Chocolate Layered Marshmallow Cheesecake

Hi lovely people out there,

This time I don't have a long essay regarding my updates on my pastry career. Instead I have a recipe!

It is (like the title says) Chocolate Layered Marshmallow Cheesecake.

This is what it looks like in the pan:

Actually this was a mistake since I wanted to be a Chocolate Swirled Marshmallow Cheesecake, but I'll explain later why this turned out instead of the swirled effect.

First of all, I didn't come up with this base recipe for the Marshmallow Cheesecake recipe, so I did my research and it took me to thesweet-toothlife.com. I have to give credit to Mary Frances, the creator of the blog, for the base recipe of the Marshmallow Cheesecake. Her rendition includes a fabulous swirl of raspberry sauce, which does provide a lovely balance of sweet and tart.

Base Recipe:http://thesweet-toothlife.com/2014/04/raspberry-swirled-marshmallow-cheesecake/

My rendition of this Cheesecake has a thin, crispy Oreo Cookie Crust and an extra special layer of chocolate on top.

The picture above doesn't show a springform pan; I've used an 8-inch cake pan. Nowadays I don't like using a springform pan because I have to wrap the entire pan with foil so no water sips in. It's just easier to spray the cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle. The recipe below will have details on how to unmold the cheesecake.

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Chocolate Swirled Toasted Marshmallow Cheesecake

Yield: 12 servings

Equipments: 1 8-inch cake pan, Parchment paper, Nonstick cooking spray

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup Oreo Cookies, finely crushed

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup packed marshmallows (16 large ones)

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup milk

70g (about 3 oz) melted semisweet chocolate

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix together the Oreo cookie crumbs and butter until it resembles wet sand. Pour it into an 8-inch cake pan. Press it flat without going up the sides. Bake it in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool outside.

For the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about two minutes.

Add eggs, and vanilla together one at a time; mixing until smooth. Set aside.

Toast marshmallow under the broiler until almost black. Flip it over with a large offset spatula.

Melt marshmallows, butter, and milk in a small saucepan. Stir constantly for a couple minutes until mixture is completely melted. Strain through a chinois or a fine sieve.

Stir marshmallows into cream cheese mixture.

Pour the cheesecake batter over the cooled crust; leaving behind about a cup of batter.

Add the melted chocolate stirring quickly until smooth.

Pour the chocolate cheesecake batter on top and swirl until your desired marble effect.

Place the cake pan into a larger baking pan to create a water bath by filling the baking pan halfway the side of the cake pan with boiling hot water. A water bath will ensure more even baking (and will prevent the top of the cheesecake from cracking.)

Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn off the oven, crack the door slightly open and let cool slowly until room temperature.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight before serving. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.

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To unmold a cheesecake out of a 8-inch cake pan, your going to need:
           a flat plate or plastic wrapped 8-inch cake board,
           serving plate
           a blow torch, gas stove, or a large pot of hot water
If your using the;
           Blow Torch: flip the cake pan onto a plate or a plastic wrapped cake board (if you have one), torch the bottom and sides.
           Gas Stove: Turn the flame to medium-low. Using oven gloves, hover the cake pan bottom and sides over the flame (this may take up to 2 minutes to unmold).
           Hot water: Dip the cake pan until it reaches halfway up the pan. Let it sit for 45 seconds. If it doesn't melt the fat, dip the sides. (This would be my last choice because I don't want water in my cheesecake.)

To tell if the fats have melted, the knife will slide easily between the pan and the cake. Flip the cake over and lift the pan out. Flip the cheesecake back over onto your serving plate. Cut your portions and enjoy!

I have pictures!:

My Opinion: I was disappointed on the marble effect and that's mainly blame on myself because I didn't swirl it enough. I also left too much of the batter in the second pour for the chocolate layer, so it became more of a chocolate cheesecake instead, but I LOVE my mistakes and it actually looks good. The taste of this cheesecake is GOOD! The initial flavor is the cream cheese, then the semisweet chocolate, and lastly the very light taste of the toasted marshmallow. It was very creamy and crispy from the cookie layer, added another dimension to this dessert.

