SCRANTON, Pa. — We visited Christa Sapone, Baking and Pastry Coordinator at the Lackawanna College Culinary Arts Program to create a Harvest Apple Cheesecake.
Harvest Apple Cheesecake for Home and Backyard
Linzer Dough Yield: 10-12 cookies
Butter 6 oz.
Sugar 4.5 oz.
Vanilla extract TT
Eggs, room temperature .75 oz.
Cake flour 7.5 oz.
Ground cinnamon .12 oz.
Fine cake crumbs 1 oz.
Baking powder ½ tsp.
Hazelnuts, toasted and ground 3 oz.
Procedure:
1. Cream the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment, starting on low speed and increasing to medium speed, until smooth, about 5 minutes
2. Combine the vanilla and eggs and add them gradually, scraping down the bowl and blending until smooth after each addition.
3. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cake crumbs, and baking powder. Turn off the mixer and add the dry ingredients all at once, mixing on low speed until just blended. Do not over mix.
4. Add the hazelnuts and mix until just blended.
5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Scale the dough as desired. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling. (The dough can be held under refrigeration or frozen.)
Poached Apple Compote Yield: 8 oz.
Honeycrisp apples 4 oz.
Apple cider 6 oz.
Cinnamon stick ½ each
Sugar 3 oz.
Lemon ¼ each
Gelatin ½ tsp.
Procedure:
1. Cut the apples into small dice, place in a pot, and cover with the apple cider. Add the cinnamon stick, sugar, and lemon. Keep just below a simmer and poach until the apples are just tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain, discard the lemon, and reserve the apples. Reduce the poaching liquid to 4 oz.
3. Bloom the gelatin in cool water, drain, and melt in the reduced liquid. Cool slightly.
4. Fold in the apples.
5. The compote is ready to be used or served, or it may be covered and stored in the refrigerator for later use.
Cinnamon Ganache
Heavy cream 3 oz.
Milk 3 oz.
Ground cinnamon 1 tsp.
Cinnamon sticks 1 ea.
Light corn syrup ½ oz.
Milk chocolate chips 10 oz.
Procedure:
1. Combine the cream, milk, cinnamons, and corn syrup and bring to a simmer.
2. Remove from the heat, remove the cinnamon stick, and pour over the chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for 1 minute, then stir gently to combine. Allow to rest, covered, for about 20 minutes.
Pumpkin Bread
Raisins 3.6 oz.
Water 2.8 oz.
Bread flour 4.8 oz.
Pastry flour 2.5 tbsp.
Baking powder ½ tsp.
Pumpkin puree 5.3 oz.
Eggs 2.4 oz.
Baking soda ½ tsp. + ¼ tsp.
Salt ½ tsp.
Ground cloves 1/8 tsp.
Ground nutmeg pinch
Ground cinnamon pinch
Vegetable oil 2.4 oz.
Procedure:
1. Soak the raisins in the water overnight, or until thoroughly plumped.
2. Coat the loaf pan with a light film of fat.
3. Sift together the flours and baking powder
4. Combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, baking soda, salt, and spices and mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 8 minutes.
5. Gradually add the oil, scraping the bowl often.
6. Add the sifted dry ingredients all at once and mix to incorporate. Add the raisins and water.
7. Scale the batter into a prepared loaf pan.
8. Bake at 350°F. Until the bread springs back when pressed and a tester inserted near the center comes out clean, 45-60 minutes.
9. Cool the loaf in the pan for a few minutes, then unmold onto racks and cool completely.
Pumpkin cheesecake mousse
Gelatin, granulated .25 oz.
Water, cold 2 oz.
Heavy cream 1 lb.
Cream cheese, soft 8 oz.
Light brown sugar 4 oz.
Ground cinnamon ¼ tsp.
Ground nutmeg ¼ tsp.
Ground cloves pinch
Ground ginger pinch
Salt pinch
Vanilla extract .25 oz.
Pumpkin puree 4.5 oz.
Procedure:
1. Assemble and prepare the desired pastries, containers, or molds that are to be used in the application of the mousse before beginning preparation.
2. Bloom the gelatin in the water
3. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Cover and reserve until refrigeration.
4. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, spices, salt, and vanilla and mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and mix just to combine.
5. Melt the gelatin to 120°F. Temper the cheese mixture slowly by gradually adding warm gelatin to the cheese while stirring constantly with a whisk.
6. Fold in the whipped cream.
7. Divide among pans, leveling the tops with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate until completely set.
Spiced mirror glaze
Water 10 oz.
Sugar 6 oz.
Vanilla paste ½ tsp.
Cinnamon sticks 1 ea.
Cloves 1 ea.
Ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp.
Ground ginger 1/8 tsp.
Orange zest, grated 1.5 tsp.
Lemon juice 2 oz.
Gelatin, granulated .37 oz. or 1.5 packets
Rum ½ oz.
Procedure:
1. Combine 5 oz. of the water with the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the vanilla bean paste, allspice, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, ginger, orange zest, and lemon juice. Remove from the heat and steep for 15 minutes, then strain.
3. Bloom the gelatin in the rum and the remaining 5 oz. water, then melt. Blend the melted gelatin with the spiced mixture.
4. Cool the glaze to 70°F. Use immediately.