apple pie cheesecake bars [and holiday nights with old friends]

Cranberry-cinnamon tea. 

I arrived home yesterday evening to an empty house, parents both out and about and Yusra off with friends. I didn't expect anything different, really, and so took my suitcase and backpack upstairs to a room that's been vacant for weeks, freshly cleaned for my arrival. After gracelessly dropping my things haphazardly in the space next to my bedside table, I put my hands on my hips and looked around, letting the breeze wafting in through the half-open window chill my bare arms, still adjusting to the new house. A deep sigh, closing my eyes for just a moment to let everything sink in, breathing out the stresses from a semester of constant work, and then back downstairs for a glass of water and, perhaps, a piece of fruit.

And it was then that I noticed that almost every inch of counter space was covered in gift baskets and fruit bowls, obligatory gifts from drug reps and secretaries at my father's office. [It's Christmas season, after all.]

And then I grinned.


As mundane and predictable as most of them are, full to the brim with boxes of stale pretzels and commercially-cloned milk chocolate truffles, the odd basket or two is full of delightful surprises. A small bottle of olive oil, caramels wrapped in colorful foil [the ones that only seem to make an appearance this time of year and virtually disappear from existence for the remaining eleven months], a wheel of chevre, a tin of cranberry-cinnamon tea.

I horde all of these for myself, naturally, as the rest of my family is content with the chocolate and crackers [which, admittedly, I enjoy quite a lot as well] and have little interest in odd teas and cheeses. It's bizarre, but it's the little things from gift baskets that really solidify this time of year. The end of a semester. A break from academics. A time to spend the day away in pajamas and a sweatshirt, lounged upon the sofa with a book, iPod plugged into Aine Minogue and Dean Martin, perhaps a mug of cranberry-cinnamon tea at hand.

And occasionally, a Christmas party or two.

Matt's parents graciously invited me to their home this evening for a small party, which was in and of itself one of the most delicious events I have ever attended. There is never a shortage of incredible food whenever Matt's family is involved, particularly when smoked brisket, turkey and cranberry, and the most diverse selection of homemade cookies are at one's fingertips.

When I was first told of the party, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to bake something as a thank-you, to which Matt's parents happily accepted. And so, for days I pondered about what would be worthy enough for individuals which such impeccable taste, and eventually decided on these: apple pie cheesecake bars, which I dedicate utterly and unconditionally to Matt's incredible family.

Apple Pie Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Makes 24-32 bars.

For the crust, you'll need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 sticks butter, softened and cut into cubes

For the cheesecake layer, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the apple layer, you'll need:

• 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes [Grannysmith, Gala, and Golden Delicious are ideal, or any combination of the three]
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

For the streusel topping, you'll need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 stick butter, softened

For the caramel, you'll need:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To prepare the bars:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and brown sugar. Add in butter and pulse until dough has the consistency of bread crumbs. Pour dough onto bottom of the pan and press evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Do not turn off the oven.

While the crust is baking, prepare the cheesecake layer by beating cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla. Pour the cheesecake filling onto the baked crust, spreading evenly with a spatula.

Toss the apples, 2 tbsp sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Spoon the apples evenly over top of the cheesecake filling.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and oats and mix until well-blended. Using a pastry cutter or your hand, mix the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the apples. Bake the bars for 40-45 minutes, until cheesecake is set. Let bars cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


To prepare the caramel: 
In a medium saucepan over medium flame, whisk together sugar and water. Allow syrup to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer until the syrup reaches an amber color, 7-12 minutes. Watch the syrup closely as it will quickly burn after it has started to color. Once syrup reaches the correct color, slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly while doing so. The syrup will sizzle and foam up spectacularly, but will calm down soon after. Remove saucepan from the heat and continue whisking until mixture has reached the consistency of smooth caramel. Let caramel cool 15-20 minutes before using on the bars.


Once dessert has refrigerated for at least 2 hours, slice them into bars and arrange on a serving tray. Right before serving, drizzle a generous amount of caramel on top of the bars.

