Need a dessert from Chicago

Need a dessert from Chicago

Anyone out there know of a dessert that Chicago is famous for or that is associated with that city? I have a "Celebration of American Cities" event 2/22 and drew Chicago. I need a sweet and a savory food to serve. Any savory ideas other than pizza or hotdogs? Thanks!!!

Piel

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

Hi Piel,

Don't know any Chicago desserts. Somehow I don't think the St. Valenitine's Day Massacre is a good theme. Unless it involves bathtub gin? Oh well....just trying to be helpful!

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

Cheesecake. Yummmmmmmmmmm
Just call it Chicago instead of New York.

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

Granny, You're right! I put Chicago and dessert in Google and found out that Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake was voted Chicago's number one Dessert.

Piel, in case you don't have a good cheesecake recipe that you fancy, here's one I really, really love, and can't resist sharing. If you have one you like better, I will not be disappointed if you don't try it.


Lemon Crust Cheesecake

Leave the butter and the cream cheese on the counter for at least two hours before making the cake to soften. This cake is then far less work.

Crust:

1 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 cup butter ( one stick)
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Mix together the flour, sugar and lemon peel in one bowl.
In a second bowl, cream the butter, add the vanilla to it, and then stir in the flour mixture.

Pat 1/3 of the dough on the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Put the pan in a 400 F degree oven to bake for
about 6 minutes or till lightly golden.

After the pan has cooled, pat the remaining mixture up the side of the pan to a height of at least 2 inches.

Filling:
5 eight ounce packages of cream cheese
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. vanilla
5 eggs and 2 egg yolks (6 whole eggs works. Cake is just slightly less yellow)
1/4 c. cream or milk

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and lemon rind. Cream (blend) the five packages of cheese BY HAND until fluffy. Don't use your mixer or food processor. You don't want to add too much air to the product. Beat in the dry ingredient mixture gradually. Blend in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Blend in the milk or cream.
Pour the filling into the crust lined spring form pan.

Bake at 500 F for 5 to 8 minutes until top is light golden.
(Be careful with this step) Lower temperature to 300 F and bake for approximately one hour until the cheese cake is set in the center. The cake will puff up high but drop back somewhat on cooling. Cool in the pan 3 hours. Then remove the sides of the pan and refrigerate.

Topping
Serve with any of the following toppings in separate bowls:

Can of cherry pie filling, mixed with 1/4 tsp. almond extract
The usual favorite.

Can of pineapple pie filling, mixed with 1 tsp. lemon juice

Homemade lemon pie filling, made slightly less stiff than usual

Blueberry pie filling

dpp

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

Jo, Granny, and Doris ,

Thanks!!! Cheesecake it will be.

Doris your recipe sounds yummy...I will try it. I love lemon with raspberries and usually put a couple of packages of frozen but partially thawed, sweetened raspberries in the food processor and process until smooth then add fresh raspberries or strawberries to serve over cheescake. For the holidays I like cranberries with my cheesecake.

The recipe that I use is from "The Cake Bible' by Rose Levy Biranbaum that I have altered a little:

4 - 8o z. pkgs. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar
3 tblsp. lemon juice
1 tblsp. vanilla extract
6 egg yolks

It is made in the food processor then baked in a water bath in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour to an hour and a half

I am kind of wierd about my pie crusts...I like crunchy. For cheesecake:

A bag and a half of Pepperidge Farm shortbread cookies
1/2 cup of pecans
1/3 cup light brown sugar

process until fine crumbs, add 1 stick unsalted butter melted and combine until all crumbs are evenly moist

press in the bottom of the same size parchment lined pan you will be baking the cheesecake in and bake until browned

score while warm and when cooled cut into wedges

I serve these either undereneath the slices of cheescake like a normal crust or place them at an angle on top of the cheesecake.

Piel

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

Piel, I'll have to try your recipe too!

If you like a crunchy crust, you may very well like the baked
lemon shortbread crust on mine.

But I want to try your crust under a couple of pie recipes I have that use graham cracker crusts now, which I find as kind of blah, on the whole, and need a more exciting crust.

BTW, the lemon crust cheesecake can easily be served hot/warm, as the crust is crisp and holds the cheesecake
together. It is served that way at a restaurant in Burlington Vermont that I used to go to. Myself, I can't decide which way I like cheesecake best, hot or cold.

I've never tried cranberries on cheesecake before-do you make a whole berry sauce or grind them up like cranberry orange relish, or what? I'll have to try that next holiday.

dpp

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

I'm from Chicago and I don't think of cheesecake as a "Chicago thing" but I suppose some do....

My pick for a Chicago style dessert:
They don't make 'em anymore but when I think Chicago I think DOVE BARS. Not those things ou get in the box at the grocery store...I'm talking before Dove sold it's name...the place down on 95th street where we used to go to get homemade vanilla ice cream on stick that was dunked into a pot of Dove's chocolate (it was reall a candy store). If the temperature was over 50 degrees when you tried to eat this thing-the chocolate would melt all over the place! 'Cause there wasn't any fake stuff to keep it hard.

For a savory food:

Italian beef sandwich served wet (that means the whole thing-bread and all-is dunked into the juice)

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

Doris,

Whole berried cranberry sauce (even from a can in a pinch) made with cranberries,sugar, orange juice and zest cooked just until the berries start to burst then chilled. It is really pretty too!

Nthuz,

Thanks! Do you have a recipe for the Italian Beef Sandwiches? I woder if it would be possible to make a version of the Dove bars by putting good vanilla ice cream like Breyer's into individual foil and paper cupcake liners, allow it to harden and top with some melted Dove chocolate candy? I'm sure it wouldn't be as good as the original but would be better than what's available in the supermarkets.

Piel

Re: Need a dessert from Chicago

Piel,

when your finished making the cheesecake, Please overnight fed-ex a piece to NM...any toppping will do.