Eggplant, Creole Cream Cheese and Spinach Rollatini

The tartness of the creole cream cheese in this recipe sends it to a whole other level. It's an easy recipe but (like a lasagna) there are a lot of pots and bowls involved. It's wonderful - especially if you can make it a day or so before baking!

1 eggplant, sliced thinly lengthwise into 12-13 slices
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
2 cups Corn Oil

For the filling:
6 oz. creole cream cheese
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 lb. ground veal, browned and drained
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 Cup Marinara Sauce
Parmesan Cheese

In one large bowl mix the Panko and seasoned bread crumbs together; season with salt and pepper. In another large bowl mix the eggs and milk together. Dip the eggplant slices one at a time first in the egg wash and then in the bread crumbs. Set aside.
Pour ~ 1/4" of the oil into a large cast iron skillet and wait until the oil is hot (~360 degrees). Brown the eggplant slices on both sides. Remove the slices and drain. Add more oil if necessary and repeat.

Mix the all of the filling ingredients together and place 2-3 T. at the top of each eggplant slice. Roll up and place in a 9x13" glass baking dish. Cover with Marinara sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

If you're making this dish more than 24 hours before serving do not put the Marinara sauce or Parmesan cheese on until just before baking. The crust on the eggplant will get soggy.

Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream

When I was 16 years old I met Bubba for the first time. It was love at first sight. The next year he asked me to come with his family to meet his extended family in New Orleans and attend Endymion's Ball at Mardi Gras. I wore one of my prom dresses and borrowed a jacket from my mom. It was thrilling!! That was the same trip that I tasted creole cream cheese ice cream for the first time. It was also thrilling!! I didn't like sour flavors much at the time but I loved this!! If you have an ice cream maker (make sure yours is a stainlees steel one as the cream cheese will react with steel and give you a matalic taste to your ice cream)  you really need to try this!! It's GREAT on the side of fruit pies!!...but it's better all by itself!

12 oz. Creole cream cheese
 2 cups whole milk
1 cup cream
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 T. vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and eggs. Whisk until fluffy and pale yellow.  In a sauce pot, combine the milk and cream and gently warm. Temper the egg mixture and pour it into the milk mixture, whisking all the while. Cook until the cream is thickened. Pour through a sieve into a stainless steel bowl and cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours. When ready to use blend the Creole cream cheese into the ice cream mixture and whisk until all the lumps are removed. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake

12 oz. Creole Cream Cheese
4 (8 oz.) Philadelphia cream cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 T. vanilla
3-4 T. cream
1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Preheat the oven to ~330 degrees.

Mix the Creole Cream cheese with the Philadelphia cream cheese in a strong mixer; beat on medium high until light and fluffy pouring the sugar slowly and scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the eggs in a little at a time, all the while mixing.

Slow the mixer down and add the vanilla, cream and lemon zest. (I like to taste the batter at this point...even with the raw eggs just to see if I need to adjust the flavor.)

Prepare a water bath for the cheese cake by pouring the batter into a 8" springform pan. Wrap the springform pan in foil so that water cannot seep in during the cooking process. In a 12-14" round cake pan pour 4-5 cups of hot water. Place the wrapped springform pan into the larger cake pan and put into the oven. Bake for at least 70 minutes. Check the cheese cake to make sure that it's not browning on top. When the cheese cake comes out it should "jiggle" (like Jello). As it cools it may crack a little but not too much. Allow to cool about 10 minutes before removing the foil.

Take the springform pan out of the hot water and out of the foil. Let it cool for at least an hour. Place in the refrigerator overnight. DO NOT REMOVE THE SIDES OF THE SPRINGFORM PAN UNTIL THE CAKE HAS GOTTEN COLD!!!!

An hour or so before serving remove the sides of the springform pan and top with a glaze if desired.

