Fans Iron Chef, Week 3

[Park Kraken]

While the voting for last week's competition gets underway, let me put the secret ingredient for the third week.

Okay, this week's secret ingredient is....

Cream Cheese

And as before, all entree's are due in by Sunday. Good luck to everyone!

[Darven]

Ahhhh! You can read my mind!!!! I was planning to try out something new and it involved cream cheese - so now I'll just have to do that for the contest!

[Eluna Thals]

This should be interesting because it seems like the sort of ingredient that is of limited use. It'll be a challenge to break the mold.

I can think of about three things I might make, but I'm not sure they'll be good enough to win. I'm going to have to think about this :)

[Ryan Pode]

Cream cheese can be used in a variety of desserts.

[General Dan]

Thats true, but I've never really done well with dessert ;)

[Ryan Pode]

I just hope we don't make the same thing because you might make it.

[Liam Jinn]

Cream Cheese is good and all, but I was really hoping for Dolphin this week :(

[Wyl Staedtler]

=O

NO. :mad

[Lilaena De'Ville]

P'raps he meant mahi-mahi...

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I'm not being the taster for Charley this week. Cream cheese would kill me :(

[Park Kraken]

Cream Cheese is good and all, but I was really hoping for Dolphin this week :(

By all means, make the secret ingredient for week 4 if you want.

[Liam Jinn]

P'raps he meant mahi-mahi...

I was thinking fresh flipper :p



By all means, make the secret ingredient for week 4 if you want.

Oh I'll pick, but I'm not gonna cook anything. I don't want to burn down my house.

[Quenn Yeartel]

Yes but it's gotta be something we can all get, and DOLPHIN isn't one of them.

[Ryan Pode]

Yes but it's gotta be something we can all get, and DOLPHIN isn't one of them.

Just go to an asian foodmart.

[Quenn Yeartel]

Uhm.... there are no asian foodmarts over here that are big enough to carry dolphin.

[Wyl Staedtler]

We are not clubbing Flipper. That's like eating a toddler. :(


But mahi on the other hand... :yum

[Ryan Pode]

Uhm.... there are no asian foodmarts over here that are big enough to carry dolphin.

It wouldn't be the big ones that do. Dolphin is generally considered endagered. You need the dingy looking places.

[Quenn Yeartel]

Uhhh... I live in Germany. We don't get that wide a variety of asian food stores. They are all dingy and small and usually can't afford to import things that are illegal to import.

[Ryan Pode]

Don't know till you try. :)

[Liam Jinn]

Hrmm.. something available to everyone - Kittens! There ya go, everyone knows where to get fresh kittens.

Nobody yell at me *points fingers*

[Quenn Yeartel]

Now THAT might actually work. The crazy cat lady up the road might have a couple of those to spare...

And Ryan - we have ONE Asian store in this town. They don't have anything exotic. I know. I've rifled through their entire selection trying to find something interesting. About the only exotic "meat" I found were some cockroaches in a corner.

[Park Kraken]

Gotta get my entry in tonight because I'll be at work all day tomorrow.

Kraken's No-frills Cheesecake Souffle

Ingredient List:

1x8oz package Kraft's Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1xCup of Cool Whip
1/2xCup of White Sugar
3xGraham Crackers

Preparation:

Start by combining the cream cheese, cool whip cream, and sugar in a bowl, stirring by using either a spoon, fork, or mixers. Once well blended, hand crushed and add the Graham crackers in one at a time, stirring as you go. Once that is well blended, you are finished. Add cherry sauce if desired.

How it came out:

Absolutley delicious.

[Banner Laverick]

If you put that in a pie pan, you'd have no-bake cheese cake, which = thumbs up from me ^_^; I love cheese cake.

[Nya Halcyon]

Alright, let's see... here is my contribution:

Tortellini with Sausage and Goat-cheese sauce

This was, I have to admit, a bit of an experiment to see what sort of food I can make that is different but still edible in my daughter's opinion. I introduced her to home-made hummus last week, and soy milk, and she's had a bunch of things that I wouldn't have touched when I was a child (like frog legs, snails, oysters and mussels), so I figured I'd try the goat milk/cheese thing out on her.

To make this dish, I didn't have a recipe: I just used whatever I could find. Honestly, I'd not had time to go shopping for plain cream cheese that I was going to use in the original dish I had planned, so since I found a container of herb cream cheese I had to make something savoury instead of sweet.

