breakfast table...

6 Servings
10 minute prep time
15 minute cooking time

Ingredients
6-12 slices of 1/4-inch thick deli ham (Black Forrest or maple)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Zest of 1 large orange
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Few drops of your favorite hot sauce, i.e. Tabasco
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 English muffins, split, and toasted
Softened butter
12 eggs
Chopped fresh basil

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Preparation
1. First, zest orange and then juice it. In the top pan of a double-boiler or small metal mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, and hot sauce until well blended. Set aside or cover and refrigerate.

2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Fill bottom half of a double boiler with water and set over medium-high heat. Fill a skillet with 2 inches of water, add vinegar and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. While waiting...

3. Using a biscuit cutter, cut ham slices into 12 rounds or trim into pieces big enough to cover the size English muffin you are using. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham rounds and cook on both sides until they begin to brown; about 2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and transfer to oven to keep warm.

4. Start preparing English muffins. Toast, butter each half, and then transfer to the oven to keep warm. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

5. Stir mock hollandaise sauce over bottom double-boiler until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At the same time...

6. Reduce heat of poaching water to simmer. Crack one egg into a cup. Using a spoon, stir in one direction to create a "whirlpool" in the skillet. Remove spoon and quickly drop the egg in the middle. This will create a perfectly shaped poached egg. Cook until the whites are set and yoke is to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for a medium-set yoke. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and then to the oven to keep warm.

7. The Build: 2 English muffin halves on each plate. 1 slice of ham on each half of English muffin. 1 tablespoon mock hollandaise. 1 egg atop each half and drown it all with more mock hollandaise. Sprinkle with freshly chopped basil and serve immediately.

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Quick & Dirty Tips
I don't usually put the eggs in the oven since I am serving usually only two at a time. To make up for this, I use two saute pans so that I can make two poached eggs at the same time. I then transfer them with a slotted spoon right on to the ham and English muffin.

Roasted sweet potatoes go great with this dish!