Side note: What happens when you have limited internet? You have to find some time to upload your photos and videos from the free wifi at the library -- so this post is finally going up about a month after it was written!
First, you'll need to make the...
Mascarpone Cheese!
You need a few special supplies to make mascarpone, so make sure you round these up first:- Double Boiler
- Thermometer
- Tartaric Acid
- Linen towel or heavy cheesecloth
- Quart of non-ultra-pasturized heavy cream
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| Don't use regular cheesecloth! |
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| Use a linen towel! |
We can just link to the recipe we used although we'll make a note that we learned the hard way that “HEAVY cheesecloth" means something about the texture and weave of a kitchen dish towel -- not the terrycloth kind but the plain linen variety. We tried straining our cream through about 8 layers of regular cheesecloth first and ended up with a gloppy mess -- but then scooped it out, changed containers, and added a kitchen towel as our cheesecloth -- and the next day our cheese was salvaged and was the perfect consistency, ready to use!
Also note that the 12 hours of refrigeration means you should plan to make this well ahead of time. Luckily we had factored in a couple extra days before Valentine's. Phew!
Bacon-Wrapped Dates
One time a couple of years ago, Bea roped Chris into accompanying her to a friend's baby shower. Despite the fact that this was billed as a coed event, Chris was really nervous that he would be the only guy in attendance. Luckily, in addition to having plenty of male cohorts to interface with, the hostess (our awesome friend Bradley) served Chris's most favorite delicacy of all time: Bacon-Wrapped Dates! These take a little work to assemble, but are totally worth it for a special occasion. We've made them twice now and both times were a great hit. |
| Bea is happy we used “happy bacon" so she can enjoy them too! |
You'll need:
- x pitted dates
- x/3 strips of bacon, ideally from sustainably-raised happy pigs
- some mascarpone cheese
- toothpicks
The process is fairly simple, just a little time-consuming, especially if you're a cheapskate and start with whole dates that you pit yourself!
What to do:
Preheat oven to 450°F.Cut the bacon into thirds crossways.
Slit each date down the side, remove pits if not already done, and splodge some cheese into the center.
Wrap a piece of bacon around the date, and secure it with a toothpick -- use the bacon to cover up the slit. Place on baking sheet.Bake these for 5 minutes and then flip them over and bake another 5 minutes, so the bacon is crispy all around. Each person usually wants to eat about as many of these as possible, so it's best when you make at least 20 at once. Usually made as appetizers for a crowd, but once in a lifetime it's probably OK to make these for Valentine's day, as a delicious prelude to a complete (and completely random!) dinner...
Bea made all Chris's favorite foods at once:
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| Egg drop soup & romantic glowing octopus lamp |
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| Roasted parsnips & purple carrots we grew in DC |
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| The roots were eaten like fondue dippers, coated in bagna cauda, an anchovy/garlic dip, which was kept warm at the table in a tiny crock pot Bea found in a thrift store |
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| Bea surprised Chris by making him a WHOLE TRAY of cinnamon bread pudding! |
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| Chris helped Bea make these complicated but delish Paleo coconut-date sandwich cookies |
Low-Carb Mascarpone Cheesecake
This recipe adapted from Low Carb Friends message board, which was adapted from The Food Network's Mascarpone Cheesecake with Almond Crust
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup almond meal
4 tablespoons Stevia-in-the-Raw (or other sugar substitute)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
16 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups
Stevia-in-the-Raw (or other sugar substitute)2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Topping (optional):
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (i.e., Nutella)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 layers of foil. It will be sitting in water, so make sure to wrap it EXTRA tightly!
Mix almond flour and stevia. Add the melted butter and mix until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (don't try and spread it up onto the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Decrease the oven temperature to 325°F.For the filling:
For the topping:Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and stevia in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. (Be careful not to overbeat!)
Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 15 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold). Transfer the cake to a rack; cool for an hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours before serving.
Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until warm, stopping to stir every 20 seconds to blend, about 1 minute total.To serve:
Cut the cake into wedges. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the wedges and serve.
This cake was a hit with both carb-lovers and low-carb eaters!
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| It also glows beautifully when presented with candles! |
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