Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Easy Vegetable Curry


Every week there comes a day when I crave Oriental ( Chinese/Thai/Japanese etc.) cuisine. The loss of Singapore Restaurant (Raritan, NJ) really haunts me in those moments. But the good part is that now I am forced to try new recipes for myself. And as a self proclaimed 'Lazy Foodie' I look for easy recipes, obviously. So this Easy Veggie Curry sits well with all of my requirements. I thank Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com for the excellent recipe. I modified it based on the things available in my refrigerator/pantry. And it tasted delicious mm mm!
Ingredients:
1 cup whole coconut milk
1-2 teaspoons Kitchen King masala ( or curry powder)
Salt to taste (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
Half large red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 ozs firm tofu, cut into cubes
1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch segments
1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
1/3 cup water
a handful of cilantro, chopped
Method:

Take half cup coconut milk in a pot and bring it to a simmer. Whisk in the masala and salt, make sure there are no clumps. In a wok, heat a tbsp of oil. Stir-fry the tofu and the vegetables, adding each separately ( stir-fry 1-2 minutes between each addition ). Stir in the remaining coconut milk and water now. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the curried coconut milk, stir well. Check for salt and let sit on low heat for just about 1 minute for the flavors to blend. Stir, remove from heat and garnish with the cilantro. Serve immediately with a bowl of warm rice and other sides.
Note: The vegetables can be cooked a little less based on personal preference. For extra crunch, the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of roasted cashews to be added in the end.
Hope this easy recipe inspires you to try a different flavor today. You can follow the link below for Heidi's original recipe.
cashew curry

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Mystic, Connecticut


The title says it all. We were in Mystic, Connecticut for a short vacation while attending a friend's graduation in URI, Rhode Island. By a lucky twist we were lodged in the best possible area, walking distance from most of the attractions. Across the road from us was the quaint 'Olde Mistick Village'. I could have spent hours, literally, just walking around this pretty little village turned shopping precinct. I went into a shop that carried oriental stuff - jade figurines and jewelry, Japanese fans, Chinese urns and tea sets, even Anime figurines. Then came Franklin's General Store - an old-fashioned general store that carried candies, salsa, jams & jellies and mementos.
We bought some caramel creams. These were soft chewy caramels with a sweet cream center. These were a hit with the sweet lovers in the group.






The next stop was Munson's Chocolate store and it was the most delicious experience ever. I am a hardcore chocolate fan so my excitement is nothing new. But my husband's unexpected enthusiasm at the edible art inside the store was quite surprising. There was so much variety that it was difficult to make a decision regarding a purchase. Finally we went with a bag of Mystic River Rocks. See for yourself how artistically it is made. And the taste was absolutely 'chocoriffic'.


 Before starting I had done some homework and all online resources indicated that no trip to Mystic was complete without a trip to Mystic Pizza. It's a small pizzeria in historic Downtown Mystic which was established in 1973. It became legendary when a Julia Roberts movie (with the same name) was set and shot here. So we decided to stop by and enjoy 'a slice of heaven' in Mystic Pizza pizzeria. Was the pizza good? Hmm...I don't feel comfortable reviewing a piece of legend. I went there to see the place which was the setting of a coming of age story of three young girls. I did and it is a good small town place which makes the story very believable.
There are many other excellent eateries and charming stores along the downtown Main Street. Being on the coast as well as river front, Mystic is a sea-food lovers paradise. All the restaurants offer a splendid array of the freshest catch of the day. My fancy was to try the S&P Oyster Co. which had a beautiful setting and was belching forth delicious smells from it's kitchen chimneys. It is located by the river next to the Mystic Drawbridge and has been voted the ' Best Patio in the State' by Connecticut Magazine. So it was hardly surprising when we were asked to wait an hour for a table. And being as ravenous as we were, S&P was given up as a lost cause. Maybe next time.
On the whole Mystic is a great place for a weekend vacation. For the kids, the Mystic Aquarium holds much potential. The 'Olde Mistick Village', historic Mystic Downtown and nearby areas of Noank and Stonington offer a lot for the vacationers. It is also very near the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos/resorts as well as Westbrook Tanger Outlet malls. On the whole Mystic,CT has something for everyone in your vacationer's group.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Broccoli-Mushroom Stir Fry



