Peach Cream Cheese Pie

(Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 255). Also included in  Maida Heatter's Pies & Tarts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg.72).

My mother used to make a store-bought cheesecake with cherries that came in a box and we all loved it. This reminds me of it. It is delicious and addictive. It is very sweet though and I think I would reduce the sugar a bit the next time.

I actually made Maida's crumb crust this time and it turned out nicely. You can use a store-bought crust or use another crumb recipe that isn't as involved as Maida's.

I used frozen peaches and drained them. The recipe actually calls for fresh peaches.

1 9-inch baked crumb crust
12 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream, sour cream or Creme Fraiche
2 eggs

Topping

About 3 large, freestone peaches
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Have the pie shell ready and waiting in the freezer before you begin.

Position the oven rack one-third from the bottom and preheat to 350.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat until mixed.

Beat in the cream and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. (Do not beat more than necessary after adding the eggs; it should not be airy).

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand until cool. Refrigerate an hour or overnight.

Peach Topping

If using fresh peaches, peel them and place them in a bowl of water with some lemon juice. If using frozen peaches, unthaw and drain the excess liquid.

Place the preserves in a small pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they come to a boil. Simmer for a minute, then force them through a strainer. Stir in the almond extract.

Bush a thin layer of the preserves over the top of the pie. (Save some of the preserves to brush the peaches).

Drain the peaches, cut in half, removing the pit, and then cut each half into about six lenghtwise slices. Drain the slices on a towel. Arrange over the top of the pie, slightly overlapping.

Brush the remaining preserves over the peaches.

Refrigerate.

Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp

(Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 205). Also included in  Maida Heatter's Pies & Tarts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg.145.

Earlier this summer, we bought ten pounds of peaches from a local organization that sells fresh produce from local farms. We froze some of them, which means you can have peach desserts in the off-season. Although the recipe calls for fresh peaches, these worked fine for me. 

This is very easy to make.

3 lbs. (about 9 medium peaches, preferably freestone
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg, beaten

3 oz. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

Makes 6 portions

Use the lower third oven rack. Preheat the oven to 400. Butter the baking dish - you will need a 2-quart capacity dish (such as an 11 x 8 x1.5).

I used peaches that I had frozen but if using fresh ones, blanch and peel them first. Then cut in half and remove the pits. Cut the halves into wide slices. You should have about 6 cups. Place them in a bowl and cover the lemon juice and vanilla. Toss gently with a rubber spatula.

If using frozen peaches, thaw them first and then spread in the buttered baking dish and drizzle with the lemon juice and vanilla. 

Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Stir the almond extract into the egg. Drizzle it and the melted butter over the dry ingredients and stir well with a fork until the mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle the crumbs loosely over the peaches.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

If the topping still pale, place under the broiler for a few seconds until slightly browned.

Serve hot or warm. Serve alone or with ice cream. 

Pyrex Basics 2 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish, Clear 11.1 in. x 7.1 in. x 1.7 in.
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Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie
(Source: Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 158). Also included in  Maida Heatter's Pies & Tarts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg.77.

I will not be winning any awards for pie-making any time soon. I still find them difficult even after finding a crust recipe that I like. This recipe is fairly easy but my crust was not deep enough and it was close to over-flowing.

For the filling, I used the combination of heavy cream and milk as I didn't have light cream.

This pie is very light, almost like a mousse. Very mild flavor, perhaps a bit more spice would be good.

1 9-inch deep pie shell, frozen, unbaked
1 3/4 cups light cream (or 1 cup heavy cream and 3/4 cup milk)
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups canned pumpkin (solid, not pumpkin pie filling)

Preheat the oven to 450.

Crust - you can use a pre-made crust or make your own. Maida's crust recipe is here. Or you can use any pie crust recipe you'd prefer (I like this one).  Whichever one you use, place it in the freezer until you are ready to fill it.