So here are the ingredients:

http://www.nyahalcyon.net/misc/week3/three1.jpg

1 Package of Tortellini alla Genovese (filled with green pesto)
4 medium sized grill sausages (called Nuremberger Sausages here)
2 tsp oil
1 tsp honey (fresh one, which is fairly thick)
350ml Goats' milk
3 tbsp Cream Cheese with herbs
1 handful of fresh herbs (I used basil, citrus thyme, rosemary, oregano and one leaf of sage)
1 tbsp Goats' cheese paste (homemade paste of minced roasted garlic, feta cheese, olive oil and salt)
salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:

http://www.nyahalcyon.net/misc/week3/three2.jpg

As I was making this one up, there are a few things on that picture that I didn't include when I first started cooking.
First I sliced the sausage and then fried it in the oil until golden brown, then added the honey. The honey melts fairly fast and I mixed the sausage in so everything would be well coated in honey. I put this aside.

I put water into a pot with some salt and brought it to boil, then cooked the tortellini in there for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile I chopped the herbs until they were very finely cut, then added them to the milk. This was followed by the cream cheese and the goat's cheese paste, after which I had to stir very well to make sure to get rid of any lumps. The cream cheese isn't essential to this, really, but it usually makes a sauce a bit richer and helps thicken it.
This mix I added in with the sausage, put the pan back onto the heat and let it simmer at medium heat until the liquid was reduced by half and the sauce had thickened considerably. This took about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The tortellini I drained and divided into two bowls, then added the sausage and sauce over it, garnishing it with a sprig of sage and half a cherry tomato.

Et voila!

http://www.nyahalcyon.net/misc/week3/three3.jpg

And the verdict?

It tasted really yummy - something about the honey took some of the "strange taste" of the goat's cheese and milk away. And Nya liked it, too: she took a bite and said "yumm this is good" and when I told her that it had goat's cheese in it she simply shrugged and went on eating.

All in all a very successful experiment - and while cream cheese wasn't the main ingredient at least I did use it :p

[Ryan Pode]

In keeping with my "day at the game" theme, for my next item I have decided to do: Stuffed Jalapenos! Also known as Jalapeno Poppers.

What you will need:


1 Stick of cream cheese
1 2-cup bag of Cheddar cheese
Jalapenos, about a pound (12 regular sized ones)
1 cup of milk
1 cup of flour
2-3 cups of breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil


1. This is the hardest part, deseeding the jalapenos. I found what works best overall, is simple cut the jalapenos in half and then just cut out the seeds, then rinse it to wash away any left over seeds. Cutting jalapenos is like cutting a damned onion, I wanted to die the entire time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/veryangryjew/GEDC0484.jpg

2. Stick the cream cheese in the microwave for about 40 seconds.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/veryangryjew/GEDC0485.jpg

3. Mix the semi-melted cream cheese and the cheddar in a bowl.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/veryangryjew/GEDC0486.jpg

4. Spoon the cheese mix into the jalapenos, then put the two halves together, so they stick.
5. Put the milk in one bowl and the flour in another.
6. Dip the jalapenos in the milk, then in the flour so they're completely covered.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/veryangryjew/GEDC0487.jpg

7. Wait 10 minutes.
8. Dip the jalapenos in the milk, then the bread crumbs, again so that they're covered completely.
9. Repeat 7 and 8.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/veryangryjew/GEDC0488.jpg

10. On medium heat (maybe a little more), heat up the oil to fry the jalapenos. It only takes about 2-3 minutes for them to get that golden brown color, once they have it let them dry out on a towel.


Serve and enjoy.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/veryangryjew/GEDC0490.jpg


On a sidenote, I found them to be a bit crunchy, so I'm freezing them and then going to reheat them to see if that will soften up the jalapenos. I've also heard that soaking them in near boiling water for about 3-5 minutes does the trick as well.

[Park Kraken]

Mmm, I love poppers. Beef O'Bradys has them, although only select stores have the one appetizer I like more, Shrimp Jammers (basically you replace the Jalapenos with shrimp stuffed with a jalapeno cheese sauce). But at least now I have a basic recipe idea for Poppers.

The goat cheese dish looks delicious as well.

Oh, and FYI, whoever is putting up the secret ingredient for week 4, can go ahead and post up the thread.