Thanks to the dramas I see on youtube, I want to try more and more Eastern/Oriental recipes. And being quite lazy I look for easy recipes which I can make with ingredients that I have at hand. And my latest experiment is the Mushroom-Broccoli stir-fry pictured above. It is based on a recipe I found on recipezaar.com by PaulaG, but I didn't have all the listed ingredients so I just made some adjustments. The result was still delicious and the recipe is given below.
Ingredients
1/2 cup onions, chopped
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 to 3/4 cup water ( or stock)
Oil for sauteing
Salt to taste

Method
In a wok, heat some oil, add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Now add the mushrooms and stir fry for 5 minutes. Take off of heat and keep aside. Now heat some more oil in the wok and add the garlic, ginger and broccoli. Stir fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Blend the cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and water. Add to the wok and cook until thickened. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 5 minutes or till the broccoli is crisp tender. Add the mushroom mixture, stir and take off from heat. Serve with a bowl of sticky rice.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Indian Braised Cabbage


Here is a recipe for simple yet flavorful braised cabbage. I was reminded of this recipe lying in the to blog list when I saw Alex's Day Off on foodnetwork today. She had an Indian menu which include braised cabbage and I remembered my own version.
Even though the title says Indian style, I have to specify further. This is a North Indian style braised cabbage. The spices used to flavor this are what make this dish primarily north-indian. But in these days of globalization ( in this case nationalization I guess) it's just easier to term it as an Indian dish.
Braising - It is a cooking method which uses both moist and dry heat. The vegetable ( or meat ) is seared or browned in oil and then cooked on low heat in a covered pot. This is how I like to cook my cabbage instead of boiling it first (how most people cook their cabbage). I feel that boiling not only brings out the notorious 'cabbage smell' but it also makes the cabbage watery and difficult to flavor in later stages.

Quick and Easy Braised Cabbage
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (whole)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder ( or hot paprika if you prefer mild)
  • salt to taste
Method:
Heat oil in a wok or kadahi (or dutch oven). Add the cumin seeds once the oil is hot, the seeds should sputter and jump around. Lower heat, add the turmeric and cabbage and stir well to coat the cabbage evenly with the oil. The heat should be medium high at this point to give the cabbage a chance to get brown. Stay by the stove and keep stirring once every minute, so that the cabbage doesn't burn. Let it brown evenly then add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to bring out the moisture from the cabbage. Stir, cover and cook on low heat for 7 - 10 minutes. Uncover and stir occasionally to avoid discoloration. Now add the chopped tomatoes, another 1/2 -1 tsp of salt and stir well. Cover again and let simmer for 7-10 minutes. The tomatoes will render out all their juices and the cabbage will simmer in that liquid. If the tomatoes don't have much juice, add about 1/3 cup of water. After the 10 minutes the tomatoes will be soft and mushy and the cabbage should be cooked through. Check for salt at this time. If the cabbage is not done to your preference, give it a couple more minutes. Once done, add the chilli pd or paprika and stir well. Let it stay on low heat for 2-3 more minutes. This allows the chilli to lose the raw taste and also to let it seep into the cabbage mixture. Take off the heat and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) or scallions.
Serve with hot rice, chapathis or parathas, with a side of fresh salaad (not typical salad- just cucumbers, radishes and carrots sprinkled with salt and lemon juice.See picture below).


Szechuan Broccoli

I am always on the lookout for easy recipes to make. These days I'm into Chinese recipes, thanks to the different dramas I'm watching on 'youtube'. And this recipe is one of the simplest and tastiest for broccoli. I thank www.inmamaskitchen.com for this simple and precise recipe.           
 Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 5 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Method:
Combine the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar in a bowl. Keep it aside. Heat a small skillet and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Toast for about 1 minute till the seeds turn a light brown and fragrant. Set aside.
Heat a wok till it is very hot. Add oil to the hot wok and spread it around by swirling. Put in red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic. Stir for at most 30 seconds, so as not to let the garlic burn. Now add the broccoli and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture and stir well to coat all of the broccoli. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
You can enjoy this dish with steamed rice or noodle soup.

