Hockey Puck Soup

I love to make home-made soup, especially during the winter months. Not only does it warm my tummy after filling the house with tempting aromas, there is much to share or save for later. True comfort food. One of the things that sold me on Demarle products was the idea of  freezing leftovers in the trays, and then storing them in freezer bags. It is so much healthier than using plastic ware that leeches chemicals into foods upon reheating. My favorite is the Round Tray, which holds six 8-ounce portions. The frozen bricks resemble hockey pucks, hence the nickname "hockey puck" soup.

Here's how you do it:

1. Place Flexipat tray of choice on the medium perforated baking sheet.
2. Fill wells with soup.   
3. Cover with the medium Silpat®
4. Place in freezer until portions freeze.
5. Remove from freezer and uncover.
6. Immediately pop out the frozen hockey pucks and place in a freezer bag.
7. Store hockey pucks in freezer.

To reheat, microwave a hockey puck in a bowl covered by the octagonal Silpat® or warm in DD stainless on your stove top over medium-low heat.

Cheesecake Made Easy

Over the holidays, I made my first cheesecake using the large round mold that Cheesecake Factory utilizes to bake their product commercially. It is a little intimidating to imagine that you can peel away the flexi-mold and slide the cheesecake out intact, but you can.

I got this recipe from the internet and modified it, but the result was so tasty that my sister-in-law requested it.  So, I'll share it with you, as well.  The texture is very light for a cheesecake, and the lemon flavor makes for a tart dessert. 

 

Lucious Lemon Cheesecake

Modied from Kaaren Jurack @ allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
CRUST:
1 1/4 cups ginger snaps, finely ground (GF: 1 7-oz pkg Pamela's Ginger Mini Snapz)
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

FILLING:
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
juice of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING:
2 cups sour cream (I substituted Mountain High Yoghurt)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon extract
 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine crumbs, almonds, and sugar in a bowl; stir in melted butter. Press onto the bottom and about an inch up the sides of the large round mold; set aside. 
2. In a second mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed just until combined. Add lemon juice, lemon peel, and vanilla; beat just until blended. Pour into crust.
3. Bake at 350° F for 60 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 5 minutes while you combine topping ingredients; spread over filling. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. 
4. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Refrigerate overnight. 
6. Remove from mold by peeling the side of the mold down and sliding the cheesecake onto a serving plate.
7. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing.

 Savor one luscious bite at a time:

 

The Ease of Cooking with Demarle Products

I prepared several desserts for a church function this week.  I was thrilled anew with the ease of cooking in  Demarle non-stick flexipans and trays. It is so easy to make batch after batch of muffins, cakes, and cookies.

• The baked goods pop right out of the pans or slide off the Silpat^®
• The clean up in hot, soapy water goes so fast.  Just shake the tray or mold dry and move on to the next baking project.

If you haven't tried this amazing product, call me to schedule a show 'n go or a party. Excelled host rewards mean you get extra free product this month.