Tag Archives: food processor

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Friday, October 13, 2017 at 3:04 pm by Matt Harrington

Everyone loves pumpkin pie, and who can blame them? It’s a traditional fall/winter dessert perfect for holidays like Thanksgiving because, well, what else are you going to do with all those leftover Halloween decorations?

Hamilton Beach

Of course, you don’t have to carve an actual pumpkin to make pumpkin pie (canned pumpkin is readily available in every store this time of year). We do, however, have a simple method of making fresh, homemade pumpkin puree using a slow cooker and food processor. If you have the time, our test kitchen recommends trying it out. If not, no one will know and we certainly won’t tell.

Instead of the classic pumpkin pie, this recipe is for a cheesecake. Rich and decadent like a typical cheesecake, but with all the flavour and autumn spice of traditional pumpkin pie. And we think the gingersnap crust is what will really make this dessert your new fall favourite.

The best thing about making a cheesecake (other than eating it) is you can bake it a day or two ahead of time. After it’s done, the cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it so you can spend the day cooking the main course without worrying about dessert. We recommend letting it chill at least 4 hours.

After you’ve tried this pumpkin pie cheesecake, we’d love to hear from you. Which do you prefer – pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake? Let us know in the comments below.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Servings

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Servings

Ingredients

Gingersnap Crust

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling

3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
Whipped cream
Fresh nutmeg, optional

Servings:

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F or 325ºF for dark or nonstick coated pan. Place oven rack on low position.
In medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar. Add butter and stir until blended.
Press crumb mixture in bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In large mixing bowl with electric mixer on medium, blend cream cheese and sugars until smooth.
Add pumpkin, spice, vanilla extract and salt. Beat until blended.
Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended.
Pour pumpkin mixture into crumb crust.
Bake 45 minutes or until about 3 inches in center is jiggly.
Remove from oven and let cool completely. Use a knife to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill for 4 hours or overnight.
Serve cheesecake with whipped cream. Dust lightly with freshly grated nutmeg if desired.

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TAGS: Cheesecake, food processor, pie, pumpkin
CATEGORIES: dessert, From the Test Kitchen, thanksgiving

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Mediterranean-Style Cauliflower Rice

Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 4:28 pm by Sarah DiPeppe

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Now that the holiday season has come to an end most of us are looking to lighten things up a bit – both physically and in the kitchen.

After months of cookies and pies, parties, and family feasts, I’m looking forward to getting out my juicer and eating (even if it’s just a little) healthier.

You have probably seen cauliflower rice on Pinterest, restaurant menus, or even pre-packaged at the grocery store. While it may seem intimidating, it’s actually extremely simple to make. With the help of the Hamilton Beach® Professional 14-Cup Dicing Food Processor, we “riced” a head of cauliflower and turned it into a delicious, refreshing side dish to help jumpstart our healthy eating in 2017.

Break or cut a head of cauliflower into florets. Transfer half of the cauliflower to a food processor fitted with a chopping/mixing blade. Pulse until it’s finely chopped or “riced.” The colour, texture, and size mimics white rice – hence the name cauliflower rice. Cauliflower rice can be used in a variety of recipes, from stir fry to pizza (it makes a great low-carb crust). While working on the recipe, the Test Kitchen realized it not only mimics rice, but also couscous.

Use this light, fluffy “rice” to make a couscous-like salad to serve as a side in the New Year. After cooking the cauliflower rice on the stove top, add toasted walnuts, feta, and golden raisins. Finish the dish with a zesty lemon dressing. The result is so close to couscous you really may not be able to tell the difference.

This Mediterranean-style cauliflower rice is low-carb and packed with flavour. Take it as a healthy lunch or serve it alongside baked fish for a waistline-friendly dinner. Trust us, you’ll be too busy enjoying this refreshing salad to care whether it’s rice, couscous, or cauliflower.

Mediterranean-Style Cauliflower Rice

Servings

Mediterranean-Style Cauliflower Rice

Servings

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower leaves removed
5 tbps olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
3/4 tsp cumin, divided
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
1/8 tsp ground pepper

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Instructions

Break or cut the cauliflower into florets. Transfer half of the cauliflower to a food processor fitted with the chopping/mixing blade. Pulse until the cauliflower is finely chopped and resembles couscous. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat for the second batch of cauliflower.
Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add cauliflower, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cumin to the pan. Cook until cauliflower is tender, 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Transfer cauliflower rice to a bowl to cool. Add walnuts to skillet and return to the heat. Toast walnuts until fragrant and starting to brown, 3-5 minutes.
Add walnuts to cauliflower rice, along with raisins, feta cheese and parsley.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice,remaining salt and cumin, minced garlic, black pepper and remaining olive oil.
Drizzle lemon dressing over cauliflower rice mixture and toss all ingredients to combine.
Serve immediately or chill and serve cold.

