On this episode…
Our hosts cover their klutziest kitchen moments and listeners-trust us, we have quite a few. Rachel shares her unpopular opinion on dairy and we roll the dice for a new challenge.
Photos
Rachel drinks a Dirty Banana while recording this episode
A broken ramekin just in time to discuss our kitchen klutz moments.
Steeping cardamom in cream.
Rachel didn't have a pot big enough for a water bath.
Getting ready to bake.
Luisa's Chocolate Chai Cheesecake
Links, Recipes and Sources
Dirty Banana Recipe: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/dirty-banana/
Vivian Howard's Website: https://www.vivianhoward.com/
Ice Cream Base Recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cream-cheese-ice-cream/
Chocolate Chai Cheesecake Recipe: https://www.stetted.com/chocolate-chai-cheesecake/
Apple Chai Cinnamon Roll Recipe: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/apple-cinnamon-rolls-with-cream-cheese-chia-frosting/
Coming up next...
Procrastibaking Takes on Baking Myths
Connect with us!
Share your cheesecake recipes with us! Tag us in your photos and use the hashtag #ProcrastibakingChallenge. Also, if you have any tips for making a crack free cheesecake that doesn't have a moist crust from it's water bath, please let us know.
Email: procrastibaking@yahoo.com
Bonus Batch: Thoughts on Roll the Dice
As Luisa mentioned in one of her pop quiz responses, we are a bit different when it comes to our thought process behind deciding what to make for things like the Roll the Dice challenge.
Rachel: I zone in on the flavor first. What category is it? If it’s spice I start daydreaming about cardamom. If it’s chocolate, I have to decide if I want the darkest of the dark or a combination of several different chocolates. Then I think about how I would like to enjoy that flavor. Something cold? Something bite-size but rich? If fruit isn’t the flavor requirement, do I want to include fruity flavors?
For example, when we rolled cheesecake, I had just baked cheesecake so I wasn’t really feeling like making another one so soon. But, I am almost always ready to make or eat ice cream so I started thinking about ways to incorporate cheesecake into an ice cream dessert.
My bad habit of late is to google everything. I am quick to type in cheesecake ice cream or desserts with honey, to look and see what has been done and to see if there are any craveable photos floating around. I say it’s a bad habit because I have so many cookbooks and magazines that I need to utilize to justify keeping them. I want to get better at turning to my books and magazines first for inspiration and if possible, the recipes themselves.
I often find a recipe to use as a starting point and then find another recipe for a component I’d like to add and try to blend them together. This works about 70% of the time. Most of the time it doesn’t work is when I read the recipe a week or so before I actually sit down to make the dessert and try to make it from memory. That’s another goal of mine is to stop winging it. Anyway, let’s hear how Luisa goes about it.
Luisa: For our Roll the Dice challenges I usually focus on the form first. For me that helps narrow down my search for recipes and I feel like the form also naturally leads me to be able to filter in and out specific flavors based on prior experience or just understand the makeup of the form. I have also noticed that when I crave desserts I find myself often craving the forms rather than specific flavors, so maybe that’s just how my silly brain is wired! (Chocolate would be the one exception!)
Something that I am trying to do more of with the Roll the Dice challenges is move out of my comfort zone. With baking, I tend to veer towards classic and traditional. I think this is aligned with my personality-I like tried and true everything, from my outfit combinations to the dinner recipes I try out. However, I have been inspired by Rachel’s ability to experiment with flavors, because a lot of times it has led to really satisfying and unexpected results for her. I will say that part of that process means letting go of expecting a perfect bake. For example, one of my recent roll the dice challenges were chocolate orange cookies, and some listeners may remember that I really hated the flavor pairing, but I was glad to have pushed myself to try something new because I learned something new about my own flavor profile. It also helps that my husband has a great imagination when it comes to flavor pairings, so if I ever get stuck he is always willing to throw out suggestions! A recent one that we have enjoyed is sweet and savory pairings (for example bacon and chocolate & salted caramel).
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