Place the cream (or heavy cream and milk) in a saucepan over medium heat. Let is stand until a slightly wrinkled skin forms on top or tiny bubbles appear around the edge.

Beat the eggs lightly using a wire whisk. Beat in the vanilla, sugar, salt and spices.

Add the pumpkin mix with a spatula.

Gradually stir in the hot cream.

Remove the pie crust from the freezer and fill it.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450, then reduce the heat to 350. Bake for an additional 40 - 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle of the pie comes out clean. (It took the full 50 minutes for me).

The filling will firm up as it cools. Cool on a rack and serve with whipped cream when barely warm or at room temperature.

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated or confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip all ingredients together in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until soft peaks form.

Can be served on top of the pie or to the side.

Anchor Hocking Oven Basics 9.5-Inch Deep Pie Plate, Clear

The Robert Redford Cake

The Robert Redford Cake (source: Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982. pg. 178.)

The recent death of Robert Redford reminded me that I had never made this cake. The cake has a confusing history. Maida herself first saw the recipe in the magazine Chocolate News. It was a recipe from Hisae restaurant in New York City and named for the actor who loved the cake. Later, Maida was in NYC and visited Hisae and ordered the cake. She knew immediately that it was different from the one in the magazine.  She got the recipe from the restaurant and it is the one in her book. She never solved the mystery as to why they were different.

Flash forward some fifty years later, and when you do a search for "Robert Redford Cake", you get something very different from this recipe. Most likely, search results give you a popular layered dessert with a shortbread-like crust, a filling made with sweetened condensed milk, and a pudding layer sprinkled with a toffee/butterscotch sprinkling. I remember the recipe well.  Every time you attended a function where people brought desserts, it was sure to be there. It was then called "Better Than Sex Cake". I know my mother made it, but she would never have called it that. 

So this cake, entirely different, is a chocolate honey cake with a velvety, nutty texture and subtle chocolate and honey flavor. It is delicious and reminds me of some of the wonderful tortes that I've made in the past. The technique is a little different from most of her other recipes. I wasn't sure about the icing, which is more like a pudding, but it tastes wonderful. Maida says to make making individual servings of the whipped cream to go with each slice of cake when serving. 

6 1/2 oz. (1 1/4 cups) blanched hazelnuts or almonds

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup honey

10 large eggs, separated

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a springform pan (or 10 x 3" round pan) and line the bottom with parchment or baking paper. Lightly dust with bread crumbs.

Blanch the almonds or hazelnuts and grind them in a food processor to a fine powder.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and let it come to room temperature, stirring occasionally (I used an ice-water bath to speed this up).

Beat the butter until softened.

Gradually add the honey and beat until smooth.

Add the egg yolks, a few at a time, and blend well.

The mixture will appear curdled.

Add the chocolate and mix well, scraping the bowl as necessary. The mixture should now appear smooth.

Add the ground nuts.

In a separate, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites. Add the salt and beat until the egg whites form soft peaks.

Fold one-third of the egg whites at a time into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated. This makes a lot of batter. (A stand-mixer bowl is adequate but if you are using a hand mixture, you will need a large bowl.)

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350. Bake an additional 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (40 minutes worked for me). After turning the oven off, allow the cake to sit in the open oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

During cooling, the cake will shrink a little.

After cooling, carefully remove from the pan. 

ICING

3/4 cup heavy cream

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream until a wrinkled skin forms on top.

Reduce the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and smooth.

Transfer the icing to a bowl to cool completely (again, an ice-bath helps). Occasionally stir. The icing should gradually become slightly thicker.

Pour the icing over the top of the cake and smooth.

The cake can be served immediately or later. Serve with whipped cream.

WHIPPED CREAM

For every cup of heavy cream, add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar or granulated sugar or one tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Use a chilled bowl and whisk to beat the cream until it holds a soft shape. 

KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield
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Nordic Ware Pan Springform, 9 Inch, Charcoal

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Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper

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