STUMP THE CHEF

Current Questions!

Questions answered by you

Q. Jan from St. Charles, MO is looking for the recipe for the cheesecake Famous-Barr used to sell years ago.
A. Janet from Belleville, IL writes: Hope this is what Jan is looking for:
FAMOUS BARR  CHEESECAKE
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated (see note)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (colored portion of peel)
3 cups (24 ounces) cream-style cottage cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
Mix together gelatin, 1 cup sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Beat together egg yolks and milk; add to gelatin mixture. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly until gelatin is dissolved and
mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest. Let cool. Force cottage cheese through a fine sieve. Add to gelatin mixture along with lemon juice and vanilla. Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix melted butter, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside. Stiffly beat egg whites. In another bowl with clean beaters, beat cream until soft peaks form. Fold together whites and cream, then fold into chilled gelatin mixture. Turn into 8-inch springform pan; sprinkle top with crumb mixture. Chill until firm.

Q. Ahmad in Redmond is looking for a cheese popular in Bangladesh (possibly the primary cheese there) which is called PONIR. It is usually available in a cylindrical block and is milk white in color with lots of porous holes like Swiss Cheese. The cheese is strong tasting and extremely salty. Where might I purchase it and get it shipped to my residence. Or, if a well-explained do-able home-kitchen recipe might be available in some cookbook or web-site?
A. Candis from Mayfield, KY found our answer regarding "ponir" cheese www.recipesource.com  has several recipes for making fresh "paneer" cheese (basically whole milk and buttermilk, heated until curds form), along with cooking hints and recipes using the cheese. Search for "paneer or panir." 

Q. Gail from O'Fallon,Il. is looking for Rockwood or Rockaway (I think that was the name of the company) used to make a mint candy wafer and my mother had a recipe which called for a cookie dough similar to chocolate chip cookie dough to be wrapped around the mint wafer before it was baked. The wafer did not run or completely melt. I can no longer find these chocolate mint wafers. Can anyone tell me where they might be found? 
A. Linda a former Pillsbury Bake-Off Staff, has found the candy wafers for Gail. According to Linda, Starlight Mint Surprise Cookies were a $10,000 winner in the very first Pillsbury Bake-Off contest in 1949. The solid chocolate mints are very difficult to find, but she found them at her local store in the candy section of my supermarket, at the generic candies that hang in clear plastic bags on a rack. The candies are made by a company called Fritzie Fresh. Their website is www.fritziefresh.com . Pillsbury actually now recommends using Ande's candies as a substitute for the solid chocolate wafers - and they work very well.

Q. Dina of Creve Coeur, MO used to be able to find a product at Safeway stores called Pastry Whipping Cream.  It had gelatin in it to make the cream stable so it could be used to "frost" cakes and for other pastries needing a longer "shelf life."  Haven't been able to find anything like it for quite a while.  Do you have a recipe for something like this?  Thank you. 
A. Jerry L. Mills, Chef, Co-owner of Aioli's Restaurant, Kamuela, HI 96743 Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech Univ. Dina is seeking a product similar to one discontinued by Safeway Grocery Stores.  There is a new product from Nulaid (one of the companies that makes egg substitutes) that apparently answers her needs, assuming that she can buy it.  It is called "Hi-Whip" and is a high volume, long lasting product.  The brochure even shows the product used as a cake frosting.  I believe that it is a brand new food service product. The description, as well as company contact information (email or phone) is on their web site at www.nulaid.com   
A. SueAnne from Denver, CO. In answer to Dina's question about using gelatin to stabilize whipping cream. When I worked in the bakeshop in the Renaissance Hotel here in Denver, and needed the whipping cream to hold longer than usual, we would soften a teaspoon or so of dry gelatin in tablespoon or two of  water, whip a half-gallon of heavy cream to soft peaks, then slowly add the softened gelatin liquid while continuing to bring the cream to a stiff but not dry peak.