Cream Cheese

When I first started to travel to France regularly, the French, when they found out I was American, would rhapsodize “J’adore le Philadelphia!” It took me a while to realize they were enthralled with our cream cheese, which is indeed worthy of international acclaim. They’ve adopted cheesecake too, calling it le gâteau fromage or simply le cheesecake.

It’s a misconception that the French don’t like American food. Step into any bakery in Paris and you’re likely to see one of two things: le gâteau au fromage or les brownies. Usually the cheesecake is pretty good, but the brownies are too often pale facsimiles. For some reason that I don’t understand, the French never put enough chocolate in their brownies. In my efforts to promote international understanding, I hand out brownies freely to my Parisian friends in hopes that pretty soon, someone will get the message and ramp up the fudginess of French brownies. (Perhaps it’s because the word “fud-gee” isn’t part of the French vocabulary?) And because I sometimes can’t help showing off my American audaciousness, I’ll whip up this recipe that combines the best of both the cheesecake and brownie worlds and pass the squares around. They tend to take people by surprise—I think the French need a little more time to get used to such a cra-zee combination.

This recipe uses canned pumpkin rather than home-cooked fresh pumpkin simply because the moisture content is consistent and no one wants to take any chances with a cheesecake after spending all that money on cream cheese. This is a fantastic holiday recipe, and as with regular cheesecakes, the secret to great results is to begin with all the ingredients at room temperature and to not overbeat the filling.

One of the pitfalls of having a blog is that you leave yourself open to all sorts of questions. The most common are from folks who want to substitute ingredients. I always want to reach through my computer screen, grab hold of their shoulders, and say, “But I worked so hard to develop this recipe. Please make it just as it is!” When I was working on these cupcakes, I began with the simple idea of individually filled chocolate cakes, similar to the kind I had as a kid, but with an adult sensibility. So I added a pour of Irish cream liqueur to the filling and spiked the ganache icing with a tipple of whiskey, which effectively wiped out the possibility of making these kid-friendly. So please don’t ask if you can make them without either, because the bad news is that you can’t. But the good news is that you can have them all for yourself and you don’t have to share them with the kids.

Channeling my inner George Washington, I cannot tell a lie: These peppers are hot. even the cheese and oil from deep-frying can’t help you here. Every bite is delicious, and somehow enjoyably torturous. These may actually be some sort of entryway into masochism. If you want even more heat, use pepper Jack cheese in place of the Monterey Jack.

Despite the Burmese name, crab rangoons were more likely a clever invention of the Bay Area tiki palace Trader Vic’s rather than some exotic tropical import. Premade wonton wrappers, which can be found in the frozen or refrigerated section of Asian markets and some supermarkets, make these an easy fix no matter where you—or the rangoons—call home.

Spice up your get-togethers with this take on the classic hors d’oeuvre staple. You can also use it on your bagel the morning after your shindig—if your guests somehow refrain from devouring it all.

Yes, this is what your boring bagels have been clamoring for—you just didn’t know it. While it definitely adds a great kick to the more standard bagel varieties (egg, sesame, poppy, and so on), those who really like to start their day with fire-breath will rejoice once they’ve put a shmear on a toasted garlic, onion, or everything bagel. If you’re feeling extra ritzy, lox would certainly be a welcome addition to the party.

I try to cut fat and calories wherever I can, so I generally use a combination of cream cheese and Neufchâtel when I prepare this frosting. It’s great on virtually any cake and a perfect match for Sunrise Carrot Muffins (page 7).

I get raves when I make this cheesecake, and I’m sure you will, too.

Whether smothering my Red Velvet Cupcakes (page 28) or topping Zucchini Cupcakes (page 61), this simple, tangy, and rich frosting is a classic with true versatility.

This fruity orange frosting makes a deliciously decorative topping for Halloween Cupcakes (page 81) and other festive treats. Change it up and make your own lemon cream cheese frosting by substituting lemon zest for the orange zest and eliminating the food coloring.

Mama used to make us cheese toasts and cinnamon toasts for breakfast. (She would leave the oven door open after making them, so we could warm up on chilly mornings.) We started to play with that for Jack, and came up with these tasty cream cheese sandwiches sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. They taste a bit like a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese, but the crunch of the sugar on the outside and the creamy cheese inside make them way more interesting. Plus the cream cheese adds protein, so they’re heartier than your average serving of cinnamon toast.

Mama’s spaghetti and tuna casserole was delicious. We don’t want to give anyone the idea that it wasn’t by calling this Not-Your-Mama’s. But this casserole, full of creamed corn, olives, and cheese and topped with addictively crunchy fried onions, is really better than it has any right to be. Sorry, Mama!

Bobby may just make the best pimiento cheese there is. This version is a combo of Bobby’s recipe and the classic Lady & Sons’ version. We like to use pimiento cheese everywhere, not just as a dip. Leftovers sometimes find their way onto a burger, and every once in a while, we’ll make a batch just for this souped-up mac and cheese, which we often serve with a nice cup of hot tomato soup.

Jell-O has gotten a bad rap, and we are not sure why. In fact, Jell-O happens to be one of the Queens’ favorite go-to treats, as it’s now available in low-calorie and sugar-free varieties, making it a wonderful vehicle for satisfying your sweet tooth without all the guilt. And, Jell-O is extremely versatile. With dozens of flavors available to choose from, you can always find a satisfying one. If you haven’t had Jell-O in a while, we invite you to try this recipe. It’s the perfect, cool treat for the summertime that’s both light and fruity. Besides, desserts that jiggle are fun!

Crystal’s nieces have nicknamed their mother “Butter.” This term of endearment for Karen stems from the fact that she cooks everything with butter. One of her specialties is this cake, and—you guessed it—there’s lots of butter! A cream cheese and apple mixture bakes up nice and gooey on top of a soft cake layer. Served warm, it just doesn’t get any butter—we mean, better.

The area where Sandy grew up in the Rio Grande Valley is one of the best places in the nation for growing citrus. There is something about the soil, climate, and constant sunshine that lends itself to perfect citrus farming. Sandy’s dad Max worked the citrus farms, and every year Sandy would go out with her dad to the farms to help him harvest and to sample the goods! It’s only natural that when developing recipes, Sandy wanted to pull from this fond memory. This wonderfully delicious spin on traditional blintzes has all the great taste but without all the work. Forget the trial and error; use this surefire recipe to woo your crowd.

My favorite thing about cheesecake is the texture. I like a dry, dense New York–style cheesecake over a light, creamy one. By using goat cheese in addition to cream cheese, this recipe gives me a fabulous texture that’s slightly crumbly, a bit tangy, and has just the perfect hint of sweetness. Add to that a spectacularly spiced crust, and an old classic is totally new and exciting again!

I LOOOOOVE Nutella. I can happily eat it straight out of the jar, so whipping it up into a mousse and serving it with a hazelnut cake just makes sense. It’s nutty, chocolaty, and creamy all at once—what’s not to love? As far as I’m concerned, anything with Nutella sells itself.