There's really nothing pie-like about these, save that I made them with apples and it's currently autumn, but the name has a rather nice ring to it. Plus, with his face muffled in my shoulder in an enormous, snuggly hug, Matt mumbled that they tasted like apple pie wrapped in a cheesecake. The contented grin on his face when he pulled away and dove into his second bite was inspiration enough for the title.

Matt's mother was thrilled, Matt's father thought they were delicious, the other guests loved them, and my heart soared. More than anything, I wanted to give back a small bit of the kindness Matt and his family have shown me for over a decade.

Hopefully this was a little victory, but above all, a big thank you.

"Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal"
Julia Child

6 [layers] x 4 [hungry people] - 3 [feet tall] = 21 [years old]

Ah, birthday season.

It has begun.

Naturally, the start of birthday season always coincides splendidly with finals, which is both hideously inconvenient and a wonderful break from studying.

But since it's Noosh's birthday, the break is always, always welcome.

Though, I suppose that after spending the vast majority of our Saturday night writing and editing term papers along with Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother breaks every thirty or so minutes, but it's okay since I started and finished a rather decently executed 8-page political theory essay in a grand total of 6 hours, I think today's lunch and subsequent sugar coma were well-deserved.

Noosh's rents came up today and took us out for a fantastic lunch at Outback, which was quite literally the first time in weeks that she and I had a meal that didn't involve items of questionable edibleness haphazardly thrown together in an attempt to fashion what few would call any semblance of a plate of food, so I was pretty damn pleased. I mean, salmon on rice pilaf with broccoli? It was like a holiday miracle, I kid you not. 

I feel unbelievably rejuvenated now and have this delusion that I possess the strength necessary to stare down my metaphysics term paper with the utmost confidence. By that I mean I may not actually pass out from sheer terror anymore.

Anyway, lunch was great [the whole 'real food' thing], and then we came back to the apartment for merriment and cake.


And so we ate. And ate. And ate some more.

And I'm still reeling from all the sugar. [What else is new.]

Fall Hummingbird Cake
Adapted from Sweetapolita and For the Love of Food.
Makes one three-layer 9-inch cake.

For the cake, you'll need:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, with juice

For the maple cream cheese frosting, you'll need:

• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature and cut into cubes
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 5 cups powdered sugar

To prepare the hummingbird cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat eggs and oil on medium speed until frothy, about a minute. Add in pumpkin, bananas, and pineapple and mix until well-blended, 3-4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the stand. In a separate bowl, sift flour, sugar, spices, salt, and baking soda. Dump flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until barely incorporated. Stir in pecans and mix until just combined.

Divide batter among the three pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.


To prepare the maple cream cheese frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, maple syrup, and vanilla on medium speed until well-mixed. Reduce speed to low and gradually add in powdered sugar. Beat until the frosting fluffs up a bit, about 3 minutes. Add in the cream cheese all at once, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate frosting until using.


To assemble the cake:
Place one of the three layers on the serving plate. Frost top of the layer with a generous amount of frosting. Repeat with the second and third layers, and use remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake. Refrigerate cake until serving. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.

Alright, so my cake was the approximate size of a small child. And was also 6 layers tall. And it could probably feed a small country. With leftovers remaining.

What I did was bake the cake twice over - used the same three pans for the second round of batter, and I was left with six, rather sizable, layers of hummingbird cake. I let them cool completely, and then got to frosting, the recipe for which I increased by 50% [I'll let you do the math on this one].

Now, a word of caution: if you're going to make a 6-layer cake, you can not assemble the entire thing all at once. I initially did all 6 layers, and the mess was teetering over worse than the tower of Pisa. I almost had a mental breakdown, and then decided to just remove two layers. Instead of throwing them away, I stuck them on a plate and figured I'd just have two cakes [of two awkwardly-different heights]. The cake with four layers was pretty stable, so I went ahead and frosted it completely. Then I decided that, no, I am not going to sit here and allow physics to destroy all of my dreams and happiness, so I stuck the four-layered cake in the freezer for about an hour and a half [stuck the other two in the fridge during this time], then placed the two refrigerated layers on top, refrosted the top two layers, and stuck it back into the freezer to firm up completely.

