Thursday, March 27, 2008

Me, and my crustless mini- cheesecakes...



My friend Beatriz tagged me last week for a meme and as promised, here are seven facts about myself, before we talk sweets.

1. My family used to hang out with Juan Valdez! I remember him visiting my aunt Estrella (my middle name by the way) many, many times in New Jersey. A few times, friends would ask to take a picture with him, which was pretty funny, because despite his fame, to us, he was just Carlos Sanchez. He retired in 2006 and was replaced by Carlos Castañeda, the new Juan Valdez.
2. My high school years were spent in a uniform, hanging around nuns and being a major nerd!
3. I was a young bride. I met Hans at 19, married him at 20 and became a mom at 21. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.
4. I had Kirstie at home, in my own bed, with nothing else but the power of the mind. I started to do yoga as soon as labor started and did it right up until delivery. It was the most wonderful, euphoric and life- changing experience ever.
5. My dearest friend Maggie gave birth to her daughter, Natalia, on Hans' birthday two years ago, while we were at a Beatles Revival concert. Pretty cool I must say.
6. I literally dream about recipes, wake up, write them down and immediately get busy in my kitchen trying them out. Pretty much in the same way Paul McCartney came up with Yesterday.
7. And in case you haven't caught on- I am a major Beatles fan, hence the name of this blog- In My Life, one of my favorite Beatles' songs.

So, there you have it! I'll leave this open to anyone who wants to join in after me!

And now for the food!

I came up with this recipe after almost butchering another one. It's a lighter version of cheesecake, tiny in size, crustless and not too sweet. I served it with cherries from a jar. Not very seasonal, but I had one of those moments when I simply needed some cherries!

Crustless Mini-Cheesecakes
Serves 2

-175g cream cheese
- 2 tbsps honey
-1 tbsp Kirsch
-2 tbsps cornstarch
-1 egg, slightly beaten
-cherries or other fruit

Preheat oven to 200C. Beat the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into two ramekins and put the ramekins in a tray. Fill the tray with hot water so that it reaches about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold, with the cherries and perhaps a little powdered sugar.

15 comments:

Beatriz Macias said...

Paola, I am so glad you answered my silly meme. I love finding out more about you. I am so jealous, you know Juan Valdez! You are "almost famous."
I LOVE the fact that you had your sweet baby at home, doing yoga! You are older and wiser than your years.
My mom had hepatitis while pregnant with me and she had to stay in bed for the major part of the last trimester, she says that my father would put Beatle's records on the turntable (now you know I am older than you!) and forget to stop them, so they would play for hours.... I love the Beatles too....
I dream about paintings. lots of them, if I could only paint as fast as I dream.
Your recipe.... easy!!! I love it!
Thanks again for playing along.
Abrazos,
Beatriz

Patricia Scarpin said...

What a wonderful idea for cheesecake, Paola! I love it!

Sylvia said...

Is nice to know a little bit about you. My sister's middle name is Estela (almost Estrella) And I ream about recipes and ingredients too
Your mini cheese cakes looks wonderful and tasty.
Ps love your Easter sandwichs

Anonymous said...

Another thing we have in common! The love for the Fab Four :)

Sara said...

I love cheesecake with honey. One of my favorite cheesecakes is Giada de Laurentiis's Honey Ricotta Cheesecake. These look lovely! Ramekins are still on my things to buy list...ah!

Anonymous said...

Your mini cheesecake looks really delicious. I love cheese cakes. :)

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous cheesecake idea and really interesting to learn some more about you Paola.

Kelly-Jane said...

This dessert looks yummy!

I'm so glad that your like Baking by Dorie, I thought it was a great discovery :) Looking forward to seeing what you choose to make!

Anonymous said...

Those look gorgeous! I would definitely serve these at a party...thanks for sharing!

Paola Westbeek said...

Beatriz, gracias amiga. It was fun to share these little 'me facts' with you.

Hi Patricia,
Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you like the idea. :)

Hi Sylvia,
I'm glad I'm not alone in being a recipe dreamer! ;)

Nicoletta,
How nice to see you here! And a fellow Beatlemaniac to! I was looking at your pictures of the Italian cooking holiday btw and I must say it looked very appealing!

Hi Sara,
Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm glad you liked the recipe. I've added you to my favorites, btw. :)

Hi CN,
Always nice to see you stop by. I'm also a fan of cheesecake and the great thing about these is how easy they are...and relatively friendly on the hips..not that I care.;);)

George,
Thanks! It was a fun recipe...mostly because of the way it came about!

Hi KJ,
I adore the book! The thing is, I don't even know where to begin! Everything looks so darn good! Any recommendations as to what to try first??

Hi Hillary,
Thanks for popping in! I'm glad you like the recipe!

Paola

Beatriz Macias said...

Paola, have you been to Ms.Adventures; blog? She is hosting a contest that I think you could win... Head there right now:
http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2008/04/03/dmblgit-april-2008/

Paola Westbeek said...

Thanks Beatriz! I just entered...full of big hopes! ;)

paola

Gloria Baker said...

Encontrè deliciosos estos minicheescakes!! are lovely! Paola Me encantas igual que los mini pie de limon etc.(los mini alfajores etc.) Còmo estàs tù??? Estàs con mucho trabajo?? Te mando un cariñosos saludo.xxxxxGloria

Paola Westbeek said...

Hola mi querida Gloria!

Hace tiempo que no nos escribimos! Pero no me he olvidado de ti! Todo por aqui esta bien. Nuestra perrita se puso muy grave la semana pasada y ayer pero esperamos que se vaya recuperando. De resto, pues he estado escribiendo mucho para el libro y para dos revistas de internet. Y claro que tambien cocinando mucho! Hoy hice unas galletas super ricas!!!

Cuentame como estas? Y como te acabo de ir en los EU??

Muchos saludos,
Paola

Simply...Gluten-free said...

I dream about food ans was married very young - age 18 - 31 years ago! Wouldn't change a thing either.