A&S Cheesecake

So yesterday morning I got the cheesecake from the fridge where it set up overnight. This is an argument in the pastry world, how to properly set up a cheesecake. Some leave it out at room temp for 4-6 hours, some overnight, and some in the fridge overnight. This recipe calls for a combination. Leave out at room temp for 2 hours, then in the fridge 4-6 hours. I let it sit in fridge overnight before unmolding it. It was really soft, maybe too soft.

I would have liked to bake it for maybe 5-10 minutes more but I am following Sherry's directions EXACTLY for this project. It could also be that I am not used to such a traditional cheesecake. It is incredibly dense, but perfectly sweet. Also you can taste the curds from the farmers cheese b/c I did not strain the cheese like Sherry suggested. I have seen farmers cheese come in many varieties - blocks, some with more liquid, really curdled looking, etc. This one seemed too thick to strain. It came in a block but was soft almost like ricotta. I thought straining it would get too messy and wouldn't be worth it but I admit I should've done it. So much for following her directions exactly!

Here is a picture of just how soft it is...
you can see how crumbly it is on the inside. I ate the piece I sliced before I could take a picture of it :) i guess i was just too excited about trying this cheesecake to stop and take a picture.






Well I'm hoping to get to the next 2 recipes today or tomorrow, but I am working 10-12 hour days at work this week (it is restaurant week here in houston and we are busy!) and don't even have time to go to the grocery store. But this project is a priority and I will make the time to do more projects, if not soon then on my next day off on Sunday.

Thanks for reading and I'll keep you posted!

Day 2: Brooklyn Continued

Today was a super long day but since it is my last day off for another 5 days, I knew I had to be good and bake more for the project! So it is now 11:22 p.m., I have to work in the morning, and I still have a cheesecake in the oven. Ce la vie :)

And I've just realized how expensive this endeavor is going to be. I can find ways to cut some corners, but today I spent $7 just on jam. And I only needed a tiny bit. Guess we're having pb&j for dinner the next few weeks...

One of the next two recipes in the Brooklyn section was an authentic New York style Cheesecake which Sherry calls the "A&S" cheesecake, named after the department store where her mother used to take her shopping as a kid, and get cheesecake afterwards in the downstairs area of the store. I think I'd love any clothing store that sold cheesecake. Think about it, you go to try on bathing suits, get depressed, and go get a turtle fudge cheesecake. Mhmm... I think chocolate and sugar are the best end to any day, good or bad. And if Sherry's shopping experiences as a child were anything like mine were, her mother deserved a great big ole piece of dessert after shopping with her children. I can't tell you how many tantrums I threw at Palais Royal and JC Penny's growing up. I think I'm still banned there.

So the cheesecake is still in the oven so no pictures yet, and I cant really comment much except that I am super excited to try this cheesecake because it is made with farmers cheese. Any of my Greek family members reading this are probably going "oh neat!" right about now. We grew up on Greek food made mostly from farmers cheese. Although this recipe also calls for sour cream, cream cheese and heavy cream. I have never made a cheesecake with heavy cream and have wanted to try out recipes that use it to see if its any better than those made without it.

Surprisingly, the cheesecake was SO much faster to make than the other recipe I made tonight - rainbow cookies. I have seen these cookies in many new york style bakeries and was eager to try them out. However, Sherry converted this recipe to a cake instead of a cookie. And oh my gosh. They are good. I could put some exclamation points after that sentence but I know me, and I would over do it on the exclamation points (DOUBLE EXCLAMATION POINTS! - seinfeld reference, sorry)... Anyways they are basically an almond cake and I love love love anything almond flavored, especially if it uses almond paste, which this recipe did. I love the smell of almond paste. But I did not read the recipe correctly and only had enough almond paste for a 1/2 recipe, so thats what I ended up making.

The original recipe yields 80 pieces and frankly I do not need 80 pieces of almond cake in my house anyway (my wedding is 13 months away!) and since I didnt have the paste it worked out. This recipe calls for one cake mix, divided into three parts and dyed three colors, hence the name "rainbow cookies". They end up more like petit fours, glazed with chocolate icing. I didnt have the grand mariner for the icing (which I see I will need for future recipes so I may need to go to the liquor store soon) so at the suggestion of my wise friend mandy I added amaretto instead. YUM!


obviously I didnt divide them out evenly :) but there is also so little of the yellow layer because I did not have enough of the right size sheet pans and had to use one that way way too big. Apparantly I do not have enough pans, and I'm not kidding you I think I already own atleast 15. Of assorted shapes and sizes.

So I will have to post pictures of the cheesecake after its done baking and after its refrigerated overnight, maybe in the morning if I have time before work. I'm curious about it also because it does not have a crust! Its just pure cheescake. I'm a fan of crust on anything - cheesecake, tarts, pies, whatever. So we'll see. And after that, the next 2 recipes are drink recipes which should be interesting.

Man I'm already craving more of the rainbow cake... this is bad news...

Day 1: Brooklyn

Today was the first official day of the Paula's Pastry Project, and I have to say, it was kind of a disaster. Which is really embarrassing because, well, I do this every day. And I get paid to do this. All I had to make was a simple birthday cake and a batch of no-bake cheesecakes. But I did learn a very valuable lesson. Baking is so much easier when you start with a clean, organized kitchen.

I did not start with a clean kitchen. I started with dishes in the sink that my fiance, Michael, should have done days ago (sorry sweetie but ya should've) and clutter on the countertops, which don't have a lot of space to begin with. I was a mess.