So, if you, dear reader, hope to make a 6-layered cake, I would do the following:

1. assemble and frost four layers, sides and all 
2. wrap remaining two layers in clingwrap and allow them to mellow out on the counter
3. place frosted cake in freezer for 1.5 hours
4. frost and add final two layers to frozen cake [note that frosting blends seamlessly with what has been done prior]
5. place 6-layer, frosted cake in freezer for another 2 hours
6. transfer frozen cake to the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving, so that it has a chance to thaw and isn't an unpleasant experience to eat

Yes, it is a time-consuming process, as all layer cakes are loathe to be, so make sure to keep in mind the time you'll need to set aside to make it happen.

You could also always just go with the three-layer, but the six-layer is far more enjoyable to slice.

As for decoration, I just purchased some fake flowers from Michaels, trimmed them off of the stalk, and arranged them on top. Chopped up some walnuts for some sort of aesthetic flair - rocks maybe? I'm really not quite sure - and it ended up looking more like a wedding cake than a birthday cake. But the addition of candles toned down the exuberant amounts of class radiating off of the cake, so it was all good.

#sarcasm

Anyway, Noosh and her famfam loved it, so I figured it was a success in the end.

And finally, my darling Farnoosh, most amazing roommate and best friend one could wish for in the most epic bromance that ever was, I hope you had an absolutely wonderful 21st birthday [despite the fact that you are sitting next to me working on an ethics term paper], and I'm warning you now that once you turn it in, we are in for a night of a How I Met Your Mother marathon. Prepare yourself.

As for later this week, I'll be at the apartment until Friday when I'm finally off for break. I have this vague notion that the cousins and I are heading to NYC next week, but I'm fuzzy on some all of the details. But at least I have a few weeks to spend with the family before I'm back here for intercession.

And sometime in between there are about 3 more birthdays needing to be celebrated, so at least there's weight-gain to look forward to.

caramel apple pie

I’m quite sure that pretty soon, my iPod will only have the ability to play the same 20-odd songs, as I’ve been listening to nothing but Cole Porter, Margaret Whiting, and Radical Face on loop for the past few weeks. Not that I would complain if this were to become reality soon, since the three are perfect to listen to while strolling outside under falling leaves and welcomed sunshine.

Yesterday was spent primarily with MattMatt, as the two of us rarely get to see each other one-on-one, and it was hugely pleasant. Pumpkin pancakes and peach cake for brunch at Tommy’s, as well seeing an old friend from high school who came down for the weekend. A spontaneous drive out to the downtown mall soon followed, which made for a lovely afternoon sipping coffees, browsing dusty bookshelves in used bookshops, and searching for the perfect menswear blazer at Urban Outfitters. Though I came home empty-handed in the department of androgynous outerwear, a purse heavy with new (used) books and some quality conversation in the living room with David Tennant staring us down with a raised eyebrow was more than enough.

Now my only wish is that I had enough time to just sit on piles of pillows and blankets and read the day away. And also that my apartment had a fireplace crackling with warm flames, filling the living room with the smells of earthy cocoa and roasted walnuts.

Perhaps my next investment will be a bigger bookshelf.

I love strolling downtown at this time of year; early fall, before the leaves have had the chance to wither away and it’s still just warm enough to eat lunch outside wearing a wool scarf and sweater.

Nevertheless, today was a day to spend inside, curled up on the couch in an oversized sweatshirt catching up on work and oodles and oodles of Merlin.

And, of course, at the end of a perfect weekend, it’s only appropriate to put a basket of mountain-fresh apples to good use. 