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TAGS: 14-Cup Dicing Food Processor, cauliflower, cauliflower rice, cous cous, food processor, Hamilton Beach Professional, side dish
CATEGORIES: Behind the Beach, Everyday Recipes, Healthy Eating, side dishes

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Classic Potato Salad with Variations

Monday, April 27, 2015 at 3:00 pm by Kristel Poole

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The ultimate picnic side, potato salad is everywhere come spring and summer. There are plenty of bbq’s, potlucks or parties, so by Labor Day, you’re sure to have tried at least ten iterations of the dish. The fact that everyone makes potato salad a little differently is what inspired the recipe for potato salad we’re sharing with you today. Pat, Laurie and I started talking about how we each make potato salad at home, and while many of our ingredients overlapped, some of them elicited responses of surprise or sheer shock. Okay, so no one was actually shocked, but there were a lot of “You put what in there?” comments thrown around, which made for no lack of laughter in the test kitchen that day.

In the end, we decided to share the basic recipe with a smattering of optional ingredients so you can customize the potato salad to your liking. We think the basic recipe is delicious on its own, and we love adding our own twist to it, too. We recommend starting with the base recipe and adding your preferred additions to taste. Here are our favorite add-ins:

Pat: “I love adding zip and zing to my potato salad with pickle relish (usually dill, but sweet relish is good too), mustard, lemon juice and onions. Sometimes I’ll add a sprinkling of sugar to the dressing to create a sweet and sour effect.”

Laurie: “My potato salad isn’t complete without hard-boiled egg, parsley and celery. I would omit the relish and stick to the basics. I go with the ‘simpler is better’ method when it comes to potato salad.”

Kristel: “I like to add mustard seed, celery seed, vinegar, chives and plenty of salt to my potato salad, and I don’t usually include eggs. Often, I substitute red potatoes for the traditional white potatoes and add a bit of sour cream to lighten everything up a bit.”

Classic Potato Salad with Variations

Servings

Classic Potato Salad with Variations

Servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds potatoes peeled, cooked and sliced

Optional add-ins

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Instructions

In a large bowl, stir mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until well blended.
Stir in potatoes and any of your favorite add-ins: eggs, celery, onion, relish and celery seed.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Garnish with chopped parsley or chives before serving.

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TAGS: egg cooker, food processor, potatoes
CATEGORIES: easter, Everyday Recipes, fourth of july, Holidays, labor day, memorial day, side dishes

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Chicken Pot Pie

Monday, April 6, 2015 at 3:00 pm by Kristel Poole

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Chicken pot pie is one of those comfort foods that reminds us of family dinners in an era where sitting around the table together was a regular occurrence. Even though our days are now more action-packed, it’s important to make time for these same heart-warming dinners with our families today. This recipe for chicken pot pie will help create lasting memories of home-cooked comfort for years to come.

Chicken Pot Pie

Servings

Chicken Pot Pie

Servings

Ingredients

Food Processor Pie Crust
1/2 cup butter
3 ribs celery chopped
1 large onion chopped
4 cloves smallgarlic minced
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 package frozen mixed vegetables 16 oz.
1 large egg slightly beaten
2 tablespoons water

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Instructions

Prepare half of Food Processor Pie Crust recipe for one crust. Cover pie crust dough with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Meanwhile, heat butter in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat until melted. Add celery, onion and garlic and cook until tender.
Add flour, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper. Stir until smooth.
Blend in milk and chicken stock. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and boil until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in chicken and vegetables. Pour into greased casserole.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Lightly flour counter and roll pie crust dough large enough to cover top of casserole dish. Place pie crust on top of chicken mixture. Crimp edges of pie crust. With a sharp knife, cut vent slits in top of crust.
In small bowl, mix egg with water. Brush over crust.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Recipe Notes

For a quick version, use a purchased rotisserie chicken and refrigerated pie crust. One 2-pound rotisserie chicken yields about 4 cups chopped cooked chicken.

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Stack & Snap Food Processor - Hamilton Beach

Whether you are cooking for two or prepping a large family meal, the Hamilton Beach® Stack & Snap™ 10 Cup Food Processor takes the guesswork out of food processing with a simple function guide that shows you which blade to use and which button to press. Designed to be uniquely simple – there’s no twisting, turning or locking required when assembling the food processor.