tip#1 Use toasted sesame oil or peanut oil for the recipe as they have a higher smoke point and thus appropriate for higher temperature cooking.
tip#2 Store bought ginger-garlic paste maybe used in place of the fresh stuff.
tip#3 Honey maybe substituted in place of sugar in the sauce mixture.
Try this next time for a quick chinese vegetable dish and enjoy.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Coffee Cake



I always wanted to experiment with coffee cake. So I used this basic recipe that I found on the site www.about.com but I forget which section. So I give the recipe below and my observations later on.
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
1/3 cup butter
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda. Cut in the butter till the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Combine egg and buttermilk, stir into the flour mixture. Spread into a greased and floured 8 inch cake pan (square or round). Now sprinkle the topping and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 tsps cinnamon
2 tbsps melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Combine the ingredients and sprinkle over the cake batter just before baking.

The result was quite yummy. I felt this cake was more on the dry side and crumbly too. It did taste very light when eaten with a cup of coffee. The topping was delicious and crunchy. This coffee cake reminded me of the homemade cakes we used to bake in India. Those were not as moist or spongy as the ones I bake here. The cakes here are more reminiscent of the juicy, moist pastries that the bakeries in India sell. Whereas the homemade ones are more like this coffee cake.
On the whole a very satisfactory experiment with a simple recipe.

picture courtesy: flickr.com.No copyright infringement intended.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Rabbit-Ear Apples

'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' goes the old adage. That almost says it all. The fruit is very nutritional as well as extremely delicious. I remember growing up in India where apple is a seasonal fruit. It is available for only a few months each year. Here we are lucky enough to get apples year round and should enjoy them more.
I came across this simple way to dress up a regular old apple in a book called ' The Best of Taiwanese Cuisine'. The author, Karen Hulene Bartell, lived in Taiwan for five and a half years and was able to savor the delicious cuisine first hand. It is definitely a very good choice to look to, when in search of some good Taiwanese recipes.
As in China, the meal in Taiwan too is rounded off with some slices of fresh fruits. And I found the picture very cute. So I tried making some too, following the instructions in the book. The result was quite satisfactory.



Instructions to make Rabbit-Ear Apples:
Slice the apple into eight pieces. At the midpoint of a slice, cut an elongated 'V' into the skin. Now slice under the 'V', between the peel and slice. Make sure the skin is still attached firmly at the front base of the slice. Peel off the back half of skin . The 'V' becomes the rabbit's ears and the apple peel becomes the face.
Repeat the process with the other slices. Serve as a garnish for a fruit bowl or as is, and they will be devoured. I guarantee.


recipe courtesy: The Best of Taiwanese Cuisine by Karen Hulene Bartell.
no copyright infringement intended.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Snowy day Snacks - 2


The biggest blizzard of 2010 has come and is slowly moving away. It lasted all day long and made us crave some comfort food. So I turned to the real Indian comfort food idea - vegetable fritters called Bajjis. These can be made with a number of different vegetables, the most popular being aaloo (potato). Personally my favorite is hot green chillies, a specific kind sold just for making bajjis. And that taste can not be achieved with any type of chillies available here in US. The best option would be to use either jalapeno or serrano chillies if you like it hot. For a milder taste you can use anaheim peppers. Today we had a mix of chillies, aaloo and eggplant (vankaya) bajjis. So without further ado, the recipe.

Ingredients
3 long hot peppers, cut in halves
2 small eggplants, sliced thinly
1 small potato, peeled and sliced thinly
2 cups besan (chickpea four)
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsps ajwain powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying.

Prepare all the vegetables as suggested above. Keep the potatoes and eggplants covered with water to avoid darkening because of oxidation. Mix the besan, spices and salt thoroughly. Now add water slowly to make a thick batter without any lumps. When the vegetables are dipped in the batter, it should stick to vegetable and cover it with a thick layer.
Heat oil in a deep thick bottomed vessel ( wok or kadai ) over medium high heat and deep fry the first test batch. Fry till golden brown, remove and drain on a paper towel. At this point, carefully taste the hot 'bajji' for salt, batter state and doneness. If vegetable is raw, it should be in oil longer. If the cooked layer of batter deflates after being taken out of oil and lies limp on the vegetable, it means he batter is too thin. Add a little besan to correct it. If the outer layer is to dry when you bite into it, the batter is too thick. Add a little water to correct this.
Only after testing the first batch should you go ahead with the rest of the vegetables. This way it is assured that the remaining fritters will taste just right. And the ones in the last batch are mostly the best ones ( as a result of constant tasting and correcting after each batch). Give this batch to the people you want to impress!
These fritters taste good alone or served with your favorite kind of ketchup/sauce. Always enjoy these hot and with a cup of steaming 'chai' (tea latte). The most comforting food on a blustery winter day.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Quick Orange Bread




