My personal challenge: baking my way through "How to Bake". This post is my experience baking and learning new skills from tackling each recipe in Paul Hollywood's, "How to Bake". I will also document any recipe changes that I made - mainly as a result of not having the ingredients on hand (i.e., we never have regular sugar in the house) - and how the recipe fared. I will not be providing the recipes that are in his book.
I actually made this Smoked Salmon Cheesecake recipe several times after the first attempt because it was such a hit. Now, I don't eat fish or meat, so the review is solely my husband's reaction and request for the recipe. I can say with some certainty that it is a fantastic recipe, especially after cold hikes in the winter.
The first time that I made this recipe, it was back in 2020 when I started my "How to Bake" challenge and during that attempt I tried to stick to the ingredient list as best as possible except for the seasonings. Then, my my third and fourth bake, I played around with a lot of the ingredients to try and make it lighter or because I simply didn't have the ingredients on hand and it was a last minute request of my husband's.
See below for some changes and lessons learned.
Here are some of the lessons that I learned and changes I made:
No vodka. For all of the different variations that I made for this Smoked Salmon Cheesecake, I did not have any vodka. I don't mind purchasing ingredients for certain bakes, but if I am not going to ever use them again, I tend to try and find a substitute. What does alcohol add to baking? Of course, before I blindly omitted the lemon vodka, I did a little more research to understand why alcohol is a part of baking and how it enhances the flavor. The first way alcohol enhances the flavor is through evaporation. It does this at a low concentration, around 1%, and it brings the flavor to your nose. So, in stead of smelling the alcohol, you smell the flavor you'd like to enhance - fruit, lemon, fresh herbs, chocolate, etc. Additionally, alcohol molecules bind to both fat and water. This works together in two ways; first, the mouth picks up water-soluble molecules and second, the nose picks up fat-soluble molecules, so these two experiences are heightened and work more closely together because of the alcohol. What did I use? I decided to stick with fresh squeezed lemon juice to provide a zing and then also balance out the flavors in the cheesecake. I know that lemon can brighten a dish and balance flavor in seafood, so it was a pretty easy choice. Plus, Paul Hollywood listed lemon vodka, so it wasn't a hard decision.
Substitute for Sour Cream or Crème fraîche. The first time I baked this cheesecake I followed the recipe, as mentioned, as close as possible. I used crème fraîche. My husband enjoyed the cheesecake immensely and it ended up on our weekly meal rotations a few times since the first bake, but he did mentioned since there was no one in the house to share such a rich meal and help consume it, he requested to lighten it up. The most recent bake, I forgot to purchase sour cream and crème fraîche, so I was pushed to figure out a substitute and this ended up being my ticket to lighten up the cheesecake. What did I use? I decided to use 150g like the recipe calls and replaced with sour cream with full-fat milk less two tablespoons and two tablespoons of lemon juice. I basically created a lighter version of buttermilk by letting this mixture sit while I followed the first few steps of the Smoked Salmon Cheesecake. This instantly made the batter a little looser and it baked much lighter.
Short Crust Shrinkage. In past bakes I was much more careful about having the crust hang over the edge on all side of the pie dish, but the last pie that I made did not have enough crust to hang over the full dish. As a result, I pulled the crust out after the blind bake and saw a piece of the crust had folded into the base of the pie with a slightly soggy texture. I attempted to reinforce the side with the crust that I cut away after baking the crust (10-12 minute blind bake and subsequent 5-8 minute bake), but it did not hold. Ultimately, I decided to cut away the folded piece and have a dip in the crust than have a soggy section of the crust. I think the rough dip of the crust was a better decision than a soggy section. So, when in doubt opt away from a soggy bottom.
Going Crustless. In one of the bakes I tried to make the cheesecake crustless. While it held up shape and made for a lighter meal, my husband did miss the taste of the short crust pastry and for me, it took away the labor of love that is pastry. It almost felt as rushed as making a smoothie and finished with simply pouring the batter to bake. It makes for a great alternative when rushed, but for the full effect of the recipe, I believe it needs the crust.
Not Fully Folding in the Egg Whites. The most recent attempt at making this recipe, I did not fold in the egg whites fully - I left some ribbons of egg whites in the cheesecake batter. Unlike the first few bakes that resulted in a smooth batter and even more perfect baked cheesecake, the last bake resulted in a few pockets of egg whites and some had even rose to the top of the cheesecake and slightly charred the top. Now, this might be a huge no-no, but I was trying to make the cheesecake lighter, so I thought avoiding over-mixing may help. Ultimately my husband did not mind that there were a few pockets of egg whites as it achieved the lighter texture he craved. Was it a good change? It did make knowing when it was done difficult because the top was way darker than the picture in "How to Bake" and other bakes that I did, but the shake test worked just as well. It passed the husband taste test, so I guess that's a win.
Flavor Change. For each of the smoked salmon cheesecakes that I made, I focused on a dill and lemon combination. I also added sautéed shallot and garlic for one and then, a sautéed purple onion and garlic for another. I sautéed each and then let cool to room temperature before adding into the base of the cheesecake batter before folding in the egg whites. How much? I would measure to your heart's content, but I did about 2 medium shallots and 3 cloves or garlic or half a medium purple onion and 3-4 cloves or garlic plus about 1.5-2 tablespoons of dill.
On that note, I hope that you find a recipe book you enjoy, or this one, that I am currently baking my way through. Either way, enjoy baking and nourishing yourself and your family.
All my light and all my love. Namaste.
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