Cooking for Two (40 page)

H
ere, two light cheesecakes are baked over flavorful almond crusts. They’re even better the second day, once the flavors have had a chance to mellow and meld. Store the cakes, tightly covered, in the refrigerator overnight—if you can wait that long.

1.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter the bottoms and inside walls of two 1½- to 2-cup ramekins, or two 4 ½-inch springform pans, or two 4-inch paper pastry shells. Spoon 2 tablespoons toasted ground almonds in each pan, then press the ground almonds into the butter on the bottom and sides, forming a crust. Set aside.

2.
Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg substitute, or quail eggs for 15 seconds, or until smooth; then beat in the sour cream, flour, almond extract, and vanilla for about 1 minute, until uniform. Divide this mixture between the two prepared pans, gently spooning it into the almond crusts.

3.
Whisk the raspberry jam and hot water just until the jam melts. Dot this mixture on top of the cream cheese batter in each pan. Run a knife through the dots, creating swirl patterns in the batter.

4.
Bake for 30 minutes, or just until set. Turn off the oven, prop the door open, and leave the cheesecakes in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before unmolding—you may have to run a knife along the inside edges, taking care not to separate the cheesecake from the almond crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.

Omit the raspberry jam and water. Instead, melt ½ ounce semisweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon heavy cream in a microwave on high for 1 minute, then continue stirring until the chocolate is melted. Dot this mixture over the cream cheese batter as you did the raspberry jam; drag a knife through the dots to create a chocolate swirl pattern.

B
LACK
F
OREST
C
AKES
makes
2 individual-serving cakes

S
ure, black forest cake is an indulgence: a dense chocolate cake layered with cherries and topped with whipped cream. Here, in a streamlined version for everyday cooking, small, individual chocolate cakes are split open and spread with cherry jam, then topped with sweetened whipped cream. If you want, forgo the cherries and whipped cream and serve the chocolate cakes on their own, with chocolate ice cream perhaps.

1.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and inside walls of two 1 ½- to 2-cup ramekins, or two 4½-inch springform pans, or two 4-inch paper pastry shells; set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

2.
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer set at medium speed, beating until the mixture is pale brown and fluffy, about 4 minutes by hand or 2 minutes with the mixer. Beat in the pasteurized egg substitute or quail eggs for 1 minute; then beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth.

3.
Using a wooden spoon, stir one-third of the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until moistened; then stir in 2 tablespoons of the milk. Stir in half of the remaining dry ingredients, until moistened; then stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons milk. Finally, stir in the remaining dry ingredients with the wooden spoon, just until incorporated. Do not use an electric mixer or the cake will be tough. Divide the chocolate batter between the prepared pans.

4.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then unmold and cool completely on the wire rack. If using ramekins, you may need to run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the sides. If using paper pastry shells, gently tear the shell away from the cake. The cakes can be made in advance; store them, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

5.
When the cakes are cooled, use a serrated knife to split them in half so that you create two equal disks. Spread the “bottom” disk of each cake with 1½ tablespoons of the cherry jam or preserves; replace the top disk. In a small chilled bowl, beat the cream until frothy with an electric mixer at medium speed. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat in the granulated sugar, pouring it into the cream in a slow, thin stream. Continue beating until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Divide this sweetened whipped cream between the two cakes, spooning it onto the tops and spreading it along the sides with a knife. Serve at once.

L
EMON
C
AKE
W
ITH
L
EMON
I
CING
makes
2 individual-serving cakes

T
hese light, lemony cakes may be just the sunshine you need in the dead of winter—or any time of year. If you make the cakes in advance, let them stand at room temperature about 1 hour before serving because the icing tastes much better when it’s not chilled. For an easier dessert, omit the icing and top the cakes with a scoop of strawberry ice cream.

1.
To make the cakes, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour the bottoms and inside walls of two 1 ½- to 2-cup ramekins, or two 4 ½-inch springform pans, or two 4 ½-inch paper pastry shells; set aside.

2.
Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer at medium speed until pale yellow and very fluffy, about 5 minutes by hand or 3 minutes with a mixer. Beat in the pasteurized egg substitute or the quail eggs until smooth, about 1 minute.

3.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest; then stir in the
cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, just until barely moistened. Divide this mixture between the prepared pans.