Quick Orange Bread
The search for this bread came about because of two reasons - leftover orange juice and my own laziness. In our house OJ is not a regular item and when I do buy it, the carton stares at me every time I open the refrigerator. So I wanted to find ways of using the half which is always left over after CV is done with it. Hence the idea for a bread.
I added the quick part in the name because this recipe is just that - a quick, measure, mix and bake recipe. No yeast, no "letting it rise" and no kneading till the gluten develops. Mainly because I'm lazy, yes I accept my fault. And this was for just the three of us at home, no guests to impress. Hence I found this recipe perfect for the occasion.

Ingredients
1 3/4 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Oil
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Chopped Nut
2 Tbsp orange peel

In a large bowl, mix all the five dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl, mix the next three wet ingredients and the orange peel. Stir the wet mix into the flour mix just until moistened. Now stir in the raisins and nuts. Spread into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan and bake at 350F in the oven for 50 minutes. Cool and then remove from pan.
Serving suggestion : This bread tastes best when served warm with softened cream cheese or honey butter. We tried w/ cream cheese and it was delicious. Just a little cheese goes a long way here.

recipe courtesy: www.grouprecipes.com from username noir.
picture courtesy: flickr.com

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Easy Kaju Pedha


Kaju or cashews are a favorite in our house. Specially the li'l one's "favorite nut in the whole wide world", as she says. And the only sweet she'll eat is Kaju Katli - the diamond shaped dessert made from cashews. I looked up many recipes but none seemed easy. Then one day my good friend told me about this recipe. I found it at priyaseasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com and want to say thanks to Priya for this recipe. Now I can make it whenever my daughter feels like eating kaju katli. And that too in a matter of minutes. So here goes.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup cashew powder
1/2 cup almond powder
1/2 cup milk powder
3/4 cup sugar (or castor sugar if you have some on hand)
2 tsp water



Garnish:
Star sprinkles or,
Raisins or,
Pistachios.

Put all the dry ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Mix well with a spatula. Then put the 2 tsps of water and mix well again. Now microwave for 2 minutes ( adjust the time based on the microwave wattage). Stir a couple of times during that time. Now let it cool down. The mixture resembles chapathi dough and you can shape them as you desire. Garnish with the sprinkles or any of the other garnishes you might have available. Enjoy homemade kaju pedha.

Tips
#1 - Do not heat for more than 2 minutes or the mixture turns out dry.
#2 - You can make your own cashew and almond powders by pulsing the nuts, seperately, in a food processor. The powder need not be super fine. It resembles coarse semolina.
#3 - You can use all cashew or almonds instead of half and half. Make sure the almonds are blanched and peeled.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Homemade Chocolate Cake



This is a 'from scratch' recipe for homemade Chocolate Cake. Generally, I use the store bought mixes, follow the instructions on back and make cake "at home". I even perfected the recipe to the correct level of moistness and lightness that we prefer. But it did not satisfy me. I believe what Marie said in Everybody Loves Raymond - she looks at a log of refrigerated cookie dough that Debra gets and says " Well that's almost baking, dear!". A typical Marie statement. But I felt the same when using the mixes therefore I tried it from scratch.

And here is the recipe.

Homemade Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Mix all dry ingredients except cocoa. Beat the eggs in a seperate bowl. Add the oil, milk and vanilla to it. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Dissolve the cocoa into the water and add it to the batter. Put in two 8-inch pans. Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For added flavor, you can put 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the batter. Enjoy.

recipe and pictures courtesy of google search and google images. No copyright infringement intended.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Strawberry Gelatin Salad



For our New Year's eve party, I wanted to come up with something light and healthy. And this was the idea, though not totally healthy, it is a better option compared to the regular desserts. It's a strawberry gelatin salad. It looks even prettier if you happen to have fancy molds or a flexible bundt pan.