New Orleans Creole Cream Cheese

New Orleans has a really different type of culture. The people are always looking forward to the next party or gathering. They live for today- work is secondary. It's not called "The Big Easy" for nothing. Hakuna Matata - a problem-free philosophy for the rest of your days. They work for pleasure; and refining that statement further - they don't mind putting a lot of effort and time toward temporary pleasures....like dinner!
Dorignacs Supermarket on Veterans Highway (a family-owned and operated market) actually makes their own cream cheese. It's wonderful! It's tart and much lighter than a regular cream cheese. Folks in NO use it for lots of things but the most highly coveted product in Bubba's family is the Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream! It's like tasting frozen custard with a twang! I'll have to admit I liked it immediately but the more time that past in between tastings the more I wanted it!
When we left NOLA last time we forgot to go by Dorignacs to pick some up...which meant we were on our phones almost to Baton Rouge trying to find some without success. Bubba (who loves making cheese) announced at that point that he would just try to duplicate it!! I had my doubts but WOW!!! He did it!! And it's not that difficult!! You just have to have a little extra time...but trust me- it's worth the effort!!!

1 gallon of 1% milk
1/2 cup of buttermilk
8 drops Rennet (found online or stores selling home cheese-making kits like Whole Foods)

Slowly heat the milk to 110 degrees; remove from heat. Add the buttermilk and stir. Place in a large bowl and stir in the Rennet. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit out at room temperature for 24 hours.

Spoon the cheese into a cheescloth-lined collander and let it drain for 1 hour.
Wrap in plastic wrap or air-tight container. It will last for 2 weeks.

...and the reason I'm giving this to you is to encourage you to make the cream cheese a few days in advance of making- a) Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream or b) (My NEW favorite!) Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake!!! or c) Eggplant and Creole Cream Cheese Spinach Rollatini!! Recipes to follow!

Coconut Cream Pie

This is Bubba's favorite pie! I have been making it for years. The custard is the extact same as for a banana pie. It's perfect!

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks
4 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 bag of shredded coconut
1 cup whipping cream that has been whipped with a 1/4 cup sugar

Pour the cream, half and half and whole milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in the sugar and cornstarch and stir over medium heat until the pudding begins to thicken. Temper the egg yolks with a little of the milk mixture and then pour back into the milk mixture, whisking constantly. After the pudding is thickened, turn off the heat and remove from the burner; stir in the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is completely melted and incorporated. Fold in the coconut. Pour into a baked pie shell and top with whipped cream. Serve cold.

Peanut Butter Frosting

To Jenn:
Here are the proportions of the peanut butter frosting:

1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners sugar

Cream the butter and peanut butter together. Mix in the sugar stirring well to incorporate. (You can sift the confectioners sugar for a better blend.)

Molten Lava Cookies

Molten Lava Cakes have been around for ages...I had always wanted, but never seen a Molten Lava Cookie recipe. I knew the basic premise behind anything "molten" would be less flour and more chocolate so I developed these cookies. They are very delicate and moist. Most cookies only need 2 minutes to cool before they are taken off a cookie sheet and placed onto a wire cooling rack; these need ~5! They are gooey and wonderful...and I LOVE nuts with my chocolate so I added lots of pecans but you can substitute walnuts just as easily! I have served these at the end of dinner parties- 3 per plate with a raspberry glaze on the plate with EVEN MORE chocolate, melted on the top of each cookie. They are almost always completely eaten!
I will have only one post today, but this is a good one!

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bar (I use Ghirardelli)
3 oz. bitter chocolate bar (Ghirardelli)
6 T. butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bars cut into 1/4" chunks (Ghirardelli)
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces (larger cuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate and 3 oz. of bitter chocolate with the butter on top of a double boiler. Stir until just melted. Cool. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until fluffy- about 4 minutes (Use a Kitchen Aide or powerful mixer for this. You want the eggs to change color to a pale yellow.) In a third bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the chocolate into the egg mixture and stir until completely blended. Add the flour mixture and fold in. Add the 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chunks and pecans and fold.
Drop by tablespoon amounts onto a silacone mat-lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cookies are puffed and a crackled top appears.
Keep the cookies on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes. They are very delicate and will break easily so carefully lift each one and place it on a wire cooling rack.

The cookies are best served warm but can be re-heated in a microwave for a few seconds just before serving or you can eat them at room temperture.