Chef in Residence - Elinor Klivans

I first met Elinor through the International Association of Culinary Professionals, a wonderful organization that provided the opportunity to meet a large variety of people who are involved in the culinary world. Elinor has been very active in the IACP and has mentored many up-and-coming bakers. It’s an honor to have Elinor as a Chef-in-Residence.

Elinor's book, Bake and Freeze Desserts (William Morrow, 1994) was a dual main selection of The Good Cook, a division of Book of the Month Club, a nominee for a Julia Child Cookbook Award for first book, and a winner of the Martini and Rossi Dessert Cookbook Awards. Bake and Freeze Chocolate Desserts (Broadway, 1997) and 125 Cookies to Bake, Nibble, and Savor (Broadway, 1998) were both featured on the Discovery Channel. Her latest book, Fearless Baking: Over 100 Desserts That Anyone Can Make (Simon & Schuster 2001) uses a simple step-by-step method to give the most timid baker confidence yet inspire the most experienced chef. Her books and desserts have been featured in newspapers and high-profile magazines throughout the country and she has appeared on national television and radio shows. She has also taught her dessert techniques in cooking schools.

Elinor says, "When you look at my recipes you will notice that vanilla is one of my favorite ingredients. Vanilla does such a good job of enhancing flavor that I include it in almost all of my desserts. Smell the scent of this wonderful ingredient and you’ll know why it makes everything taste so wonderful!" Elinor’s home page is www.midcoast.com/~eklivans.

This Baked Blintz has a traditional filling that cooks between two layers of a batter that becomes soft, crisp and crepe-like when baked. It was the main dish at our daughter’s wedding brunch---need I say more?

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk, any fat content is okay
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 pounds ricotta cheese
• 1/2 pound small curd cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• fresh berries or blueberry jam, optional

Instructions:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan or ovenproof glass or ceramic dish.

Put the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and together. Add the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla, and use a large spoon to stir the mixture until the ingredients are combined and smooth. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the batter in the bottom of the prepared pan, tilting the pan to spread it evenly. Set the remainder of the mixture aside while you prepare the filling.

Put the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, sugar, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir the mixture until the ingredients are blended together. Spread the filling evenly over the batter in the pan. A thin metal spatula works well for spreading it. Spread the remaining batter evenly over the ricotta cheese mixture. It will not cover the top completely, but spreads evenly during baking.

Bake the blintz for about 1-1/2 hours, or until the edges look brown and crisp and bubble gently. The top will be golden. Use a large serving spoon to serve the hot blintz. Serve with fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries, or pass blueberry jam, if desired.

Makes 10 to 12 Servings

VANILLA CHEESECAKE

Cheesecake comes in many flavors, but vanilla is the flavor choice that is always at the top of everyone’s list.

1 graham cracker crumb crust baked for 6 minutes at 325 degrees in 9-inch springform pan

• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened 3 to 4 hours at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons whipping cream, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan with sides at least 2 3/4 inches high. Wrap the outside of the pan with a large piece of heavy aluminum foil. Have ready a large baking pan with at least 2-inch high sides that is large enough to hold the foil-wrapped pan.

Put the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture looks smooth. If using a hand-held electric mixer, move the beaters around in the bowl. Mix in the flour to incorporate it. Put the eggs and egg yolk in a small bowl and use a fork to stir them vigorously to blend the yolks and whites. Add the eggs in 2 additions, mixing just to blend them into the mixture.

Stop the mixer and scrape any thick batter from the sides of the bowl and or any batter that becomes caught in the beaters as needed. Mix in the cream, just until it is incorporated. Pour the batter into the baked crust in the springform pan.

Put the cheesecake in its wrapped pan in a large baking pan with at least 2-inch high sides and place in the preheated oven. Pour hot water in the large pan to reach 1-inch up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake about 1 hour or until you give the cheesecake a gentle shake and the top looks firm. When done, the cheesecake looks set and may have a few tiny cracks around the edge. These cracks close up as the cheesecake cools.

Cool the cheesecake, covered loosely with paper towels, in the water bath for 1 hour. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Remove the paper towels and foil wrapping and cool 1 hour more. The cheesecake should feel cool to the touch. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. The cheesecake becomes firm when cool. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Leftover cheesecake can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

MY BEST BUTTER BUTTONS

These tiny balls of dough bake into rounded disks of one-bite sized cookies that would melt in your mouth if you could ever hold them there long enough.

Makes about fifty-eight 1 1/2-inch cookies

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 pound plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) soft, unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Mix the dough.

Position two oven racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. It is not necessary to butter the paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together onto a piece of wax paper or into a medium bowl and set aside.

Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture looks smooth and creamy, and the color lightens, about 2 minutes. This thorough beating helps lighten the texture of the cookies. Move the beaters around in the bowl if using a handheld electric mixer. Stop the mixer and scrape dough from the sides of the bowl and any dough that becomes caught in the beaters as needed. Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract until they are blended into the mixture.

Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and a smooth dough forms. At first, the dough forms large crumbs, then it forms a smooth dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Roll 1 level teaspoon of dough between the palms of your hands into _-inch balls. Place the cookie balls 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, reversing the baking sheets after 11 minutes front to back and top to bottom to ensure that the cookies bake evenly. The cookie bottoms and edges will be evenly light brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Butter buttons can be stored at room temperature tightly covered in a tin for up to 5 days.

These and many more wonderful recipes using vanilla are found in our recipe area. Print friendly versions of these recipes are there as well.