TAGS: chicken, food processor
CATEGORIES: Everyday Recipes, main courses

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Pimento Cheese

Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 10:53 am by Kristel Poole

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This orange spread is ubiquitous in the South, but offer it to someone who’s never been below the Mason-Dixon line and you’re sure to get a little side-eye. Known as “the caviar of the South,” but resembling nothing of the sort in mere appearances, pimento cheese is a mixture of shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimento peppers and salt and pepper. Southerners swoon over the stuff and nearly faint when they find out their consummate loyalties don’t exist outside the region.

But what is pimento cheese? How do you serve it? How do you make pimento cheese? What are its origins? And does it really taste as good as everyone says? How did cheese, mayo and these weird jarred peppers cause such a stir? There are, as it goes with pimento cheese, many answers to each of these questions and some of them are hotly debated.

Pimento cheese is most often served as a spread alongside crackers. Some people prefer chips or celery, but some of us (the good ones) will fight for buttery Ritz crackers as the optimal accompaniment. It’s no surprise to see crustless pimento cheese sandwiches served at tea time or bridal showers, and it’s equally at home slathered on top of a hotdog or hamburger for a greasy indulgence. One can easily find it mixed into grits, mashed potatoes or deviled egg filling.

Depending on what region you visit or in whose home you dine, you can find anything from cayenne pepper to cream cheese to onions in your spread. In supermarkets, the list of potential additives is endless. In fact, there are as many possible additions as there are people to disagree, so you may want to try a few styles before declaring your favorite (if you haven’t done so already).

The best way to prepare pimento cheese is one thing on which most Southern chefs and cooks agree. At least so far as that homemade is better than store bought and freshly shredded is better than pre-packaged cheese shreds. Reasoning differs, but every chef I questioned about pimento cheese dutifully shreds their own cheese from large blocks of their favorite cheddar. Some still shred by hand, but most use a food processor. Freshness is key; pre-packaged shredded cheese isn’t as pliable as fresh and doesn’t mix as easily into spread. It doesn’t get as sticky, and the seasoned chefs swear they can tell the difference in blind taste tests. Pride in the prep work seems to be a popular reason, too, but you truly can tell the difference in the end product when you shred the cheese yourself.

The origins of pimento cheese are a bit murky, but it’s actually rumored to have gotten its roots in New York in the late 1800s from the introduction of the mass manufacturing of cheese and Spanish pimento peppers. They were combined in the early 1900s in Eva Green Fuller’s Up-to-Date Sandwich Book where she suggests combining pimentos with Neufchatel and seasoning it with salt before spreading the mixture onto a sandwich. Eventually, manufacturers produced this blend themselves and marketed it as “pimento cheese,” making it available from Minnesota to Oregon to Alabama.

Pimento cheese grew to become associated with Southern cuisine after the manufactured spread fell out of favor and disappeared from the supermarket shelves. Southern cooks decided to start recreating what originated as a manufactured food product in their home kitchens and somehow created the delicious spread we know today. It didn’t hurt that Duke’s mayonnaise was being made by C.F. Sauer’s (out of Richmond, Virginia) and farmers grew pimiento peppers in the South. And it took years, of course, for the spread to evolve into what it is now.

But is pimento cheese as good as everyone claims it to be? Well, that’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. Head to the market and grab yourself a block of cheese, good mayonnaise and a jar of pimentos. All it takes is a few turns of the food processor and a stir of the spoon; soon you’ll know for yourself just what all the fuss is about. They didn’t make a documentary about it for nothing.

Pimento Cheese

Servings

Pimento Cheese

Servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 jar chopped pimentos drained, 4 oz.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 package block Vermont sharp white cheddar cheese 8 oz.
4 ounce piece sharp cheddar cheese

Servings:

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Instructions

Using shredding blade with processor running, add cheeses through the food chute until shredded.
In a large bowl, stir mayonnaise, pimentos, salt and pepper until combined.
Stir in cheeses until well blended.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

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References:
“Pimento Cheese: It’s A Southern Thing”. NPR, Wright Brian, January 17, 2007.
“Pimento Cheese, Please!”. Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium, Nicole Lang and Cristophile Konstas, 2011.
“From Scientific Cuisine to Southern Icon: The Real History of Pimento Cheese”. Serious Eats, Moss Robert, Sept 4, 2014.
Special thanks to Travis Milton of Comfort in Richmond, VA and all the chefs and home cooks who shared their stories for this article.

TAGS: cheese, food processor, kid-friendly
CATEGORIES: appetizers & snacks, Everyday Recipes, sandwiches

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