Cracked Cheesecake II

Here is another helpful hint to keep your cake from cracking when you are making your cheesecake.

When you are preparing the batter, do not over mix it.

Mix the cream cheese and sugar together well to remove any lumps.

Once the eggs are added, only mix enough to blend the eggs into the mixture.

Crispier Custard Crust

When you are baking custard in a crust, the crust can sometimes become soggy once it is prepared.

To help prevent this the next time that you make your recipe, break your eggs into a bowl before adding to the recipe.

Slightly mix the egg so that it is just combined.

Pour the egg into your prepared pie shell and tip the pan so that the egg touches all of the surface of the shell that the mix will be touching.

When you are done coating the crust, pour the egg into your mixture and continue to prepare as normal.

When you bake your pie the egg coating will cook first helping to preserve your crust.

Sticky Pie Dough

You are making some pie crust and it keeps sticking to the rolling pin.

You hate to add more flour or work it too much more as it will get tough.

If your dough has the right consistancy, but it is still sticking, your dough probably got too warm.

Wrap the pie dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes and try again.

SIMPLE PIE CRUST

The next time that you are making an 8 inch pie, try this simple trick to line your pie pan.

Make up your dough as normal and place the ball of dough into a lightly floured gallon size reclosable bag.

Don't seal the bag, but roll it out with your rolling pin just until the dough begins to touch the edges of the bag.

You may have to stop occasionally to drop in a bit of extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to the bag.

When the piecrust is evenly rolled out, insert your pie plate into the bag with the dough on the bottom and your inverted pie plate on top.

Flip the bag over and your dough will land into your pie plate.

Remove the plate and your crust from the bag and fill with your favorite recipe.

QUICK PUMPKIN FOR PIE

To quickly and easily peel a pumpkin for pie or mashing just turn to the microwave.

Take your pumpkin and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and fiber.

Place the pumpkin cut side down on a large plate or in a bowl.

Place the plate/bowl in the microwave and cook until tender.

Using a pair of oven mitts, remove the pumpkin from the microwave and scoop the softened pulp out of the shell and into a bowl.

Let the pumpkin cool, then continue with your recipe.

NO COLOR, SOGGY PIE

If you are baking a pie or a pastry do not use a shiny metal pan. These pans will keep the pastry from browning properly. Instead us a glass or dull metal pie plate.

To keep the pastry from getting soggy, cool the pie on a wire rack or trivet. This will keep the pie elevated so that air can circulate around the bottom.

DECORATING THE TOP OF YOUR PIE

You just got done making your pie, and you know that when it is done cooking it is still not going to look as pretty as the pies that you see at restaurants and stores.

If it is a double crust pie, you can make the top more decorative by cutting out shapes with small decorative cookie cutters. There are several different effects that you can get with these cutters. Place the top layer of crust on the pie and seal around the edges.

Take your cookie cutter and gently press into the dough and:

1. Lift the cookie cutter out, leaving the cut out piece in its place. After baking, you will see an outline of the shape.

2. Lift out the piece of dough that you just cut. After baking you will see the pie filling through the hole.

3. Lift out the piece of dough that you just cut and place it next to the hole that you cut. After the pie has baked you will see the pie through the hole and have a raised image next to it.

I will usually do method #3 in a ring around the outside edges, then take one cut out of the middle.

CUSTARD PIE TIPS

When making custard pies you can run into several minor problems.

If you don’t want to spill the pie when you carry it to the oven, instead pull out your oven rack and place the pie plate with the crust only onto it, then pour in your filling.

Be careful not to burn yourself on the door or edge of the oven during this process.

If you cannot quite tell when it is done there are 2 simple tests that you can perform.

1. If you reach into the oven with a potholder and jiggle the plate, the custard should be firm except for about a quarter size area in the center. Once you remove the pie from the oven it will continue to set up firm as it cools.

2. If you aren’t convinced that is accurate, you can insert a knife near the center of the pie. When you remove it, it should come out clean. Be aware that if you use the knife to test for doneness it may cause the custard to crack.

Once the pie has been cooled to room temperature, make sure that you cover it well and refrigerate it before serving.

For best results serve within 24 hours of baking. If you have any leftovers, cover and refrigerate them well for no more than a week.

THE PERFECT PIE CRUST

Making a piecrust is quite simple, but it is even simpler to mess it up. I have found that by making the crust totally by hand will help prevent over working the dough and making it tough.

When starting the piecrust it is very important not to have your work area too warm. On hotter days it is ok to refrigerate your bowl and rolling pin if needed.

Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and with your fingers blend the ingredients well.

Next add your shortening. Coat your fingers in the flour then break up the shortening blending it well with the flour. This will easily take 5-10 minutes.

When you are done, the whole combination should look like coarse sand with little bumps.

Now you are ready to add your water.

If you are given a choice of amounts, like 3-4 tablespoons, always start with the lower amount. You can always add more.

Add the water to the center of your bowl. Using your hands gently fold the mixture together gently pressing to make a large ball.

If you still have some crumbs running around the bottom of the bowl or the dough does not hold together real well after 10-15 folds, add another tablespoon of water.

You know you have enough water added when you have a firm ball of dough that is not sticky and feels slightly dry to the touch.

The whole process will take less that 2 minutes.

Next you will flour your working surface and place enough dough on it for one crust. (usually about a cup to a cup and a half of dough for an average pie plate)

Gently shape the dough into a ball and then press down on the center making a flat disk an inch or so thick.

Flour your rolling pin and place it in the center of your dough disk. Using gentle but firm pressure, roll the dough from the center away from you to the edge.

Pull the rolling pin back toward you applying pressure. Pick up the dough from one edge and sprinkle the work surface with more flour.

Flip the dough over and rotate 90º. Roll again with the same process that you used above.

Repeat this process until you can place the pie plate over the dough and there is at least an inch and a half of dough extending past the edges of the plate. Your dough should be no thinner than ¼ inch.

Gently fold the dough in half and lift onto your pie plate. Unfold and gently push the dough to the bottom of the place.

Trim the edge of the crust leaving about ½ inch overhang.

If you are making a single crust pie, fold the ½ inch overhang in half under itself so that the crust is just over the outside edge of the pie plate rim. It will shrink a bit during baking.

If you are making a double crust pie prepare the top crust like you did the bottom crust. Place your filling in the pie, and then place your crust on top. Trim the outside dough the same as the bottom crust.

Gently press the 2 together and fold in half under itself leaving the outside edge just touching the rim of the pie plate.

Using the tines of a fork or your fingers, crimp the edge shut. Now you can cut your air holes in the top of the pie and bake according to your recipe.

STORING PIE

After you have baked your pie and served it to your family or guests, it is important that you store it properly also.

Fruit pies can be stored at room temperature for one day if they are covered. They will fare the best if you refrigerate, usually 2-3 days depending on the pie type.

Don’t forget that any pies containing eggs or dairy products must be covered tightly and refrigerated. Do not let these pies sit at room temperature or warmer for longer than 1 hour or harmful bacteria can start forming.

OVERFLOWING PIE

You have just made the perfect pie, you get it into the oven and set the timer. After a while, you start smelling something burning. This is not good… You go to the oven and you see that the pie is bubbling over the rim and falling onto the floor of the oven burning with glee.

To prevent this from happening, grab a pizza pan or a baking sheet larger than your pie plate. When you place your pie in the oven, place it on the top rack as close to the center of the oven as you can. (Most ovens come with 2 racks) Place the second rack just below the rack that your pie is sitting on. Place the pizza pan/cookie sheet under your pie on the second rack.

If you only have a single rack in your oven place the pie plate directly on the pizza pan/cookie sheet. The advantage to having the pizza pan/cookie sheet on the lower rack is you will not drag your fingers through hot pie filling that has spilled when you are removing the pie from the oven.

PIE CRUST FINISHES

You just got done making your pie, and you have done all the cute little cutouts to give it the extra touch, but now you would like to finish it off.

For a matte finish on your crust, brush the top of the crust with milk, butter, margarine, or water just before baking. Sprinkle the top lightly with granulated sugar.

For a shiny crust after baking, mix a raw egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water until uniform in color. Brush the top of your pie with the egg just before baking.

Don’t forget the edges cook much faster than the rest of the pie, so be sure to cover the edges of the pie with a thin strip of aluminum foil. Remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking so that the edges will be lightly brown.

CRACKED CHEESECAKE

You made a cheesecake for guests that were coming and you noticed that the top cracked.

Time for some cover up work! Cover the cheesecake with:
· canned cherries
· sour cream and fresh fruit that is in season.
· Jam or Preserves

Cheesecake usually will crack it is cooked at too high of a temperature and/or cooked too long. To avoid this in the future, try cooking cheesecake at 300º – 350º F. The center of the cheesecake will just barely move if you move the pan in the oven. If it ripples, it is not done. Remember that it will firm up more upon cooling.