Cheese Info (2 Of 3)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

CREAM Many of the recipes call for cream, either sweet or sour.
Usually the cream is added to lighten the cake or provide a richer
flavor. SWEET CREAM: Cream comes in several different grades,
depending upon the fat content. Heavy cream contains about 40 percent
butterfat, 5 percent milk solids, and over 50 percent water. it has
about 53 calories per Tablespoon. Light cream contains about 20
percent butterfat and 7 percent milk solids; the rest is water. It  has
about 32 calories per Tablespoon. Half and half, a blending of  heavy
cream and milk has about 12 percent butterfat, 7 percent milk  solids
and 51 percent water. It has about 20 calories per Tablespoon.  Heavy
cream is added to the ingredients of a cheesecake most often as
whipped cream.  When whipped, heavy cream will double in volume; for
best results, use a chilled bowl and chilled beaters. Often
confectioners sugar is added as the cream begins to stiffen to help
retain the volume. Heavy cream is perishable, so buy only as much as
you plan to use within the next few days. A new ultrapasteurized type
of cream is now widely available which has a much longer life. Many
people find that it does not whip up as high and that it lacks much  of
the flavor of the more traditional kind. We leave the choice to  you.
Light cream is used less often in baking but is available in  most
supermarkets. It is also very perishable and should be purchased  in
small quantities. In most cheesecake recipes where light cream is
indicated, half and half may be substituted. Half and half is also
available in most supermarkets, but you can mix up your own from  equal
quantities of whole milk and heavy cream. SOUR CREAM: This is  cream
that has been processed commercially so as to be soured under  ideal
conditions. It contains about 20 percent butterfat, about 7  percent
milk solids and the remainder is water. There are about 30  calories
per Tablespoon. Sour cream is sold in containers varying  from one half
pound to one pound. It is usually dated, so check for  freshness when
you purchase the container. Sour cream will last up to  two weeks in
the refrigerator. Most brands seem to be uniformly good.  SUGAR AND
OTHER SWEETENERS Every desert cheesecake requires a  sweetening of some
kind. Most of the recipes use granulated sugar.  However, it is
possible to substitute brown sugar or honey in almost  all of the
recipes. HONEY: Remember that honey will make your  cheesecakes darker,
which you may find undesirable. And, since it is  less soluble than
granulated sugar, it is necessary to be especially  careful that it is
blended into the cheese mixture. Honey is used as  the sweeter in such
cheese cakes as Yogurt No-Bake Cheesecake and No  Bake Honey Cheese
Pie, but if you want to use it in other cakes, you  must adjust the
quantities. Since honey is sweeter and has a higher  moisture content
than granulated sugar, use one-third less honey by  volume and, when
possible, reduce the volume of other liquids by  one-fourth cup for
each cup of honey used.  This can be done by  appropriately varying the
proportions of dry (cream cheese) and moist  (sour cream) dairy
products. BROWN SUGAR: This is fine crystals of  sugar coated with
molasses, sold in either a dark or light form.  Brown sugar is used as
an ingredient in the Praline Cheesecake, but  could be substituted for
granulated sugar in other cakes as well. As  with the honey, brown
sugar will make your cake darker, and you must  blend it in well.
Measurements will remain the same. We don't  recommend using the
granulated brown sugar or the liquid form of  brown sugar.
CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR: Also commonly available, this  sugar has been
crushed to a fine powder similarly in texture to  cornstarch. It is
used in cheesecakes primarily in beating egg whites  as a means of
stiffening them. Often it is also added to whipped  cream as a
sweetening. FLOUR AND OTHER THICKENING AGENTS Although  eggs are
generally best for holding together the ingredients of a  successful
cheesecake, there are several other ingredients that can  be used in
addition or in place of them. Flour and cornstarch also  thicken the
batter and stabilize the moisture content. FLOUR: In most  recipes, we
indicate either all purpose flour or self rising flour.  The
all-purpose flour can be either bleached or unbleached and today
usually comes pre-sifted. If not, sift before measuring. Self-rising
flour is bleached flour to which has been added a leavening agent  such
as baking powder. Whichever you use, remember to use it  judiciously.
Too much flour will make the cheesecake tough.  CORNSTARCH: Finer than
flour, cornstarch is more effective as a  thickening agent. As with the
flour, too much cornstarch will leave  your cheesecake tough. GELATIN:
Unflavored gelatin is commonly  available in one-ounce envelopes. It is
a thickening agent that works  best when refrigerated, thus this is the
basic ingredient in most of  the no-bake cheesecakes. It must be
blended well with the ingredients  and completely dissolved. Too much
gelatin will make a rubbery  cheesecake.  From Gemini's MASSIVE
MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

A Message from our Provider:

“Man’s way leads to a hopeless end — God’s way leads to an endless hope.”