Caramel Apple Pie
Adapted from If You Give a Girl a Cookie and Tartine


For the crust, you'll need:

• 3 cups plus 2 tbsp flour
• 2 sticks butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup cold water

For the filling, you'll need:

• 5 cups of baking apples [about 6 medium or 5 large; Golden Delicious, Jonagold, or Winesaps work splendidly, or any combination thereof], cored and sliced
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• a few shakes of nutmeg

To prepare the filling:
In a large saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium-low flame. Add in sliced apples, increase heat to medium-high, and cook the apples in the sauce until softened, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle flour and spices over the apples, and turn them over to coat until the flour dissolves. Let cool while preparing the pie crust.


To prepare the crust:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, butter, and salt the consistency is that of peas. Slowly pour in the water until the dough comes together [you may not need to use all of the water]. Divide the dough in half, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.


To assemble the pie:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch pie pan. Roll each ball of dough out wide enough to cover the base of pan. Place one on the base. Using a fork, poke holes into the bottom and sides of the crust. Gently scoop the apples and caramel sauce into the pan and spread evenly. Lay the second sheet of dough on top of the apples, pinching the top and bottom crusts to seal. Make a slit or two on the top crust.

Bake pie for about 25 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. Allow pie to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with sweetened cream or vanilla ice cream.

I’d like to make a confession: I’m really not that keen on apple pie. At all, really. I know, I know, as if it’s bad enough I’ve forgone all non-BBC television, I’ve now basically rejected all of the basic tenets of our great country.

But this one is pretty good. I mean, it’s no cherry Bakewell tart, but Noosh and Tommy loved it, and the flaky crust is to die for. The apples really benefit from bathing in brown sugar and butter, as obviously expected, and cooking them beforehand prevents the crust from becoming soggy. The end result is a beautifully golden, crunchy, autumn-y pie.

Would have been divine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but good company and quality television will make do just as well.

Then I'll pretend it is my bed
I'll jump in very quick
And pile their leaves up over me
For covers soft and thick

classic [but better] pumpkin pie

Aside from the odd bout of 80-degree weather this weekend, fall is in full swing. Obviously, in such fashion, long weekends spent at home mean Downton Abbey marathons with your mother, modeling men's suit-jackets in front of your male relatives, reading quality detective fiction novels, putting off all semblances of academic work, and ordering mountains upon mountains of chai lattes and pumpkin-spiced coffees.

At least, that's primarily how I spent my long weekend.


Fall break always seems to line up perfectly with Yusra's birthday, and this year was no different. My baby sister turned 17 yesterday, and for the occasion had me bake her a birthday pie. Yes, pie. Of the pumpkin variety, too, to be precise. Last year, I baked a rather delicious pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and Yusra told me then and there that for her 17th birthday, she wanted another one. Of course, I promised, thinking at the time that she'd forget about it and I'd end up baking a carrot cake or something of the sort [leaving my 16-layer-cake days behind me for now].

And yet, eleven months later, she hadn't forgotten, and on Saturday I found myself waking up to a countertop covered in allspice, cinnamon, and ginger powders, fresh nutmeg, a box of flour, cold sticks of butter, and a stand-mixer waiting to be put to use.

This year's pumpkin pie is a variation on last year's epic success, combined with a tantalizing recipe for pumpkin-streusel pie found at Go Lightly Gourmet. The end result is a tall, creamy, subtly-spiced pumpkin filling in a flaky crust, topped with a pecan and brown sugar streusel topping.

Yusra was pretty satisfied.

Pumpkin Pie with Streusel
Adapted from Go Lightly Gourmet, old pumpkin pie recipes, and Tartine.

For the crust, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2 tbsp cold water, more or less depending

For the filling, you'll need:

• 1 15-oz can of pumpkin 
• 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 heaping tbsp honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt

 For the streusel topping, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 stick cold butter, cut into cubes

To prepare the pie crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9-inch pie plate. Using a food processor, pulse flour, ginger, sugar, salt, and butter until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Slowly add in enough cold water for the mixture to come together and form a dough. Press the pie dough on the bottom and sides of the pie plate, crimping the edges. Stick the plate in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, until dough is sufficiently cold. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Let the pie cool while you prepare the filling, but keep the oven on.