I really hope you would try this recipe out one day. And I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing this.

If you have any question for me, leave a comment down below.
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If you want to follow me on Instagram, I'm at @andyliang89. I post the same pictures that are found here on my Instagram feed like a Sneak Peek to what's found in detail on this blog.

Thank you!

Seriously Long Overdue Update

To begin with, I have to apologize for the long overdue update. It's been about a year and a half since I've written a post. I have to say it's been a crazy year and a half with great fun and support from everyone I'm around with.

Let's continue from where I left off,
As you all know I attend a culinary school at New York City called International Culinary Center in Soho. After a month of searching a job, I found a "home" at Lafayette restaurant as an Extern at first. I've worked as a Banquet Cook, Garde Manger, then Hot Apps (in that exact order) for about 9 months in total.

As I was working as a Line Cook, I saw a position in Lafayette's Pastry department. In a matter of a couple of weeks, I became the new Pastry Cook. I've worked Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner services. Even though it was only a month that I was a Pastry Cook, I learned a lot from the chef there and would've loved to continue my career there. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay in the restaurant I called "home" (because it was my first restaurant fresh out of culinary school), but I found a new "home" and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Fast forwarding to the present now, I'm currently working at a Soho restaurant called The Dutch as a Pastry Cook. Again, I'm loving every minute I step into the restaurant because the vibe the Pastry team has just feels like home with supporting teammates helping out.

During the "flying" couple of months, I've been testing different cake recipes and I think I found one that my entire picky family actually enjoys. It is actually from Woodland Bakery Blog.

The recipe is called Yellow Cake: http://www.woodlandbakeryblog.com/yellow-cake-recipe/

This is an oil-based cake, so it stays moist even from the fridge (it doesn't make it into the fridge). I've made it into a 12-inch cake for a friend, a rectangular cake for a family dinner (with homemade strawberry jam in both of them).

I also took the cake and rolled it into a Swiss Roll with Whipped cream and diced fresh strawberries a filling. It didn't turn out that well because the cake just wanted to tear and make holes (probably the cake doesn't have enough gluten since it uses cake flour). Nonetheless, the final result tasted good and that's my culinary side of me doing the talking. Additionally eating the cake just as a snack, is really good for curing that sweet tooth.

Begin new to the Pastry industry, I've been having concerns on my pastry knowledge and skills, and my culinary knowledge as well. Not having the formal training has always made me feel insecure about how well I'll do in the industry, but the best advice for those who made the same transition as I've made, is to keep your head down, learn as much and fast as you can. I did that for 6 months now and I've never regretted my decision to follow my passion in Pastry.

Now I don't know if anyone has felt this but as a Young Cook who made the transition from Culinary to Pastry, I feel like I've been losing my touch from working on the Culinary side. All the knowledge that I've gained from the Culinary program is disappearing; leaving me with the knowledge of Pastry.

I've been reading a specific book called "The Pastry Chef's Apprentice" by Mitch Stamm. This book interviews a handful of pastry chefs and it talks about the journey that each one has been threw over the years. During each interview, I've compiled specific words that stood out relating to the title "Pastry Chef".

This is the picture I've picked from the Word Cloud Program: www.wordle.net

I hope you enjoy my Seriously Lone Overdue Update. I have to say I miss blogging and sharing my experiences with certain recipes. I definitely enjoy testing recipe especially those that satisfy my sweet tooth. 

Please subscribe if you want to see more upcoming post. I'll try to post in the coming weeks about recipe testing and any updates I have in my Pastry career. 

Quick Update

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've posted anything. I'm sorry for not staying up to date, it's just that there's a lot of things juggling in my mind and events I have to attend. As of now I found the time to write a quick post.

The big news: I've offically graduated from Culinary School (International Culinary Center in New York City). I'm currently waiting for a job position I really want in a new restaurant that will open in the near future. In the meantime, I've been to keeping myself busy and also "training" myself to stay mentally fast similar to the speed when I was in Culinary School.

I've made a couple of things. Some that I'm very proud of, and others that I didn't take a photo of because of the results.