Gelatin Salad







Ingredients
1 package (6ounces) strawberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 package (8ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (8ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup strawberry or lemon-lime soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 carton (8ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Dissolve gelatin in water. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Stir in gelatin mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in vanilla, oranges, pineapple, apples, soda and walnuts. Chill until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. Fold in three fourths of the whipped topping.
Pour into 13in x 9in x 2in dish. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until firm. Cut into squares; garnish with the remaining whipped topping.
Yield: 16-20 servings

The second picture in this post is the original recipe (lime gelatin salad). Bu we prefer strawberry jello, hence the change in the recipe. Pecans can be substituted for walnuts. And the cream cheese should be beaten well till fluffy otherwise the final product might turn out dense.

pictures courtesy: google images. no copyright infringement intended

Cranberry Bread



Black Friday dawned nice and bright this year. But we were inside malls and missed dawn. For the rest of the family left at home, I prepared Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread. I baked it the previous day. So, it was well rested and room temperature, in short, ready to be devoured when they woke up. This is again a recipe from Taste of Home's Best Holiday Recipes (2004) and I have no complaints with that. Correct measurements with excellent results. Here's the recipe



Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread







Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup orange juice
grated peel of 1 orange or
1 tsp orange extract
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp hot water
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. in a small bowl, beat the egg; add the orange juice, peel/extract, butter and water. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the cranberries and nuts. Spoon into a greased 9in. x 5in x 3in. loaf pan. Bake at 325 F for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf

Serving suggestion: Serve warm with cream cheese or honey butter.

picture courtesy: google images, oceanspray.ca
no copyright infringement intended.

Sweet Potato Bake - Thanksgiving Dessert


Last year we started a tradition for Thanksgiving, even though we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in India. But who can resist the idea of a table laden with luscious seasonal foods, all very yummy in the tummy of course. Not to mention that friends can wake up the next morning and run to stores to get the Early Bird Specials on Black Friday. Well that's what our tradition is in a nutshell - our family friends come over for dinner, we peruse the Thanksgiving day newspaper and maybe see a family movie that night. The next morning me and my friend run off to the stores on our list and 'shop till we drop'. Sounds therapeutic, doesn't it?
Well, let me get to the recipe now. This year my Thanksgiving day dinner had as many vegetarian elements of a traditional dinner as possible. And for dessert we had a delicious Sweet Potato Bake. It was a universal hit. And here's the recipe.



Sweet Potato Bake

Ingredients
3 cups cold, mashed sweet potatoes (prepared without milk or butter)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter softened
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp cold butter

In a mixing bowl beat sweet potatoes, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake uncovered, at 325 F for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
Yield: 8-10 servings

recipe source: Taste of Home's Best Holiday Recipes 2004. Thanks to Sandra Pichon of Louisiana.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Caramel Flan


This blog is explicitly for recording any new recipes that I try out. And the start of something new with something sweet is tradition in India. So I'm going to start with this easy recipe for flan. I made it for Christmas eve 2009. We had our family friends come for a sleepover and dinner was a mexican fiesta. So what better than flan as the dessert.
Flan, also called Creme Caramel, is a spanish dessert and hence a mexican dessert too. It is a rich custard dessert topped with a layer of soft caramel. And the easy recipe for this yummy stuff follows




Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 pckg (8 ozs) cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 can (14ozs) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12ozs) evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat and cook sugar until melted and golden brown. Keep stirring often and do not add any water to the sugar. The end product after about 15 minutes will be a golden brown liquid. Quickly pour this into an ungreased 2-qt baking dish. Tilt the dish to coat the bottom and let stand for 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Now add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour this mixture over the caramel in the baking dish. Place this dish in a larger baking pan. Now pour boiling water in the larger pan, upto half the height of the baking dish.
Bake in the oven at 350 F for 50-55 minutes. The center will be just set and the mixture will jiggle. Remove the dish to a wire rack and cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight ( or at least for 5 hours). Run a knife along the edges and invert onto a rimmed serving platter. Cut and serve on dessert plates with some sauce spooned over each slice.

Yields 10-12 medium or 14-16 small servings.

recipe courtesy: Taste of Home's Best Holiday Recipes 2004.