[General Dan]

My dish will be finished cooking before deadline, but I don't know if it will be cooled enough to serve :(

[General Dan]

I'm posting this to show a proof of life, so I don't get DQ'ed. It has to cool to be served, and I have about an hour to do that. May or may not work.

Savoury Cheesecake, or Hatred Death Murder Anti-Cheesecake

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p156/LoungieMu/cheesecake01.jpg

Okay, think of two things off the top of your head that you can cook with cream cheese. I bet that the first two things you think of are cheesecake. Let's face it, it's everywhere, and all-pervasive. There are even upscale restaurant chains that sell little else than these silly desserts.

It fills me with rage. Its a cake, and its made of cheese. And it tastes...sweet?

When I think cheese, I think of these delightfully savoury dishes that take advantage of herbs and great vegetables and delight you with a little richness, and a lot of flavor. I do not think of some spongy sweet filler vehicle for whatever syrupy dollop I might put on top. They should call it cream-colored blob cake or something, so that the issue is put to rest.

So, to write my death ballad in the tune of cheesecake, here is my savoury cheesecake.

For the crust you want:

About a cup of breadcrumbs (I used seasoned italian breadcrumbs though you can use plain and add your own spices)
Two tablespoons of finely chopped/processed nuts (I use almonds)
Three tablespoons of olive oil, or enough to dampen the mix.

Make sure your nuts are processed into something between a fine chop and a coarse meal. Process the hell out of them and back. Once done, combine with breadcrumbs and olive oil until you get this consistency of lightly damp sand. Spread that with your fingers in a glass baking dish.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p156/LoungieMu/breadcrumb.jpg

Mine is square, you might notice. Why is that? I obviously don't have a round pie pan? WRONG it is because this cheesecake is too full of hate and murder for other so called cheesecakes to retain such a milquetoast shape as 'round'.

Done with that, lets move on to the filling!

16 ounces of cream cheese (two of the little tubs, give or take)
1/2 cup grated parmesan, romano, or asiago cheese (I like asiago best)
1/2 cup traditional Feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
One large handful of baby spinach
1 artichoke heart
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dill
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Christin told me that she was not going to participate in the tasting this week due to her lactose intolerance. Instead of being considerate of her feelings I decided to make a dairy weapon of mass destruction and feed it to her with a hammer because that is brutal. To hell with the consequences because the anti-cheesecake neither forgives nor forgets.

Put all of your dairy and egg into the food processor and brutalize it until it looks like it got hit with a hand grenade!

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p156/LoungieMu/lotsacheese.jpg

A good start, but this cheesecake still needs attitude. It has to spit in the eye of lesser cheesecakes and kill its dog with an axe, so I think that is best symbolized by spinach & artichoke hearts. Add pepper and dill weed. Dill weed is a pretty funny word. Like "Bobby you are a total dill weed for making yet another strawberry cheesecake".

Add green onions too. They're less funny than dill weed, but taste good.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p156/LoungieMu/veggies.jpg

Murder your vegetables without mercy, and pour their slaughtered remains into your breadcrumb crust!

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p156/LoungieMu/poured.jpg

Bake this more or less forever. 325 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until you get browning on top and it doesn't jiggle. Mine was a little on the brown side, but its completely supple. It's not as pretty as other cheesecakes...ON PURPOSE!

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p156/LoungieMu/outofoven.jpg


Throw that thing in the fridge once its cool enough to handle, and let it stay for a while. Once it's good and cool, slice it up and serve!

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p156/LoungieMu/cheesecakedone.jpg

What I suggest is extremely fresh herbs, chopped and served on top. I took a little basil and oregano from my garden and gave a quick chop, and the smells were amazing. Topped it with that, and served with a wedge of oiled & herbed roma tomato, but any fresh veggie would do. You want to have something like tomato, or maybe even broccoli florets or carrot sticks to enjoy this with. It's got great flavors, but biting into the fresh herbs on top carries the flavors on top to the savoury vegetables in the cheese, and makes the entire thing complete. This would be a wonderful breakfast item with fresh fruits and vegetables to start your day.

Also, it's not a boring cheesecake.

[Yeart Quenn]

Hmmm.... I think that I'll have to try out. Minus the artichoke hearts....

[Park Kraken]

Okay, the poll for this week has been added.