Here comes the pictures:

Both of these pictures were the birthday dinner party I catered for my high school friend. 

The menu consisted:

Nicoise-style Salad

Homemade Pasta in a Parmesan Broth with Peas and Enoki Mushrooms

French Onion Soup with Toasted Sourdough Bread and Melt Gruyere Cheese

Quiche Lorraine (Egg Custard Tart with Bacon and Gruyere Cheese)

Roasted Chicken Thighs Grandmother-style

Classic Beef Stew

Green Tea Cream Puffs with Green Tea Pastry Cream

Classic Napoleon layered with Pastry Cream and studded with Raspberries and Blueberries

My attempt on making Baked Red Bean Buns. The Red Bean Paste could use more moisture.

This was featured on my instagram (@boredbasterd) 

I made a Napoleon with Chocolate Mousse dusted with powdered sugar.

Not the best looking dessert but it tasted pretty good.

This was my proud attempt on making Fresh Homemade Super Soft White Toast Bread

It tasted lovely! Oh carbs HOW I ADORE YOU! 

That's all that I have for now. I will make sure I will keep everyone updated in my future in the culinary world! I'm loving this industry, maybe the wrong side of it. Should I go to pastry side? 

Please Subscribe to get the latest update and leave comment for me if you'd like! Hope you enjoy the lovely pictures and you can follow me on Instagram if you'd like to see all my photos. 

Food and Dining Review: Jane Restaurant NYC

Jane Restaurant in New York City

One of the very very popular brunch spots. So popular that when we had a reservation for 2 at 1 PM, the lady said they are running behind. To top it off, we arrived 20 minutes later than our scheduled reservation. So right off the bat, not to fond of it and then the waiting games begin. My friend and I waited outside the door for about 20-25 minutes I believe until another lady guided us to our table.

Walking into the back of the restaurant and it felt like the space is quite small for a brunch hotspot, but it still felt cozy. Falling comfortable into our seats, we scanned the menu quickly and saw what we liked. Being myself, I looked up the menu online and decided a couple of dishes (betting that my friend will pick the same dish I want). So we order the Benedict Jane and Benedict Johnny (turns out we wanted the same dish, then we laughed).

They look like this:

Benedict Jane

Benedict Johnny

We shared the dishes by exchanging 1 Benedict. I'd have to say both were not what I was expecting. I thought both dishes will have an explosion of flavors, but turns out I detected faint acidity from the hollandaise and the richness from the egg yolks.

Benedict Jane has 2 Poached eggs on a bed of Spinach under a Crab and Crawfish Cake, with a Tarragon Hollandaise. (From Jane Restaurant Menu)
I cut into it the yolk was oozing everywhere, which looked so good! After a few seconds of fumbling to get every element on my fork, I took a bite and the flavors were 1 dimensional. The crab cake wasn't seasoned that well; all I tasted was lemon, pepper, and a hint of crab. The texture was actually very soft, but I wanted the crab cake to be crispy and provide the texture dimension that was needed in this dish. The hollandaise was good and buttery with a good acidity; somewhat difficult to tell that it was tarragon hollandaise unfortunately. After taking a few bites, I realized that the only flavor that really stood out when eating each element is the very bland spinach that needed a lot of salt.

Note: Not too happy about the dish overall,

Benedict Johnny has 2 Poached Eggs on a Chicken Sausage under a corn pancake with a roasted tomato hollandaise. (From Jane Restaurant Menu)
This also had the sexy waterfall of oozing egg yolk. The main flavor was coming from the Sausage, which was wonderfully seasoned. The pancake was oddly sweet and dissolved when it touched the egg yolk puddle, so there wasn't a solid foundation for the sausage to sit on. The hollandaise was done well; I tasted a faint tomato flavor and it tied to the Benedict together.

Both of the Benedict dishes came with HOME FRIES!

If you haven't noticed the word home fries, above, is in caps; that would mean that they were GOOD!!! I said to my friend that if I had a plate of these Home Fries, I'd be happy! These were seasoned nicely (needed a touch more pepper for my taste) and crispy all around! I wanted to order another plate, but I knew we weren't going to be able to finish it. So I ended my meal by eating ALL the home fries and cleaning the plate of any leftover egg yolk puddles.