To begin, I made the first recipe in the book from the first chapter, titled "Brooklyn Inspirations". I have to say I am most excited about this chapter (& the academy awards chapter, its a tie) because New York pastries are iconic, a staple in today's American pastry world. Sherry introduces the chapter with a few pages on her childhood in Brooklyn. And when you think of pastries or desserts from your childhood, what do you immediately think of? Birthday cake. Of course. Everyone's had it, atleast one made by mom or grandma or aunt-whoever. Great way to start the life and times of Sherry Yard.

Back to my mess. First off, as I'm pouring ingredients from a measuring cup into a running mixer, my hand somehow loses grip on the cup and it falls into the mixer going clunk-clunk-clunk until I clumsily realize what is going on and turn off the mixer. In my hurried attempt to turn off the mixer, I knock over the open bottle of vanilla extract sitting on the counter and it gets all over my t-shirt and all over the counter. And it was a brand new extra large bottle of vanilla, and I'm stingy when it comes to extracts. Anyways I ran and got my camera to take a picture (but it was out of battery so by the time I got it to work, the vanilla set in so much that the countertops are now semi-permantely stained and need to be bleached.

Isn't my mixer beautiful? I still haven't named her yet, but I'm thinking of naming her Susan after my two Aunt Susan's who bought it for me :) Best gift ever!

Anyways, I managed to finish the birthday cake. Its a simple white cake made with whole eggs and plain milk. Although I love most of Sherry's recipes, this one is not my favorite white cake. SORRY! I do know that I tend to overbake this cake (I have made this before). It does not brown on the tops like most white or yellow cakes. So it looks raw when its actually ready. It came out pretty dry.


I also am not crazy about the icing. It has two ingredients - butter and chocolate. Its a little too much for me. I prefer a light swiss buttercream. This icing is also very soft like a ganache, and I prefer a thicker icing for birthday cake.

Here is the finished product!


The second recipe in the book is no bake mini cheesecakes with a nilla wafer crust. They were delicious! And so simple and quick to make! Definitly a keeper recipe!
They were a little soft cause I didnt let them set up properly before eating them. I also didnt pulse the nilla wafers cause I was lazy and didnt want to have to clean up the food processor. So I turned them into crumbs by hand, which might be why they didnt stick together at all and were very, well, crumbly. And hard to eat. But that didnt stop the ladies at the knit shop from eating them and licking the paper liner clean, literally!

All in all, a good start to my project. Can't wait for the end of this chapter where I get to make pretzels!

Oh and I must introduce my helper, Joey.
She is always at my feet while I bake.

Paula's Pastry Project Begins!

Okay I'll admit it. I didn't come up with the idea for this project out of desperation or even an eagerness to learn, but out of inspiration. After seeing the "Julie/Julia Project" movie, I started thinking... what is the quintessential pastry book? Is there even a book that is the go-to reference for all things pastry, all things carbfully sinful? Julia Child's cookbook has stood the test of time to teach us silly Americans how to attempt to master the art of french cooking. But what about pastry?

I even researched this online. I googled "best pastry book." The more books I clicked on on Amazon (many reviews calling each book the "best"), the more I realized I didn't like any of these books. And the more I realized how into this idea I was. I could seriously do this; I could bake my way through a cookbook.

Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell a little bit about me. I grew up around food. For one thing, I'm Jewish. For another thing, I'm Greek. I was genetically predisposed at birth to love food. We always had a fully stocked freezer of ice cream at home (Blue Bell, to be exact) and I'm pretty sure I was making chocolate chip cookies on my own by the time I was 9. Actually, most of the time I just made small portions of the dough and ate it raw. Cause I could. In my 25 years, I must have eaten about 10 pounds of raw cookie dough - so far - and I can thankfully say I must be immune to raw eggs cause I've never had as much as a stomach ache from cookie dough.

Its been my dream since forever to open a bakery of my own one day. This used to be my pipe dream, but suddenly its become reality. After attending culinary school and earning a certificate in Baking & Pastry, I went on to work for Hyatt Hotels as a pastry cook. I am now (2 years later) a pastry chef at a fine dining seafood restaurant here in Houston, Texas. Hard to believe. In fact, on most days I don't believe it at all. Which is why I think I need this project.

I need to reaffirm that this is what I love to do. Well, okay, I know I love to bake, but is it something I want to make a career out of? I need to rediscover my passion for taking flour sugar eggs and milk and making something out incredible that can save a ruined day.

So back to my search for the book. While searching for the "best" pastry book, I researched who the best pastry chef is, was, or ever has been. Most award winning chefs I found I have never heard of, and those who's names I recognized, did not have a book worth baking through (in my opinion). I decided then and there that in order to remain passionate about this project, I would have to be following a great book by someone I admire. There can only be one person who fits that description.

Sherry Yard.

If you do not know of her, look her up. She's incredible. No, I have never met her but I have dreams of working as her assistant one day at the academy awards (she makes the desserts each year, although I'm not sure if she still does this). Although her career is still booming as the pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck's concepts, I will be following her career so far through her book "Desserts by the Yard."

In this cookbook, she begins each chapter of recipes with a brief description about her career and where it took her. The book begins with her childhood memories in Brooklyn, and ends with her doing the Academy Awards desserts. To think that by the end of this project, I can be recreating desserts from one of the most prestigious events of the year - wow. Now that will be a confidence booster.

You'll understand with each blog post just how wonderful Sherry Yard is, and you'll see why she is my all time favorite pastry chef. Her story is incredible. When I first got this cookbook, I read it before bed like it was a memoir - because in a way, it is. It is her life story, told through simply sweet recipes.

Because that's what life is. Simply Sweet.