[Sca-cooks] s'mores?
Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius
adamantius.magister at verizon.net
Thu Aug 31 04:04:54 PDT 2006
On Aug 31, 2006, at 6:32 AM, Huette von Ahrens wrote:
> Adamantius,
>
> You forgot to mention that graham crackers are frequently crushed
> and turned into
> a crust for cheese cake.
True. Graham Cracker crumbs are frequently used as described, usually
mixed with butter and sugar, patted into a pan as a liner, and very
briefly baked just long enough to set the sugar and produce a more or
less cohesive layer.
> As I am not found of graham crackers, I hate this crust.
I've never been a fan, either. For cheese cakes I'd use a short crust
or a sweetened tart dough as the more traditional liner (and
sometimes I don't even bother with a liner at all, and just use a
circle of parchment paper). In European baking you sometimes see
genoise cake crumbs used in this way, although not quite as
aggressively as here in the US. I suspect that in Europe it's about
using up stale cake, whereas here it could be equal parts frugality,
laziness, and a desire to not have the oven lit any more than
necessary (there are cheesecakes and various other custardy-type
entities served in Graham Cracker crusts that aren't baked after
final assembly).
I was shocked to find recently that the cheesecake at Junior's, a
diner/bakery of Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, alleged by some to be the
finest commercially produced cheesecake (of this particular style) in
New York, and therefore on the planet (I have always been a proponent
of the Lindy's style for this honor) is now made with a thin disk of
yellow sponge cake as its base.
> When I make cheesecake, I usually make a nut crust. Depending on
> what I have on
> hand, either pecans, walnuts, filberts or macadamias. I haven't
> done almond or pistachio
> yet, but they are next on my list to try.
I suspect the almonds would be great. On a tangential note, I just
found a recipe for, and prepared, an Italian-type almond macaroon in
a sugar-free version that was really quite outstanding, and quite
simple, too (apart from some slightly obscure artificial sweeteners
which one might easily have on hand if one is committed to the sugar-
free thing). I mean, these weren't something you'd qualify by saying
they were quite good considering they were sugarless. They were just
plain good. I was pretty shocked.
Adamantius
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