At the end, when we finished our plates, I mentioned about a drink at Jane that had positive reviews. Its called Cucumber Ginger Ale. We order this drink to share and it was SO REFRESHING! With bits of cucumber floating around the drink submerged in ginger ale that was lightly sweetened was a matched made in heaven, especially when it was summer months. I would order this again if I go back again.

So overall my experience was enjoyable, I was satisfied with my food (thank god the home fries were there), and the drink was Excellent! I'd recommend the restaurant itself, not so sure about the Benedict. You can try to see if you agree with what I say here. Please let me know what you think about Jane restaurant in NYC!

Side note: I know I haven't posted any pictures for a while now, and I plan to once I find the time. I'm currently in my last month of my culinary program and believe to be doing fine. Hope to post the pictures from a month ago, I was proud of what I've produced and I hope you will too.

Culinary photos #8

It's been a while since I've posted anything so I thought I'd take the time to write about what had happened during the last two weeks. I want to also mention the transition to the following level, which put a stop to my photography obsession. 

First off, starting the week off great, we had Wine day. Wine day is one entire school day where we learn about the basic types of wines from different types of grapes. We've also learned how to do basic wine pairings with specific dishes. So to not get myself drunk, we had to sign a form mentioning that we can only sip and spit the wine (so no drinking of any glass of wine).

The types of wine:

White: Riesling, Sauvginon Blanc, Chardonnay

Red: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabarnet Sauvginon, Syrah

Stack of paper for Wine Day

White Wines with lovely components like Sriracha, Smoked Almonds,

Salami, Salt, Butter, Lemon, Currant Jelly, and Chocolate Coveuture.

Red Wines

A few days later, I took the opportunity to volunteer for a company called Blue Ribbon Restaurants at Googa Mooga (A Food and Music Festival at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY). They are known for their Fried Chicken and also feeding chef's stomach late at night after their shift has ended. I'd love to visit all the restaurants and market to see what they produce on daily basis. During the volunteer experience, I've met the most respectful and "fun" chefs. They showed the thought process of setting up a outdoor booth with success while learning how to adapt with mother nature when she strikes. If it's possible, I'd work with them any time because the chefs always find the time to teach you something even when it's the lunch time rush.

During this experience, 2 other volunteers and myself were in charge of breading the chicken to be fried. I will not share the drafted recipe that the chefs told us (because I know there's something missing in the recipe). I might try to recreate it at home during my spare time, but the photo below will show the actual plate each customers gets when they pay for a Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken at the Googa Mooga. 

Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken dusted with secret spices (which I can't determine) and drizzled with Honey. 

Once we've finished volunteering, we had the opportunity to walk around the festival and try different food from other booths, so I walked up to this booth and ate this. (I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the booth)

Fried Soft Shelled Crab Sandwich with Lettuce and Mayo. The flavors were nice, but they were too salty for my taste.

 Now I have to mention this, I've advanced to the next level in my Culinary Program. On this level, I'm making a set of menu with my team 4 times a week and everything has to do with timing, so due to constant rush to finish on time, I don't have enough time to take photos of what my team has made. Some days, it can get really stressful, but I've manage to get through the day with "happy" smiles and stomachs.

Apple Tart garnished with Quenelle-Whipped Cream and Mint Leaf

Thank you everyone for reading and enjoying the photos. I've promised a recipe using a certain fish, but I haven't had the chance to complete it. I'll try to do it, but there will be changes from the original recipe I've presented to my chef instructor. Stay tune for more upcoming recipes and restaurant food blog post!

Mother's Day Sweet Treats!

Today is Mother's Day! It's time to celebrate all mothers in the world, for all that they have done all year long! Though we should celebrate everyday because mothers are hardworking everyday.

Now that I've been in culinary school, the most memorable course is Dessert, so I decided to make a luxurious Vanilla Bean Custard (or Creme Brulee without the Brulee). Nonetheless, it was very delicious and silky!