To prepare the filling:
Cream the pumpkin and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Pour in the remaining filling ingredients and beat until thoroughly blended. Pour the filling on top of the pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the edges of the pie are set but the center is still jiggly. Prepare the streusel while the pie is in the oven.

To prepare the streusel:
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and spices until blended. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter into the flour mixture until incorporated and crumbly. Add in the chopped pecans and mix until blended. Your hands can be used for all of this.

Once the pie has baked for 50 minutes, remove it from the oven and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. Place pie back into the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until set. Let pie cool to room temperature before slicing. Serve with sweetened cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

I always very much love baking pies, though I'm not quite as keen on pumpkin pies as Yusra is. Of course, I enjoy them for their seasonal perfection and spiciness, but I'm not in love with them or anything. Nevertheless, I found myself reaching for a second slice even before I was done with the one on my plate when it came to this one. The cream cheese in the filling gives it a beautiful texture, and the streusel on top is a perfect addition. Strange that it doesn't make an appearance on many pumpkin pies...

As for me, I'm back at the apartment for my lat day of break. Four days at home was lovely after a week of midterms and paper-writing, but alas, back into the fray. So, naturally, I've spent my day reading more fiction novels, cooking stew, and thinking about working on a looming philosophy paper.

I mean, it's the thought that counts, right? Right. I'm going to go with it. Academic productivity at its finest.

In other news, I hear that MattMatt has baked me a belated pumpkin and cream cheese birthday cake. I have to say, though pumpkin pie isn't high on my list of saliva-inducing desserts, Matt's cake certainly is. I anticipate a rather delicious evening.

Who ever said twentieth birthdays couldn't stretch on for two weeks? ...and involve four separate cakes?

I confidently stand by the sentiment that birthday calories do not count.


...I mean, I have to maintain the integrity of my voracity.

ultimate pumpkin pie

You thought it was over, didn't you? I did too. Not so.

Yusra spent all day hinting [read: loudly voicing] that she was craving pumpkin pie. "What's Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?!" "I haven't had pumpkin pie in years." "Can you please bake one?!"

...

Being the ever-so loving sister that I am, I obliged. Also, I figured we may as well, since we'd have the house to ourselves for the evening. So we ran out to pick up some necessary ingredients that I didn't have on hand, were spontaneously joined by Mustafa and Murtaza, and we [read: I] got to work.

Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

For the filling, you'll need:

• 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin [NOT pumpkin pie filling]
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup [1/2 stick] butter, melted
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly whisked
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 unbaked pie crust
• whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve

For the crust, use any premade pastry dough [NOT pre-baked] or your own favorite pie crust recipe. I actually used the one that I wrote in my previous entry, with the pecan pie. Whichever you end up using, prick holes in the bottom and sides of the pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, and let cool for 10 minutes before using with the pumpkin filling.

To make filling, beat cream cheese on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add in pumpkin and beat until well-mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add in sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until fully incorporated. Pour in half and half, eggs with yolks, and butter and blend. Finally, add cinnamon and ginger. Pour filling into the cooled pie crust and bake at 350 degrees until filling has set, about 50-60 minutes.

Let pie cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Yusra could not sit still while this was baking. I had no idea she has such an epic sweet tooth.

This pie filling recipe actually comes from Paula Deen, so I knew it would be pretty good. Understatement. It's the best pumpkin pie I've ever had. Though, I suppose that's not saying too much, because I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie [don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it, I just don't care much for it].

It's probably the fat from the cream cheese and half and half that make this taste so good. But it's alright. It's Thanksgiving. Indulge!

Oh boy, I am all baked out. Can you believe it?

Mom's probably thrilled.

As for now, I'm ready for a long, deep sleep. After a movie or two, of course.