[General Dan]

Pode those poppers look better than any I've ever ordered. That is a gorgeous breading, and I'm really wanting to try this in the future :)

Nya, how heavy/light was that? It looks very hearty and now I'm wanting to cook with goats milk :)

Kraken, what other toppings have you tried with this? I'm not the most knowledgable on souffle, and for some reason I thought this was a baked dish. Seems pretty flexible.

[Park Kraken]

Kraken, what other toppings have you tried with this? I'm not the most knowledgable on souffle, and for some reason I thought this was a baked dish. Seems pretty flexible.

No it's not baked, and it's very flexible. So far I've mainly prepared simple dishes that are easy to alter and change as it suites the cooker. So far I've only tried strawberries, and cherries. I haven't ever really thought about what else would go good with cheesecake. If I like it the way it is, rarely will I change it.

[Ryan Pode]

Pode those poppers look better than any I've ever ordered. That is a gorgeous breading, and I'm really wanting to try this in the future :)

Nya, how heavy/light was that? It looks very hearty and now I'm wanting to cook with goats milk :)


Thank you. And do not forget to soak the jalapenos in near boiling water for a few minutes to soften them up. It'll make all the difference in the world. If you like them softer than crunchy.

[General Dan]

Thank you. And do not forget to soak the jalapenos in near boiling water for a few minutes to soften them up. It'll make all the difference in the world. If you like them softer than crunchy.


I'll remember that.

One thing I'll suggest, do you have a cooling rack? I noticed you cooled them on paper towels. I put a rack over paper towels for my fried food, to keep the run-off oil from pooling at the bottom of the food. That + a light sprinkle of kosher salt makes anything fried turn up out very crispy, not to mention less fat from the oil.

[Quenn Yeartel]

Nya, how heavy/light was that? It looks very hearty and now I'm wanting to cook with goats milk :)

It wasn't heavy at all. It probably would have been if I'd put ordinary cheese in there but using the goat cheese paste kept it light. And the goats milk/cheese flavor wasn't pungent at all (although I blame that on the use of honey).

[Ryan Pode]

I'll remember that.

One thing I'll suggest, do you have a cooling rack? I noticed you cooled them on paper towels. I put a rack over paper towels for my fried food, to keep the run-off oil from pooling at the bottom of the food. That + a light sprinkle of kosher salt makes anything fried turn up out very crispy, not to mention less fat from the oil.

I don't have a cooling rack. I'm a poor college student. The kosher salt is a good tip, but in case of the jalapenos, I don't feel like crispy is all that needed from breading.

[Anita Stern]

Nya, how heavy/light was that? It looks very hearty and now I'm wanting to cook with goats milk :)

It wasn't heavy at all. It probably would have been if I'd put ordinary cheese in there but using the goat cheese paste kept it light. And the goats milk/cheese flavor wasn't pungent at all (although I blame that on the use of honey).

I love goat cheese. And I consume goat's milk instead of cow milk on a regular basis. By default, I would go goat.

Hey, everything here looks pretty good. I'll actually have to use my brain when I decide to pass judgement.

[Banner Laverick]

Kraken, what other toppings have you tried with this? I'm not the most knowledgable on souffle, and for some reason I thought this was a baked dish. Seems pretty flexible.

You can basically put anything under the sun on/in cheesecake. Blueberries = the best, but I've seen mint/oreo/pumpkin/maple/etc cheesecake recipes online. If you made a crust, and spread the cheese mix in it, it's a basic no-bake cheesecake :) (which I would totally eat even if it made my tummy upset, lol)

[General Dan]

I'll remember that.

One thing I'll suggest, do you have a cooling rack? I noticed you cooled them on paper towels. I put a rack over paper towels for my fried food, to keep the run-off oil from pooling at the bottom of the food. That + a light sprinkle of kosher salt makes anything fried turn up out very crispy, not to mention less fat from the oil.

I don't have a cooling rack. I'm a poor college student. The kosher salt is a good tip, but in case of the jalapenos, I don't feel like crispy is all that needed from breading.

They aren't expensive, you can get a set of two at Target for like $5 I think? (might be different, but thats a close amount).

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Cherry pie filling is the best to spoon over cheesecake. At least, the kind of cheesecake *I* make. ;)

[Anita Stern]

I usually just make whatever cheesecake I have ingredients around for. That's generally happened to involve chocolate. :yum