One day, I decided to head to Chelsea Market in New York City (near 8th Ave and 14th Street). I wandered the halls of the market and saw "Spices and Tease". They had array of spices and teas in shallow bowls all laid out; I was definitely in heaven. All the different smells and aromas igniting my creativity, but I was searching for something I could do for my mother. Then I see a small bottle of plump and moist Madagascar Vanilla Beans and that's when I knew I wanted to make Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta first. Unfortunately when I checked my baking supplies at home, I didn't have any gelatin, so I decided to make Vanilla Bean Custard (using eggs to bind instead of gelatin).

First the photos with the description and then I will provide the recipe down below.

6 Vanilla Bean Custard (had a bit of foam but it didn't change the flavor)

I wanted to show that there are actual Vanilla Beans in this Custard, so those black specs are proof!

Vanilla Bean Custard

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place an oven rack one-third of the way up from the bottom. Choose a small roasting pan large enough to hold four 6-ounce custard cups, and fill it with enough water to go halfway up the sides of cups. Place pan without cups in the oven. Meanwhile, combine cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan; bring to boil.
• 2. Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until completely combined, then pour into custard cups, and place them in the pan of hot water. Bake on the lower shelf until the custard has set and is no longer liquid when lightly touched in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, remove custard cups from the water, and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
• **I want to give credit to Martha Stewart. I used the recipe as my guide and made some alterations to the original recipe.**
• 
  

 There's a bonus!!! I brought home the Puff Pastry Dough that I've made in culinary school and I made these!!! They are call Palmier or Butterfly Cookies or Elephant Ear Cookies, whichever name you call them, Everyone can agree that Palmier are so DELICIOUS! Very Buttery and Caramel like! I'm drooling just typing what my experience were with these.

Please Admire the Melted Sugar in between each Palmier!

Hope you enjoyed this Mother's Day Sweet Treats! Please comment and Subscribe for new updates in my 6-month Culinary Program and upcoming new recipes. I'm slowly developing new recipes and sharing on this very blog! 

Stay Tune! 

Culinary photos #6 and 7

Hey Ladies and Gents. Last week I was so busy I didn't get a chance to post my photos. I had a volunteer event at my school. It was called the New York Culinary Experience. Please try out the experience next year. You get to work with famous chefs known around the world like Chef Morimoto, Chef Marc Murphy, Chef Jean-George, Chef Daniel Rose, and Chef Dan Barber; just to name a few. There are many more where that was. I wished I worked with all of the chefs on the two day event, but I still had a great time and was star-struck by all the famous chefs walking along the halls of my classroom. 

Now the photos that I've been procrastinating to post, since I've been so tired.   

Frozen Fruit Souffle; This Souffle will wait for you only if its in a cold environment

Swiss Meringue Cookies for the next photo; This was a collaboration with my partner that day,

so I piped a few out and my partner piped out the rest.

Meringue Chantilly; using Fresh Vanilla Ice cream filling with Whipped Cream Stars for Garnish. Dusted with Cocoa Powder

Cheese Souffle, using Gruyere Cheese

*Note: This was my first time making Souffles*

Chocolate Souffle

Raspberry Fruit Souffle

Cream Puffs

Apple Tart

Pear Tart with Almond Cream

Quiche Lorraine

La Genoise 

*My favorite day!*

Crepes Suzette

Puff Pastry Strip with Fresh Fruit and Pastry Cream

*My favorite as of this day*

Pan Seared Striped Bass over Lentils, 

Artichoke heart, fennel, and watercress salad

Falafel with Sauteed Zucchini tossed in a Tomato Caper Sauce with a side of tzatziki.

Warm Salad of Shrimp and Artichokes with Basil

Fresh Ricotta Cheese

Mushroom Risotto with Porcini, Cremini, Shitake, and Myataki mushrooms

The Cheese tasting we had in class.

Fresh Mozzarella 

Freshly Rolled Ricotta filling Ravioli made with a tomato sauce topped with cheese 

I hope you enjoy the 2 weeks of food porn. The next few days will be my Exam days and then

I will be advancing to the next level I hope. I am currently developing a recipe that I might post in the upcoming future. It involves a Flounder. 

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